Noting the service robot company'sadvances in machine vision and voice recognition, Intel Capital is investing in Aldebaran Robotics (Paris, France). The developer of humaniod robots announced it has raised $13 million in a new venture round of financing led by Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), with additional participation from its current investors, CDC Innovation, iSource, and Crédit Agricole Private Equity.
Marcos Battisti, Managing Director Intel Capital Western Europe and Israel, noted, “Robotics is an area that Intel Capital has been interested in for some time. Aldebaran’s work in areas such as voice interaction andvideo analytics really highlights the advances made in perceptual computing and has the potential to offer innovative products and solutions across a range of sectors.”
Aldebaran Robotics currently manufactures and sells advanced, programmable humanoid robots, aimed at providing solutions in personal services, healthcare, and assistance to autistic kids. Its products combine a range of facial and voice recognition technologies with location awareness capabilities, providing a flexible platform for application development.
The company says the new funds will help it develop products for other sectors as well, including health and social care, to streamline its production operations, and increase its R&D capabilities. “Working with Intel Capital is a step we believe will propel the business and help the technology we have developed reach its full potential. This investment enables Aldebaran to become a key player in this nascent industry,” says Bruno Maisonnier, the CEO of Aldebaran Robotics who founded the company in 2005
With offices in France, China, Japan, and the United States, Aldebaran has produced over 1500 NAOs humanoid robots for research and educational platforms in 35 countries. The company employ more than 120 people, including 45 engineers and PhDs. For more information on Aldebaran and other makers of service robots, see the recently publishedMachine Vision for Service Robots market report from Vision Systems Design.
SOURCE:Aldebaran Robotics
--Posted by Conard Holton
Vision Systems Design
