
22 April 2019
E-commerce giant Amazon has acquired Canvas Technology, a Boulder, Colo., robotics company which developers’ components for autonomous vehicles in industrial settings. Both the company’s share a common vision of a future where humans and robots work together in a safe manner, an Amazon spokesperson stated.
Amazon has been trying to automate parts of its warehouses and has deployed robots alongside human workers. This company’s latest acquisition continues that focus and comes after the company’s $775 million acquisition of robotics company Kiva Systems in 2012. The e-commerce giant has also recently participated in a $530 million funding round in driverless car startup Aurora Innovation Inc.
Canvas Technology’s technology is designed for driverless cars for warehouses. The company uses “spatial artificial intelligence” and state-of-the-art cameras which are designed to help vehicles autonomously navigate through crowded areas, which include a lot of people on foot as well as operating equipment.
Amazon has stated, “We are inspired by Canvas Technology’s innovations, and share a common vision for a future where people work alongside robotics to further improve safety and the workplace experience. We look forward to working with Canvas Technology’s fantastic team to keep inventing for customers.”
Founded in 2015 Canvas Technology is led by Jonathan McQueen, who is an ex-executive of Qualcomm. The company had raised a $15 million Series A round in 2017.
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comments
Just spare a thought for the people working in these warehouses. Poor guys! They have to face in-house competition :(
The use of robots has actually become the need of the hour now. There's no avoiding it!
It's been a while since Amazon is using robots in its warehouses. The acquisition of Canvas Technology will further expand the use.