The Army has put a ton of time and energy into solving what, from the outside, might seem like a simple problem: Helping startups work with the military, get their products integrated and deployed where they're needed.
Much of the Army's efforts have centered in Austin, which became home to the Army Futures Command more than a year ago. In addition to their internal growth, they've been constantly reaching out to the tech community in Austin and beyond to spread the word that the Army is now significantly more approachable for startups than ever before.
And now we have one of the most visible results of that work, with the Army picking six companies, including one from Austin, to be part of its Field Artillery Autonomous Resupply cohort, which is part of the Army Capability Accelerator in the Army Applications Laboratory. The companies will focus on how the Army stores, ships and loads munitions.
The companies were selected after a nationwide search for innovators focused on autonomous resupply capabilities. The companies each get $150,000 to complete the 12-week. It's capped off by a pitch competition in April with potential investors.
“We’re helping nontraditional companies build a new line of business into the government," Porter Orr, product innovation lead at AAL, said in a news release. "And that’s important, but it’s just as important that we’re giving Army leaders a choice between writing a large check or doing nothing. This is a way for them to get more insight—more confidence—in a solution before purchasing it."
Here are the six companies joining the accelerator, with descriptions provided by the Army:
Actuate is an AI company that builds computer vision software to turn any security camera into an intruder- and threat-detecting smart camera. Founded with the mission of addressing America’s gun violence epidemic, product features include alerting customers to unauthorized entry to facilities as well as catching individuals acting in a threatening manner even before weapons are fully visible.
Apptronik offers a family of robotics products, components, and engineering services. A spin-out from the Human Centered Robotics Lab at the University of Texas at Austin, it was founded in 2016 with the goal of bringing forth the next generation of robots. The Apptronik team is comprised of a diverse group with expertise including robotics, business, art, marketing, and more. (Apptronik was also one of Austin Inno's 50 on Fire this year.)
Carnegie Robotics provides robotic sensors and platforms for defense, agriculture, mining, infrastructure, and energy applications. Based in Pittsburgh, it was founded in 2010 as a spinout of Carnegie Mellon University’s National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC)—a research and development organization for advanced field robotics, machine vision, and autonomy.
Pratt & Miller is a product development company that uses technology and innovation to address challenges in the motorsports, defense, and mobility industries. For more than 30 years, Pratt & Miller has used the world’s racetracks as a technology proving ground. From this experience in motorsports, it has evolved into revolutionizing the way the world moves.
Neya Systems LLC, a division of Applied Research Associates, is a Pittsburgh-area robotics company and developer of advanced unmanned systems and off-road autonomy/self-driving vehicle technologies. The company works with commercial, defense, and homeland security customers to deliver solutions related to autonomy, computer vision, and general unmanned systems development and deployment.
Hivemapper is a mapping infrastructure that provides mapping, visualization, and analytic tools that uncover changes humans can’t see. Its machine vision tools help organizations build and visualize smarter living maps — whether building an autonomous delivery aircraft, assessing damage after disasters, managing construction projects, or building situational intelligence for military operations.
