Realtime Robotics has announced that it has secured a lead investment from Mitsubishi Electric Corporation in its Series B funding round. Mitsubishi Electric, which previously participated in the company’s Series A round, will also be appointing a senior representative to Realtime’s Board of Directors. The investment aims to enhance the scalability and refinement of Realtime Robotics’ solutions for robot workcell optimization and runtime control.
Realtime Robotics specializes in collision-free autonomous motion planning for industrial robots. Its technology optimizes robotic workcells by rapidly generating and evaluating multiple solutions to identify the shortest cycle times, enabling multiple robots to operate closer together and respond to dynamic changes efficiently. This technology has been adopted by companies such as BMW and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, leading to improvements in cycle times, reduced downtime, and increased throughput.
Mitsubishi Electric plans to integrate Realtime’s motion planning technology into its 3D simulators and other software to advance manufacturing efficiency through digital twins. In the future, the company aims to incorporate this technology into its factory automation devices, such as programmable logic controllers, servo motors, and computer numerical controllers, to ensure seamless plant operations and expanded automation capabilities.
Peter Howard, CEO of Realtime Robotics, highlighted the potential of their AI technology, likening it to a motor cortex that manages multiple actions simultaneously, thereby enhancing the efficiency of automation applications. Howard emphasized that the new funding would accelerate the development of interfaces for broader industry accessibility, aligning with Mitsubishi Electric’s goals of improving manufacturing efficiency and productivity.
Mitsubishi Electric, with a century-long history in manufacturing electrical and electronic equipment, reported FY24 revenues of 5,257.9 billion yen (approximately $34.8 billion USD).
