Built Robotics

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Built Robotics, Inc.
TypePrivate
IndustryRobotics
Founded2016
FoundersNoah Ready-Campbell, Andrew Liang
Headquarters
San Francisco, California
ProductsFully autonomous construction equipment
Number of employees
11-50 employees
Websitebuiltrobotics.com

Built Robotics Inc. is a San Francisco, California based vehicular automation startup that develops software and hardware to automate construction equipment. The company was founded in San Francisco in 2016 by Noah Ready-Campbell and Andrew Liang.[1] The company’s primary product is the “Exosystem,” an aftermarket kit that adds autonomous robotic capabilities onto existing heavy equipment through a combination of GPS, camera and artificial intelligence technology.[2]

Technology[]

The ATL-74R is the first autonomous construction vehicle from Built Robotics.

Built organizes its technology products and services into four divisions: a heavy equipment robotic system (“Exosystem™”), robotic operation software (“Everest™”), robotic operation tools (“Field Kit™”), and a remote robot monitoring service (“Guardian™”).

Exosystem™[]

The Exosystem began development in 2018 and was first brought to market in 2021. The technology is marketed as a means to enable autonomous excavation and earthmoving. The company’s primary advertised use for the Exosystem is for autonomous trenching.

The Exosystem is installed on the tail of most mid-sized excavators. The company claims the Exosystem can be installed on machinery from Caterpillar, Hitachi, John Deere, Volvo, and other major manufacturers. The Exosystem consists of an all-weather enclosure that houses hardware and software. Additional sensors such as cameras, GPS, and IMUs are mounted at various points on the heavy equipment.[3]

The Exosystem controls the heavy equipment through the electric-over-hydraulic (EH) for fully autonomous operation. It allows the existing equipment to maintain manual operation by disabling the robotic computer within the Exosystem.[4]

As with factory robots, human robotic operators, referred to by Built as “Robot Equipment Operators” (REOs), must still start the system’s initial operation before autonomous activities take control. REOs use a proprietary web-based platform, Everest, to supervise and control the robot. The REO can switch from autonomous to remote control mode, which allows an operator to move the robot through a remote interface.

Everest™[]

Everest is a proprietary software system that connects remotely with the Exosystem. The software provides an interface for human interaction with the robot and is where a trained operator can manage geo-fences, track production rates, monitor activity, remote control the robot, and start and stop autonomous activities.

Field Kit™[]

The Field Kit contains tools for the installation, operation, and maintenance of a robot. Operators use the components from the Field Kit to erect safety barriers, add safety signage, install hardwired and wireless emergency stops, or “kill switches,” and shoot GPS points for the geo-fence.

Guardian™[]

Guardian is a remote robot monitoring service. Built monitors the robot and notifies a customer of any operational anomalies. A satellite phone in the Field Kit connects customers to Guardian for support.

Safety[]

Built markets an “eight-layer safety system”[5][6] for robotic operation. The layers are advertised as:

  • Video feeds that provide 360-degree coverage of the surrounding work area.
  • Proximity radar.
  • 110-decibel safety alarms.
  • High-vis LEDs to indicate the status of autonomous operation on the robot.
  • High-vis safety barriers that are a physical representation of the digital geofence.
  • A digital geofence that confines robotic operations to a specified area on the work site.
  • Hardwired and wireless emergency stops, implemented as a hardwired mechanical stop on the machine and as a wirelessly activated stop located at certain points on the safety barrier to enable remote emergency stops.

Human operators also contribute a failsafe by managing the equipment operation through the platform and using shutdown[disambiguation needed] or take over to manual operations.[7]

History[]

Proof of Concept[]

Built Robotics began attracting attention in 2018 as one of several new companies bringing automation to the construction industry, which had been relatively slow to adopt technical innovations compared to related industries.[8]  Commentators noted that a dearth of skilled workers available to fill construction and heavy equipment operator positions,[9] coupled with a need for infrastructure renewal and housing,[10] were likely driving forces behind the industry’s adoption of new technologies.[9]

Built Robotics claims to be the first of these companies to commercially deploy fully autonomous heavy equipment[11] in construction settings.[6]  Founder Ready-Campbell, a former Google product manager who studied software engineering and had previously founded another startup, Twice, got his inspiration for Built Robotics from his father, who worked as a carpenter.[12]

AI Guidance System[]

The company’s first product was called the “AI Guidance System,” which began development in 2016 and was first brought to market in 2018. The technology was marketed as a solution in the excavation and to enable skid-steers, CTLs, excavators, and bulldozers to function autonomously.[13][14]

The company started out by expanding its market to other business areas on the functionality that the AI Guidance System can be installed on different types of existing construction equipment, including dozers and skid-steers in addition to excavators. With the development of the Exosystem, it has since narrowed its focus to autonomous trenching.

CONEXPO[]

At the 2020 CONEXPO-CON/AGG Convention in Las Vegas, the company unveiled a fully autonomous excavator, bulldozer and skid-steer loader and demonstrated its systems’ ability to remotely pilot machinery set up on a jobsite in Houston with keyboard commands.[6][15] Built also announced international expansion into Australia and a labor-training partnership with the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE).

Company[]

Financing[]

Built Robotics is currently a Series B startup company, having been financed through two rounds of fundraising from private venture capital funds.[16][17]  The company has raised a combined total of $48 million USD through its Series A and Series B financings.[18][19][20] Investors who have contributed to the financings include , NEA, Founders Fund, Building Ventures, Presidio Ventures, Lemnos, and other investors.[21][22]  Notable advisors of the company include Carl Bass, Jeff Immelt, and Justin Kan.[23]

Patents[]

Built Robotics has a number of patents issued by the US Patent and Trademark office, including “Excavating earth from a dig site using an excavation vehicle;”[24] “Obstacle detection and manipulation by a vehicle within a dig site;”[25] and “Checking volume in an excavation tool.”[26]

Markets[]

The technology developed by Built has been deployed on job sites in multiple US states,[27][10] which do not require regulatory approval for autonomous equipment used on non-public roads.[9]  In March 2020, the company announced that it would be expanding internationally with the onboarding of its first Australian client, MPC Kinetic.[28]  Notable customers and business partners include Black & Veatch, MPC Kinetic, Mortenson and Sunstate.[29][7]

Labor Relations[]

In March 2020, the International Union of Operating Engineers announced a formal partnership with Built Robotics through which the union will train its members to use the Built Robotics automation platform, citing a steady growth rate in jobs for heavy equipment operators coupled with an industry-wide shortage of workers.[8][9]

References[]

  1. ^ Gershgorn, Dave (October 19, 2017). "Construction is as far from a Silicon Valley darling as you can get—and that's why it's ready for automation". Quartz. Uzabase. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  2. ^ Berreby, David (August 18, 2020). "The robot revolution has arrived". National Geographic. National Geographic. Retrieved 22 November 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "Exosystem™. The World's First Fully Autonomous Upgrade for Heavy Equipment — Built Robotics". www.builtrobotics.com. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  4. ^ Andy Brown2020-08-06T08:45:00+01:00. "Machine learning: It's all about the data". KHL. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  5. ^ "Built Robotics". Mobile Robot Guide. 2019-10-23. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  6. ^ a b c "Autonomous Vehicles May Become More Common At Construction Sites". CBS Local. 2018-04-02. Retrieved 2020-11-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ a b "Built Robotics, Sunstate deal brings more self-driving vehicles to the jobsite". Construction Dive. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  8. ^ a b Chea, Terence (March 19, 2018). "Productivity boost? Robots break new ground in the construction industry". USA Today. USA Today. Retrieved November 22, 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ a b c d Simonite, Tom (March 10, 2020). "Construction Workers Embrace the Robots That Do Their Jobs". Wired. Wired.com. Retrieved November 22, 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ a b "Could this new tech help us build more houses?". The Mercury News. 2018-04-22. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  11. ^ "Built Robotics releases 1st fully autonomous construction machinery in US". Construction Dive. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  12. ^ Levy, Ari (October 19, 2017). "This ex-Googler is bringing self-driving excavators to construction sites". CNBC. CNBC LLC. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  13. ^ Nichols, Greg. "Retrofit: The $15.5 trillion industry undergoing a robotic remodel". ZDNet. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  14. ^ Hawkins, Andrew J. (2017-10-19). "Watch this autonomous bulldozer excavate dirt without a human operator". The Verge. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  15. ^ "[VIDEO] Built Robotics to Unveil Autonomous Equipment". Construction Equipment. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  16. ^ Levy, Ari (2017-10-19). "This ex-Googler is bringing self-driving excavators to construction sites". CNBC. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  17. ^ "Next Up in Driverless Vehicles: Autonomous Excavators". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  18. ^ "Built Robotics raises $33M for its self-driving construction equipment". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  19. ^ "Built Robotics raises $33 million for automated construction equipment". VentureBeat. 2019-09-19. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  20. ^ McSweeney, Kelly. "Robotic excavators get a boost with $33 million for Built Robotics". ZDNet. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  21. ^ Gershgorn, Dave. "Can automation revolutionize the construction industry?". Quartz. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  22. ^ Ferguson, Mike. "Look Ma! No driver. The future of construction work may be robotic". The Billings Gazette. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  23. ^ "About — Built Robotics". www.builtrobotics.com. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  24. ^ US 10801177, Ready-Campbell, Noah Austen; Liang, Andrew Xiao & Chou, Linus Page et al., "Excavating earth from a dig site using an excavation vehicle", issued 2018-01-22, assigned to Built Robotics Inc. 
  25. ^ US 10761537, Ready-Campbell, Noah Austen; Liang, Andrew Xiao & Wawrzonek, Christian John et al., "Obstacle detection and manipulation by a vehicle within a dig site", issued 2018-06-01, assigned to Built Robotics Inc. 
  26. ^ US 10662613, Ready-Campbell, Noah Austen; Liang, Andrew Xiao & Chou, Linus Page et al., "Checking volume in an excavation tool", issued 2018-01-22, assigned to Built Robotics Inc. 
  27. ^ "Robots Are Poised To Transform The Construction Industry". Bisnow. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  28. ^ "Autonomous excavators on site in Queensland". Industry Queensland. 2020-03-12. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  29. ^ "Built Robotics Announces International Expansion, Partnership with Leading Australian Contractor MPC Kinetic | RoboticsTomorrow". roboticstomorrow.com. Retrieved 2020-11-22.

Further reading[]

External links[]

New Proposed Article for Robotics Company in San Francisco[]

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