TU Munich spinout Artisense has developed artificial intelligence-based computer vision aimed at a range of applications, including autonomous driving.
Artisense, a Germany-based computer vision technology developer spun out from Technical University of Munich, raised €4.1m ($4.9m) in a seed round today co-led by Project A and Vito Ventures.
Angel investor Chris Hitchen also participated in the funding round.
Founded in 2015, Artisense has developed algorithms that allow for 3D mapping in real-time based on standard camera images, removing the need for more expensive technologies such as Lidar that are currently required by autonomous cars.
The data collected is uploaded to Artisense’s Spatial Intelligence Platform, which generates and constantly updates a global map. Apart from autonomous driving, the technology also has applications in robotics, data science and dynamic 3D mapping.
The spinout is based on research led by Daniel Cremers, professor of computer science and mathematics and the chairman for computer vision and pattern recognition at Technical University of Munich. Cremers serves as chief scientific officer of Artisense.
The company is headed by CEO Andrej Kulikov and chief operation officer Till Kaestner.
The seed round will support further technology development, allow Artisense to join forces with industry partners and drive recruitment at the spinout’s offices in Munich, Palo Alto and Tokyo.
Artisense reportedly secured $250,000 in seed funding in 2016 from undisclosed investors.
Cremers said: “Dynamic 3D mapping that requires a highly precise localisation to ensure secure navigation will be indispensable for self-driving vehicles of all kinds, no matter whether it is cars, logistics vehicles, or robots for delivery.
“The close connection between the latest results of research and application allows us already to provide the most accurate and robust technology.”
