Micropsi raises $30M to scale industrial automation with human motion trained robots

Micropsi Industries announced $30 million in funding. The company provides ready-to-use AI systems for controlling industrial robots to enable the automation of manufacturing processes that couldn't be automated.

Using cameras and sensors to react in real-time to dynamic conditions in a workspace, Micropsi-powered robots can be trained by humans to perform hand-eye-coordinated actions in industrial environments. MIRAI is deployed in assembly, material handling, and quality control applications in many industries. Companies like Siemens Energy; ZF Group, and BSH, use MIRAI in their production halls.

New investors Metaplanet, VSquared, and Ahren Innovation Capital co-led the funding round. Existing investors Project A Ventures and M Ventures also participated.

MIRAI’s “Different Approach” Does What Others Only Promise

"Our technology makes it easy to transfer dynamic motion know-how from humans to robots,” says Ronnie Vuine, CEO and co-founder of Micropsi. “We have not optimized the textbook approach for specific applications but took a radically different approach inspired by how humans coordinate motions. MIRAI is a proven and independent technology that’s working 24/7 in the factories of our customers. That is what convinced our investors: Here is a company that can already verifiably do what many current startups only promise to develop.”

Industrial robots can compensate for labor shortages and secure supply chains. The manufacturing skills gap in the U.S could result in 2.1 million unfilled jobs by 2030. Before factories can put robots into service, a lot of preparatory work is necessary, with specialists developing software code line by line to trigger the individual movements of the machines. This is complex, expensive, and makes robots inflexible, as variance in positions or materials throw the robots off.

Micropsi’s MIRAI changes this. Using artificial intelligence (AI), workers train the machines through demonstration. A human guides the robot arm through the work task, which learns and carries out the movements autonomously. In doing so, it can handle variance and changes in the environment and the robot’s target at execution time. This expands the commercial potential of industrial robots, allowing them to handle complexity and keeps them flexible even as conditions change.

MIRAI augments industrial robots. Once configured with MIRAI, a robot arm perceives its workspace through cameras and adjust its movements as it performs a task. MIRAI skills are not programs, they are collected intuitions of human movement that MIRAI transfers to robots.

New funding plans: Expanding operations

The new funding is going to be used to expand operations in the US, ramp up sales efforts and expand to more robot platforms. Micropsi Industries hired robotics expert Prof. Dominik Bösl as managing director to be in charge of the company’s ambitious technology roadmap. Prof. Bösl previously held positions at Festo, Kuka, and Microsoft.

“Intelligent robot automation could tap into a currently locked productivity pool," says Rauno Miljand, managing partner at Metaplanet. "The end-to-end learning solution built by Micropsi is one of the most advanced systems in the market and is well-positioned to unlock potential in a wide array of industrial settings. The ease of use and the fast learning cycle make it one of the most scalable platforms in the industry.”