Schaeffler invests in touch startup AICA - robots to learn themselves
Lausanne-based AICA SA wants to give robots a sense of touch. In February, AICA received CHF 1.2 million in a seed round from Spicehaus Partners (CH),
the High-Tech Gründderfonds and the Schaeffler Group. The latter investor in particular is of interest here, as it is not a financial but a strategic investor. This website has already reported several times on Schaeffler's robotics ambitions. It has also been suggested here that Universal Robots' flagship robot, the UR 20, was only made possible thanks to its supplier Schaeffler. I am a little surprised that ABB is not on board, since they are compatriots. Perhaps AICA didn't want to limit its market too much to one robot manufacturer. Back to the press release of the Swiss:
Automation of complex manufacturing processes using AI
The Swiss startup uses artificial intelligence to automate complex manufacturing processes that are difficult for humans to manage.
The funds raised will enable the EPFL spin-off to expand its application library and deploy its solutions internationally.
The EPFL spin-off of LASA in Lausanne , whose goal is to make robotics accessible to companies of all sizes, announces the closing of its financing round in February 2023. The company, currently active in Switzerland and Germany, whose main customers are in the automotive sector, is expanding into other countries and market segments (medical technology, food processing). The CHF 1.2 million financing round will enable AICA to go into production before the end of 2023 and expand its activities internationally.
Reinforcement learning and force control
The investment, made by Spicehaus Partners with support from High-Tech Gründerfonds and Schaeffler Group, confirms the company's growth potential and the sustainability of its technology and strategic vision. AICA combines reinforcement learning and closed-loop force control to give robots a tactile sense of touch and the ability to learn and adapt independently to change. This
approach makes programming robots for complex applications affordable and efficient. It also gives manufacturers the flexibility to automate "dirty, boring, and dangerous" processes that are currently done manually. To illustrate, these may be activities such as handling heavy materials, or other tasks where physical and mental health is at risk.
Internationalization on the horizon
"AICA is thrilled to have the support and confidence of our investors to enable us to bring our technology to Europe and beyond. Our goal is to enable a greater number of companies by making robotics more accessible and smarter."
Baptiste Busch, co-founder and CEO of AICA.
SMEs are addressed
The AICA team is excited about the new challenges and the opportunity to focus on the goal of providing flexible and cost-effective robotics solutions for SMEs. Currently, many companies cannot afford robotized solutions due to high implementation costs and the need for advanced robotics skills to operate them. Due to the high cost of local production, outsourcing of some processes is still common. With the solutions offered by the startup, SMEs can automate redundant, dangerous and non-value-added parts of their production lines, allowing human labor to focus on productive activities. This will enable manufacturers to move parts of their production in-house to gain better control over their value chain. As the Swiss company expands its operations, it intends to set up local offices and hire local staff in its customers' countries, which will also have a positive impact on local economies.
"After two promising PoCs, we are pleased to now actively invest in AICA's success story. We have come to know AICA as a very agile and innovative company and are convinced that these characteristics will contribute significantly to the company's success. Together we will redefine robotic assembly and create new value for our customers." Thomas Krämer (SVP Advanced Production Technology,
Schaeffler AG)
"We are deeply impressed by AICA's strong team and deep expertise in robotics. The Industry 4.0 revolution has just begun
and increasingly, highly complex processes can be automated. We strongly believe that AICA can play an important role with its vendor-independent robotics software." Dr. Teddy Amberg, Founding Partner at Spicehaus.
"We are very excited to support the AICA team on their journey to further advance the accessibility of industrial robots. We see a strong tailwind in our robotics portfolio and the current market, as robotic automation is no longer an option for many customers, but a necessity. AICA's approach to achieve accuracy and precision through self-learning robots is a promising paradigm shift in robot programming." Gregor Haidl, Senior Investment Manager at HTGF
This investment will help the startup expand its application library and address many of the challenges companies have long faced. It is an important step for AICA in its vision to make automation accessible to everyone. AICA's unique technology
puts the company in a perfect position to meet the growing demand ach robotic solutions. - End of message.
Unfortunately, the video was shot with a Franka Emika. Unfortunately, because the Franka can already do a lot out of the box. Using a really "dumb, insensitive" industrial robot would have been more helpful for evaluation:
Are we networking? LinkedIn
-> Go to the Cobot group on LinkedIn (link). The author is also a consultant (robotics, tech & finance). Hardly anyone is likely to have a comparable market overview.