Technology
Former DeepMind Engineers Launch Startup to Allow Factory Workers to Train Robots
Reimagine Robotics has raised venture funding for robotic arms designed to be taught and adjusted directly by enterprise staff.
The short version
- Former Google DeepMind engineers founded Reimagine Robotics to build robotic arms that can be trained on-site by non-technical workers.
- The startup relies on physical manipulation, allowing users to move the robot's arms to demonstrate tasks and make manual corrections.
- Reimagine Robotics is currently testing its technology with manufacturing clients, including a hard drive recycling business.
- The company aims to address a industry-wide shortage of physical robotics data required to adapt machines to specialized jobs.
Key facts
- Reimagine Robotics was founded by former Google DeepMind engineers Jonathan Scholz, Oleg Sushkov, Akhil Raju, and Misha Denil.[Business Insider]
- The London- and Sydney-based startup emerged from stealth backed by venture capital firms Fly Ventures and Firstminute Capital.[Business Insider]
- Reimagine Robotics allows staff to teach robots new tasks through direct physical interaction, guiding and correcting the equipment by hand.[Business Insider]
- In one pilot deployment involving the extraction of critical materials from hard drives, Reimagine Robotics reported reducing robot task-instruction time from one day to 10 minutes.[Business Insider]
What remains uncertain
- It remains uncertain whether Reimagine Robotics' physical training model can scale effectively across diverse industrial environments beyond early pilot tests.[Business Insider]
Sources
- A startup founded by ex-DeepMind engineers wants to turn its customers into robot teachersBusiness Insider metered