An idea initially sparked over a decade ago by Carbon Origins Inc. CEO Amogha Srirangarajan has now come to fruition.
Becoming familiar with robots built for mining the moon as part of his university’s robotics team, Srirangarajan was interested in creating a machine that could handle autonomous construction. That idea was put on the back burner while the Carbon Origins team focused on developing their last-mile delivery robot named Skippy.
The team has so far seen success building its robot technology and gaining notoriety. Now, the company is pivoting its focus nearly entirely toward what Srirangarajan calls the culmination of a 10-year process: teleoperation of heavy machinery.
Skippy had helped prove the company’s underlying technology, the CEO said, but “that hook to do heavy equipment … has been there since the very beginning."
Carbon Origins’ technology allows individuals to operate machines from remote locations using a virtual reality headset. The software used to operate Skippy has now been upgraded with additional features, making it more robust for heavy equipment, like a skid steer loader, Srirangarajan explained. The technology will also allow operators to prompt autonomous work using artificial intelligence.
"Instead of 200-lb. robots on sidewalks, we're going to make everyday machines – 10,000-lb., 50,000-lb. machines doing jobs out there — into robots by upgrading them with our sensors and our software," Srirangarajan said.
The company began the process of pivoting its business earlier this year, when Hastings-based machinery-adventure site Extreme Sandbox agreed to let Carbon Origins use its machines to test out the technology, Srirangarajan said.
Companies have already shown interest in using the technology, Srirangarajan said. The target customers are local equipment rental companies. Operators of heavy equipment are also a focus, as the company is looking to develop its own type of platform for those employees looking to fill such a job.
The aim is to improve upon the current labor crisis, particularly in an industry that hasn’t seen massive shifts in remote work, the CEO said.
“We're kind of breaking that barrier,” Srirangarajan said. "So, imagine a person … clearing snow in parking lots across Minneapolis while sitting in the warmth, and they're on their couch drinking coffee.”
A sign of its previous growth, Carbon Origins recently moved out of the Northeast Minneapolis Twin Ignition Startup Garage to a nearby building purchased by Twin Ignition for larger-scale startups, Minne Inno previously reported. The company has also raised $2.4 million pre-seed financing to date, with a seed funding round now active.
And the pivot doesn’t necessarily mean the end of Skippy, the CEO said. “Our software is there and ready for use [when needed]."
