Raise and Deliver

Reflecting on Robotics: A Year in Review and a Look Ahead

Do you recall December of 2020? Considering your circumstances and aspirations at that time is a worthwhile exercise. Many, myself included, have felt as though the past year has been a continuous cycle of effort, with improvements perpetually just out of reach. Frankly, the prolonged nature of the pandemic was not a widely anticipated outcome, and our perceptions of what constitutes “normal” have undergone significant adjustments.

As we assess the developments in robotics over the last year, and contemplate future trends, the pandemic remains the dominant influence across nearly all aspects of the industry. As previously discussed, we will dedicate the coming weeks to summarizing the year’s events here on Actuator. This week, our focus will be on delivery robotics, a sector that has experienced substantial investment throughout the year.

Industry Perspectives on 2021 and 2022

First, we sought insights from prominent figures in the industry to reflect on the past year and forecast the outlook for 2022 in robotics and automation.

Matthew Johnson-Roberson, the newly appointed director of CMU’s Robotics Institute, shared his perspective. Having previously served as co-director of the University of Michigan’s Ford Center for Autonomous Vehicles and co-founder of Refraction AI, his insights into the autonomous driving industry are particularly valuable.

What was the most significant robotics/AI/automation trend of 2021? A growing trend involves companies specializing in application-specific AI – focusing on tasks like computer vision, problem-solving robotics, and specialized chatbots. This trend is expected to continue as the market seeks effective applications for increasingly sophisticated algorithms.

What does 2022 hold for these categories? We anticipate further consolidation among large self-driving companies, with more potentially becoming publicly traded as they prepare to allocate capital towards expansion and customer service.

We also spoke with Rob Playter, the Boston Dynamics executive recently appointed as CEO.

What was the defining robotics/AI/automation trend of 2021? The maturation of legged robots. 2021 witnessed the introduction of numerous legged robots into the market. Quadrupedal robots are transitioning from laboratory settings to real-world workplaces, a shift accelerated by ongoing labor shortages across various industries. There is considerable interest in Spot for industrial applications where mobile robots can navigate challenging environments, including stairs, doors, and other obstacles that would impede wheeled or tracked robots. Customers are utilizing Spot as a dynamic sensing platform to gather consistent, repeatable data for tasks such as thermal anomaly detection in manufacturing, radiation mapping in nuclear facilities, and digital twin modeling in construction. These products are demonstrating tangible value in practical settings.

What will 2022 bring for these categories? Increased operational deployment. In 2022, we expect customers to deploy mobile robots like Spot on a larger scale throughout their organizations. We’ve observed significant engagement from industrial innovation teams exploring mobile robots for diverse applications, and next year we anticipate customers integrating more robots into their asset management programs and daily operations. However, for industrial mobile robots to achieve widespread adoption, the industry as a whole must improve reliability. Many products have been announced that are either conceptual or limited to small-scale proof-of-concept demonstrations. As more businesses invest in real-world technology, the most dependable, robust, and accessible products will succeed.

The Rise of Delivery Robotics

Over the past two years, few segments of the robotics industry have experienced more growth than delivery robotics. Before the pandemic, discussions surrounding autonomous delivery primarily revolved around regulatory hurdles and questions of demand. However, the onset of the pandemic, which prompted widespread lockdowns and concerns about venturing outside, led to a significant surge in the usage of delivery services like Seamless and Uber Eats.

Although stay-at-home orders have eased in many parts of the world in 2021, numerous challenges continue to impact industries, sustaining strong demand for automation. These include widespread staffing shortages in food service and other manual labor roles, as well as disruptions to global supply chains and shipping. These delivery challenges extend beyond the final stages of transport – they affect every part of the process.

Consequently, it’s not surprising that this situation has spurred a substantial increase in investment across the board. Problems that analysts previously anticipated addressing in five to ten years are now demanding immediate attention.

Investment and Partnerships

Nuro led the way with one of the most significant robotics investments recently, securing funding from Tiger Global. The $600 million Series D round, announced last month, increased the company’s valuation by over 70%, reaching $8.6 billion. A key component of this deal is a new partnership with Google Cloud, which aims to jointly advance the service towards commercialization and “explore opportunities together to strengthen and transform local commerce.”

While you may have encountered delivery robots like Kiwibot on college campuses, funding – and in Nuro’s case, production – is increasing. However, the majority of packages are still delivered by human couriers.

Coco, a UCLA spinout, secured a $36 million funding round earlier this year, bringing its total funding to $43 million. Co-founder and CEO Zach Rash emphasized the timeliness of such delivery technologies, stating in a press release, “I strongly believe the delivery service industry in its current state is massively under-serving merchants. We have an enormous opportunity to create a better experience for hundreds of thousands of merchants and their customers, today. This is not a research program experimenting with technology to be productized at some unknown point in the future.”

Formerly known as Cyan Robotics, the firm lists 18 partners, primarily in the Los Angeles area, and currently operates deliveries in Santa Monica and five other LA locations. While robotic deliveries remain less common than traditional methods, ordering food in the right location at the right time may result in a robotic delivery.

This week, the company also announced a manufacturing agreement with Segway. Tony Ho, Segway’s VP of global business development, shared with TechCrunch:

Starship, meanwhile, began the year with a $17 million raise. The company, focused on delivering food to campuses, plans to expand its operations from 15 universities to 100.

Autonomous trucking also experienced a strong year, driven by similar concerns regarding staffing shortages. Kodiak Robotics raised a $125 million Series B, intending to double its workforce, while Swedish firm Einride secured $110 million to expand into the U.S.

Further Investment and Innovation

Serve Robotics, which spun out from Uber’s Postmates earlier this year, received a $13 million seed round. Co-founder Ali Kashani stated the company’s ambition: “Our goal is to put robots in every major U.S. city in the next two to three years.”

7-Eleven’s investment arm, 7-Ventures, participated in the round, demonstrating the convenience store giant’s growing enthusiasm for robotics deliveries. They have already piloted programs with Nuro, among others. Delivery Hero, also involved in the round, has previously collaborated with Starship.

Next, we turn to underground robotics, as Petra emerges from stealth mode to announce a $30 million Series A. The company utilizes thermal technology to bore tunnels through some of the Earth’s strongest rock formations. To showcase this capability, the startup announced that its robot, Swifty, successfully bored a 20-foot tunnel through Sioux Quartzite at a rate of one inch per minute.

Co-founder and CEO Kim Abrams stated:

Finally, research from MIT CSAIL concludes this week’s update. The lab unveiled “Evolution Gym,” a simulation environment for testing soft robotic designs. While currently a simulation, it provides valuable insights into how compliant robots can adapt to various environmental challenges.

CSAIL notes, “The result looks like a little robot Olympics. In addition to standard tasks like walking and jumping, the researchers also included some unique tasks, like climbing, flipping, balancing, and stair-climbing.”

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