SVT Robotics Named One of the Ten Most Innovative Robotics Companies in 2022

Perhaps 2021 will be seen as a tipping point, the year we suddenly noticed that the robots were everywhere. In the factory, of course, the use of industrial robots around the world is rapidly accelerating, with average global robot density in manufacturing hitting 126 robots per 10,000 employees, nearly double the number from just five years ago, according to the 2021 World Robot Report. The auto industry is the biggest employer of robots by far, accounting for 42% of all installed units in 2021; there were nearly 1,300 robots for every 10,000 human employees in the car sector. Industrial robots are becoming more versatile, too: This year’s most innovative robotics companies include autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), such as Denmark’s Mobile Industrial Robots and Pittsburgh-based Seegrid, that use sensors and software to navigate safely through dynamic work environments, as well as collaborative “cobots”—the fastest-growing market segment—designed to work alongside humans and learn new tasks quickly. San Francisco-based Nimble uses AI and “imitation learning” to teach warehouse robots how to pick and pack products like cosmetics, apparel, and consumer electronics, once considered too delicate for robot handling, for U.S. customers including Best Buy, Victoria’s Secret, and Puma. With more businesses joining the rush to automate, companies that help make the design and deployment of robotic systems quicker and easier, such as SVT Robotics, are helping cut implementation times from months to weeks or days. This year’s list also illustrates advances in robotics outside the factory or warehouse: Drone Deploy makes software that enables drones to fly autonomous inspection and mapping missions of construction sites, energy infrastructure, and agricultural fields, while companies like Nuro and Coco are ramping up their robot delivery services for commercial customers in California and Texas. The FDA has approved a new generation of robotic assistants, such as those from Zimmer Biomet and Memic Innovative Surgery, to help surgeons perform less-invasive procedures more precisely. And working with the U.S. military, CRG Automation is using robotic systems to make the world safer, rapidly dismantling outdated stockpiles of chemical warheads.

1. DRONEDEPLOY

For turning drone footage into useful maps

DroneDeploy’s software works with drones from Mavic and other makers, enabling them to set up autonomous inspection and mapping missions of construction sites, energy infrastructure, and agricultural fields. Its 360 Walkthrough functionality combines footage from drones, aerial cameras, and 360-cameras on the ground to provide digital reconstruction of sites from any angle. In 2021, DroneDeploy launched a partnership with agriscience company Corteva, which operates fleets of crop monitoring drones, to develop a tool called Stand Assessment, which uses data from drones to automate crop monitoring and planning. With $50 million raised in 2021, the company’s total fundraising to date is $142 million.

2. NIMBLE

For bringing a softer touch to warehouse automation

In even the most highly automated fulfillment centers, picking and packing items for specific customer orders usually remains a manual task performed by human workers (who have been in short supply). San Francisco-based Nimbleuses AI and “imitation learning” to teach robots delicate pick-and-pack tasks that were previously considered too challenging to automate. The company says its robots have been trained to pick more than 500,000 unique products, including cosmetics, apparel, and consumer electronics, and are deployed with U.S. customers including Best Buy, Victoria’s Secret, and Puma. In March 2021, Nimble raised $50 million Series A financing led by DNS Capital and GSR Ventures.

3. MOBILE INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS

For bringing heavy lifting power to precision robotics

This Danish robot maker beefed up its product line in 2021, adding two new autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to its manufacturing and warehouse line. The new models can haul and lift loads up to nearly 3,000 pounds, have components rated to hold up to dust and water drops, and are equipped with multiple sensors, 3D cameras, and lidar to avoid collision with human coworkers.

4. SEEGRID

For introducing a rent-a-robot business model

In 2021, Pittsburgh-based Seegrid, which makes self-driving tow tractors and pallet trucks used in warehouses, launched its first autonomous lift truck, the Palion Lift AMR, which has a 3,500 pound capacity and navigates programmed routes with input as needed from a human supervisor. Palion AMRs have driven more than 5 million autonomous miles in customer facilities without a single personnel incident. Incorporating AI and a proprietary vision system, Palion AMRs see, understand, and learn about their environments. Seegrid also rolled out a new Robots as a Service (RaaS) subscription model, to provide an alternative to traditional lease or purchase programs. customers.