Unity Robotics, a Germany-based smart assistant robot spinout of Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA), has raised a seven-digit seed round.
The money was provided by Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, which owns the network of Fraunhofer institutes, public-private partnership High-Tech Gründerfonds, and consultancy Staufen’s investment arm Staufen-Digital, as well as Haas Equity and Stokar Mach3.
Unity Robotics is developing smart robot assistants that are able to navigate autonomously and help customers with information and assistance, while providing transport and monitoring tasks.
The robotic platform is based on research undertaken by Ulrich Reiser. The spinout will now focus on bringing its Care-O-bit 4, aimed at the retail sector, into series production and will tap additional target industries, such as logistics, airports, hotels, care homes and museums.
Reiser, managing director of Unity Robotics, said: “We strive to develop smart assistant robots that support service processes and allow users to interact with them intuitively and naturally.”
Thomas Bauernhansl, head of Fraunhofer IPA, said: “We are proud that, through the spin-off of Unity Robotics and the financing it has received, one of our key development projects of recent years can now be transferred into the private sector.”
