5 SoCal Robotics Companies Ushering in the Rise of the Machines

Lawren Henderson
Staff Writer at Cluster

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Robots – once they belonged solely to science fiction, but not anymore. Advanced machines are here and transforming how we work, play, and live. Get to know these 5 innovative robotics companies in Los Angeles and Southern California that are helping drive the robot revolution.

Brain Corp

San Diego, CA
Founded in 2009

Computational neuroscientist and Brain Corp founder Dr. Eugene Izhikevich is quoted saying, “Anything with wheels can be turned into a fully autonomous, self-driving robot using the BrainOS operating system.” The company isn’t focused on self-driving cars, but rather on industrial/commercial vehicles used in warehouses or to clean venue floors. The BrainOS operating system integrates off-the-shelf cameras with traditional vehicles to give them autonomous capabilities. Brain Corp has over 250 employees, and raised $114 million in its Series C with Qualcomm and SoftBank coming on as lead investors.

DENSO Robotics

Long Beach, CA
Founded in 1949

In an industry dominated by newly formed startups, DENSO recently celebrated 70 years in the robotics biz. A pioneer in manufacturing automation, the company has installed over 100,000 assembly robots to help industrial enterprises optimize their operations with the use of highly consistent and repeatable machines. In fact, DENSO operates 16,000 small industrial robots in its own manufacturing facilities. The company employs over 120,000 people in 35 countries, and has logged over $37 billion in sales since its inception.  

Elementary Robotics

Pasadena, CA
Founded in 2017

Established by industry veterans of IoT, wearables, augmented reality, aerospace, and robotics, Elementary Robotics aims to bring affordable and intelligent robot assistants into homes and offices. The full-stack robotics startup is guided by a mission to assist people by automating day-to-day repetitive tasks. While the emerging, 15-person company is keeping details of its products guarded for now, last year it secured $3.6 million in seed funding with Fathom Capital and Fika Ventures coming on as lead investors.

Embodied

Pasadena, CA
Founded 2016

Countries all over the world are experiencing aging populations, and Embodied is here to help by providing the elderly and infirmed with care. The startup is developing emotionally intelligent, life-like companion robots to enhance the quality of life for individuals and their families. Embodied was founded by the CTO of iRobot and is comprised of a team of roughly 56 employees who have expertise in computational neuroscience, psychology, storytelling, and robotics commercialization. Last year, Embodied closed its Series A with $22 million in funding led by Calibrate Ventures.

Miso Robotics

Pasadena, CA
Founded in 2016

The next time you grab a cheeseburger from a fast food restaurant, it just might be made by a robot. Miso Robotics is engineering AI-driven mechanical sous chefs to lend a hand in restaurant kitchens. These machines can assist in prep work, grilling, frying, and meal assembly so that your food is delivered fast, hot, and delicious. Miso’s current flagship product is Flippy, which the company bills as the world’s first autonomous robotic kitchen assistant that can learn from its surroundings and acquire news skills over time. Miso counts roughly 28 employees and raised $10 million in its Series B led by Acacia Research.

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www.clusterinc.com/articles/5-robotics-companies-in-los-angeles-and-southern-california-ushering-in-the-rise-of-the-machines
Published on
October 20, 2019