Our Innovation Analysts recently looked into emerging technologies and up-and-coming startups working on solutions for the automotive sector. As there is a large number of startups working on a wide variety of solutions, we want to share our insights with you. This time, we are taking a look at 5 promising robotics startups impacting automotive manufacturing.
Heat Map: 5 Top Robotics Startups Impacting Automotive Manufacturing
For our 5 top picks, we used a data-driven startup scouting approach to identify the most relevant solutions globally. The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights 5 interesting examples out of 47 relevant solutions. Depending on your specific needs, your top picks might look entirely different.
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DESMAAN – Welding
Automotive manufacturing involves the welding of components at various stages of production. The process of welding often has adverse effects on worker health, such as burns and eye damage. Robotic solutions reduce the need for human workers for welding purposes. Moreover, robots replicate the correct welding orientation more effectively and produce identical welding on every component.
Indian startup DESMAAN offers equipment design for fixtures in the body in white (BIW) assembly in the automotive industry. The startup designs geo fixtures for robotic welding in BIW assembly. These fixtures arrest the geometrical movement of components for precise welding.
Illumo Robotics – Machine Tending
Machine tending refers to the automated supervision and operation of machines. Robots feed the parts into the machine and take out the processed parts. Machine tending maintains consistency in the production line with little downtime and improves the overall production process.
Illumo Robotics is a France-based startup that provides software solutions for robots. The startup’s solution uses artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the machine tending capabilities of robots in real-time. This allows robots to learn from workers and replicate their actions for customized training.
drag&bot – Robotic Screw Driving
Screw driving is a recurring process during automotive production. Screw driving on large components is difficult for human workers due to their load size and effort required. On the other hand, very small components are difficult to manage for a human worker. Robotic screw driving solutions are guided and controlled by workers and address this issue on the production floor.
German startup drag&bot develops programming solutions for industrial robots. The startup’s solutions allow workers to control and guide the movement of robots to perform an operation like screw driving. The solutions also find use in other applications on the assembly line, such as clipping and mounting parts.
Bright Machines – Microfactory
Automotive manufacturing incurs a lot of upfront investment and leads to a lot of raw materials being wasted. A micro-factory, on the other hand, is a miniaturized factory that uses advanced robotics and additive manufacturing to manufacture products on a smaller scale. This reduces production and distribution costs and allows the freedom to profitably create low-volume or custom products as well.
Bright Machines, a US-based startup, builds micro-factories for automated product assembly and inspection solutions. The startup delivers quick changeovers and flexibility to handle low volume, high mix production needs. Bright Machine’s robot arms use grippers of various sizes for pick & place assembly and perform other functions such as heat sink assembly, soldering, labeling, etc. This supports automotive manufacturers to produce small components, such as electronics.
ULS Robotics – Exoskeleton Robot
Vehicle assembly is one stage in automotive manufacturing that essentially requires the presence of human workers. However, it is also a physically strenuous exercise. The stage comprises of tasks, such as wheel mounting, that are difficult for a traditional robot to perform. Exoskeleton robots supplement workers and enhance the strength and endurance for more efficient movement.
China-based startup ULS Robotics manufactures 3 different models of exoskeleton robots. The company’s robots assist workers in various stages of automotive manufacturing. As an example, the robots decrease the burden on the arms and waist of workers and enable them to pick and drop heavy load components.
What About The Other 42 Solutions?
While we believe data is key to creating insights it can be easy to be overwhelmed by it. Our ambition is to create a comprehensive overview and provide actionable innovation intelligence for your Proof of Concept (PoC), partnership, or investment targets. The 5 robotics startups showcased above are promising examples out of 47 we analyzed for this article. To identify the most relevant solutions based on your specific criteria and collaboration strategy, get in touch.
