In 2017, Swift Navigation and Carnegie Robotics collaborated to launch Duro, a line of high-precision global navigation satellite system receivers. Now, Carnegie Robotics has fully acquired the tech, expanding its portfolio.
While Pittsburgh is well-known as having a cluster of autonomous vehicle companies, public focus often falls on the ones that can be seen on the road, such as testing vehicles for Motional and Latitude AI, as well as robotaxi services like Waymo that have dominated news cycles. But in Pittsburgh there's a sizable cluster working to take the tech off road — and Carnegie Robotics' roots date back to the origins of the sector.
Founded in 2010, the company's main focus is on commercializing autonomous solutions for large OEMs and the defense industry, an industry that has increasing interest in off-road autonomy. But off-road presents different developmental tasks than on-road, one of which is ensuring consistent positioning.
Chief Development Officer Mike Embrescia said in a prepared statement that he is "excited to fully integrate the Duro product line" into the company's portfolio and that it would support the company's "key market in marine, construction, mining, agriculture, rail and military,"
Carnegie Robotics acquired the line because San Francisco-headquartered Swift is transitioning to a software-only service model. But the two companies will remain connected — one of the software products Swift provides is Skylark, a cloud-based positioning service that integrates with Duro.
"Carnegie Robotics' acquisition of the Duro line underscores the quality of the products and success of our collaboration," executive vice president and general manager, industrial at Swift Navigation, Brad Sherrard, said in a prepared statement. "We look forward to continuing our strategic partnership with Carnegie Robotics."
