Seegrid Corp., a Pittsburgh-based maker of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), announced it has entered into an agreement with Silicon Valley-based autonomous vehicle simulation and software tools provider Applied Intuition to develop 3D virtual warehouses, factories and distribution centers.
The joint effort for the two companies will aim to accelerate advancements in autonomous technology for use in the materials handling industry. According to a Seegrid press release, the partnership involves a "significant investment" from Seegrid. The company did not disclose more specific details on what the investment entailed other than the fact that Seegrid said the partnership will allow it to more quickly validate product innovations across more environments and use cases in the supply chain due to the simulation technology compared to what could be accomplished by testing these developments manually.
"Consumer demand and a shrinking labor force are putting pressure on nearly every industry, and in turn, putting pressure on AMRs to effectively and consistently interpret and respond to ever-changing situations," Jim Rock, Seegrid’s CEO, said in the release. "Our customers rely on Seegrid to deliver industry-leading automation solutions that can safely ensure productivity — highly advanced simulation during ideation, test and development speeds up our ability to deliver next-generation AMRs best equipped to address the unpredictable events in facility workflows."
The collaboration is a result of efforts made by Seegrid's Blue Labs team, its research and development group that is tasked with identifying new automation technologies.
"Manufacturing and distribution facilities are a complex, highly dynamic operational design domain," Peter Ludwig, chief technology officer and co-founder of Applied Intuition, said in the release. "We’re thrilled to collaborate with industry leader Seegrid to help enable the rapid acceleration of the growing AMR market."
