A new throw in Silicon Valley to persuade small businesses to automate is the rent-a-robot, rent a robot service. Better technology and the need for higher wages for humans have led to a surge in sales of robots to large corporations across America. But few of these devices end up in smaller factories, which are wary of high initial costs and fear a lack of robotics expertise.
Therefore, venture capitalists are advocating a new financial model: leasing, installing and maintaining robots. they are billed to the factories on an hourly or monthly basis, reducing risk and initial costs.
Saman Farid, a former venture capitalist who has invested in robots for more than a decade and has seen robots in factories Lux Capital and Initialized Capital, an early investor in Cruise’s self-driving technology startup, have set up a rent-a-robot company called Formic Technologies.
sees that the confluence of cheaper and better robots’ computer vision and artificial intelligence technology, low interest rates and US-Chinese tensions threatening supply chains interest in robot rental. “These are at the heart of the three biggest megatrends that are now moving the whole of society,” Tan said. you lose a contract or change a product. This is because smaller factories often produce small numbers of more personalized products that are not worth a robot. And Silicon Valley Robotics, an industry group that supports robot startups, says funding has been a challenge in the past. Nevertheless, some highly rated investors have already boarded in.
Westec Plastics, a family-owned plastics molding plant in Livermore, California, received its first robot in January 2020 and now has three – Melvin, Nancy and named Kim – he has a robot from Rapid Robotics that charges $ 3,750 per month in the first year and $ 2,100 per month from the second year.
“Melvin works 24 hours a day, in all three shifts, and thus he replaced three full operators. This year we had to raise wages quite significantly due to events in the world. And luckily Melvin is not asking for an increase, “said President Tammy Barras, adding that with this one robot alone it will save about $ 60,000 a year in labor costs.
According to Barras, who employs 102 people, robots cannot replace humans today, as they can only perform repetitive, simple tasks such as picking up a round plastic cylinder and aiming. g logo on the appropriate page.
Jordan Kretchmer, co-founder and CEO of Rapid Robotics, said he met with some skepticism. “Many times we walk into a company and find the cemetery of robots bought in the past. But robots can and do work easily if they are in the hands of the right people,” he added.
Hardware, software, tests, curiosities and colorful news from the IT world by clicking here
