Participated · Series A · Jun 2021

Realtime Robotics provides automatic, collision-free motion planning and runtime control that optimizes cycle time for single- and multi-robot workcells. Its award-winning multirobot optimization software rapidly generates and evaluates hundreds of thousands of possible solutions during iterative design, while runtime control enables robots to work closer together and react to dynamic changes. The company’s solutions span the lifecycle of robotic workcells, simplifying deployment, production, and retooling by producing optimized motion plans and interlocks. Customers named in the announcement include BMW, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, integrator Valiant TMS, and Schaeffler Group, who report improved cycle times, reduced downtime, and increased throughput. Realtime says it will use the Series B funds to support refinement and scalability of its workcell optimization and runtime solutions and to accelerate development of additional interfaces. Its technology already interfaces with leading simulation software and industry-standard controllers to drive industry-wide accessibility. Realtime Robotics is a Boston-based robotics software company focused on the manufacturing sector. Its flagship product, RapidPlan, provides simulation, control, task management and programming tools to accelerate robot deployment, claiming to save deployers "weeks to months" of automation setup. The company targets orchestration and deployment friction across heterogeneous hardware and has announced clients including BMW Group. Realtime says it will use recent funding for deployment, scaling and R&D on existing and future offerings and to speed rollout to global end users and line builders across the automotive and automated warehouse industries. The firm is selectively hiring robot control engineers, product design engineers and a senior robotics software engineer to refine products and launch new ones. Realtime is currently valued at $130 million and has raised north of $54 million to date as part of what it describes as one prolonged Series A. Realtime Robotics, headquartered in Boston, generates collision-free motion plans in milliseconds for industrial robots and autonomous vehicles and recently launched RapidPlan. RapidPlan automates programming, deployment and control of industrial robots, autonomously creating and choreographing robot movements without brand-specific programming. Within RapidPlan users create a digital twin of their workcell, point-and-click to visualize collision-free task plans, and use the same software to control real-world robots, saving weeks to months of programming time per project. The company has pivoted away from hardware to focus on pure software to ease integration with customers' existing stacks and workflows. Realtime said it will apply the new funds to scale to meet demand, invest in engineering development, and enable enhancements to its core software. RapidPlan has been demonstrated with partners Kawasaki Robotics and Mitsubishi Electric Automation at Automate 2022 and was planned to be shown at IMTS 2022. Realtime Robotics has developed a specialized processor and software for real-time, collision-free motion planning that allows single or multiple industrial robots to operate autonomously at full speed in unstructured and uncaged environments. Its solution reduces engineering complexity by enabling robots to be deployed, updated, and redeployed with minimal programming, shortening cycle times and improving throughput. The technology lets robots function together in collaborative workspaces and react instantly to dynamic obstacles, expanding automation potential across manufacturing, logistics, and automotive supply chains. Realtime reports early deployment success and says a broad spectrum of customers and partners are working with the company to refine features and user experience ahead of rollouts. The company plans to apply the new funds to accelerate product rollouts, continue investment in enhancements and solutions, deepen its reach in warehouse automation, and keep serving global automotive manufacturers and their supply chain. Realtime is also continuing development of a collaborative “holy grail” system that integrates its real-time planning with certified system components so robots can proactively adapt motions and avoid unwanted contact with humans while accomplishing tasks. The raise occurs amid industry tailwinds, including heavy warehouse labor costs and an industrial automation market projected to grow to $306.2 billion by 2027. Realtime Robotics builds a two-part solution—RapidPlan and RapidSense—that combines proprietary hardware and software to enable motion planning and collision avoidance for robots in dynamic environments. The technology stems from research done at Duke University in 2016 and is aimed at allowing people and multiple robots to work collaboratively without expensive safety systems or time-consuming programming. The company is working with 13 customers on proof-of-concept projects with the aim of having those customers act as OEMs and sell the products. Realtime Robotics is engaging major robotics companies and several automotive firms that have an interest in collision-avoidance applications. Toyota was an early investor and other strategic robotics and automotive players have participated in recent financings. CEO Peter Howard says the company may expand into industries such as agriculture, food service, and construction once established in core markets.