Automation and warehouse robots have been changing the way we ship and store goods for decades. In a post-Altman/OpenAI world, though, we get to call that kind of autonomous operation “AI” and slap a multimillion dollar valuation on it – which is exactly what Ati Motors did.
Don’t get me wrong, Ati Motors seems like a solid company. Not only are their Sherpa robots perfectly fine products, the company itself is experiencing a hockey stick of growth – nearly tripling its orders in 2024 from the year before. With that in mind, the $20 million Series B investment, led by Walden Catalyst Ventures (WCV) and NGP Capital (NGP) with participation from current investors including True Ventures, Exfinity Venture Partners, Athera Venture Partners and Blume Ventures, seems more like smart business and less like a late addition to the AI hype train.
For their part, the executives at Walden and NPG seem to agree.
“We’re excited to co-lead this investment in Ati Motors,” says Upal Basu at NGP Capital. “The company’s ability to successfully deploy fully autonomous mobile robots across diverse industrial environments, combined with their rapidly growing customer base, makes them a standout in the industrial automation space. We believe their unique approach to combining Edge AI, LIDAR, and robotics will help address a critical need in the manufacturing sector.”
Sherpa Tug can haul 1,000 kg
With both outdoor and indoor capabilities, the autonomous Sherpas are a natural fit for warehouses like Amazon and IKEA locations, but the bigger, 1,000 kg units could be suitable as airport luggage tugs, as well.
Ati’s press material says its autonomous Sherpa robots will “change the way you work, without you changing a thing, “adding that they are, “programmed to safely and seamlessly integrate into your existing workspace, workflow and workforce.”
The Sherpa robots feature 360 degree cameras and lidar sensors to constantly map their surroundings, as well as autonomous obstacle avoidance and automatic parking features. Their compact, li-ion battery packs are modular, good for up to 8 hours of continuous operation (depending on model), and can be easily swapped by a human operator in a matter of seconds.
Presumably, the batteries could also be swapped by a different Ati robot in a few more seconds, but that seems dystopian AF. Besides, the little Sherpas are undeniably adorable – so it’s OK.
Watch the video for the autonomous Sherpa PalletMover, below, then let us know what you think in the comments. (While you do that, I’m going to watch Wall-E again.)
Ati Sherpa – forklift certified
SOURCE | IMAGES: Ati Motors, via PR Newswire.
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