{"id":577421,"date":"2024-01-11T09:22:09","date_gmt":"2024-01-11T14:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.therobotreport.com\/?p=577421"},"modified":"2024-01-11T10:43:30","modified_gmt":"2024-01-11T15:43:30","slug":"sevensense-acquisition-adds-vslam-smarts-mobile-robots-says-abb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.therobotreport.com\/sevensense-acquisition-adds-vslam-smarts-mobile-robots-says-abb\/","title":{"rendered":"Sevensense acquisition to add VSLAM smarts to mobile robots, says ABB"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"ABB

Sevensense said its VSLAM technology can improve mobile robot navigation. Source: ABB<\/p><\/div>\n

After a challenging year for autonomous mobile robot, or AMR, providers, industry leaders are continuing to consolidate. ABB today announced that it has acquired Sevensense, which combines artificial intelligence and 3D vision to enable AMRs to differentiate between fixed and mobile objects in dynamic environments.<\/p>\n

\u201cOffering more autonomy and cognitive intelligence, ABB\u2019s unique market-proven technology paves the way for a shift from linear production lines to dynamic networks,\u201d stated Marc Segura, president of ABB\u2019s Robotics Division<\/a>, in a release<\/a>. “Intelligent AMRs autonomously navigate to production cells, tracking stock inventory as they go and sharing this information with other robots, while collaborating safely side by side with humans.”<\/p>\n

Spun out of ETH Zurich in 2018, Sevensense’s Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (VSLAM<\/a>) technology enables mobile robots to create maps for fully autonomous operations, reducing commissioning time from weeks to days. This allows AMRs<\/a> to operate independently in complex factories and warehouses alongside people, it said.<\/p>\n

A fleet can constantly update and share maps, allowing for scalability without interrupting operations and with greater flexibility than other navigation technologies, claimed the company.<\/p>\n

Sevensense acquisition evolves from partnership<\/h2>\n

ABB has invested in innovation for more than 50 years, Segura told The Robot Report<\/a>. <\/em>It has partnered with universities such as ETH Zurich and built a partner ecosystem and startup accelerators to keep up with rapidly developing technologies, he said.<\/p>\n

ABB had invested<\/a> in Sevensense in 2021, the same year it acquired<\/a> ASTI Mobile Robotics for $190 million<\/a>. The industrial automation provider had<\/a> added<\/a> the startup’s VSLAM technology to its AMRs over the past few years, so why acquire it now?<\/p>\n

“The decision to transition from partnership to ownership of Sevensense fulfills part of ABB Robotics\u2019 investment strategy, which focuses on innovative AI solutions with the power to transform industries such as logistics and manufacturing,” said Segura. “Through ownership, we are able to fully integrate Sevensense\u2019s pioneering navigation technology into our AMR portfolio and explore new markets and opportunities together.”<\/p>\n

ABB did not disclose how much it paid for Sevensense.<\/p>\n