CynLr launches state-of-the-art research hub for robotics in Bengaluru

CynLr, a robotics deep-tech startup building vision, and intelligence for industrial robotics and autonomous navigation has recently announced the launch of a new research facility - Cybernetics H.I.V.E in Whitefield in Bengaluru.

Cybernetics H.I.V.E – Hub for Intelligence & Vision Excellence is a state-of-the-art R&D hub spread across 13,000 sq. ft research space and is equipped to accommodate 16 robot research cells, 25 robots, a cutting-edge electronics, camera, and vision laboratory, and infrastructure to train and host 50+ research & development engineers.

The new research facility was inaugurated by the chief guest, M M Murugappan (Former Chairman of the Board at the $7 billion manufacturing conglomerate, Murugappa Group, current Chairman of the boards of CUMI Ltd, Cyient Ltd, and Director at IIT Madras Research Park) on Saturday, the of 25th February 2023.

Industry stalwarts such as S G Shirgurkar (Founder & Chairman, Ace Micromatic Group), Kandasamy Subramanian (Director of Global Digital Manufacturing Engineering, Ford Motor Company), Dr. Bharadwaj Amrutur (Director ARTPARK, IISc), and several other leaders from the manufacturing, automation, and technology industry including dignitaries from Ford, General Motors, Aptiv (Delphi), Intel, Ace Micromatic Group, SKF, Kuka, Fanuc, and ABB, were also a part of the launch event.

The hub will help industries reimagine long-unsolved challenges in automating manual tasks, through versatile robots equipped to sense motion and feel objects, enabling them to manipulate objects in their environment effectively. This will essentially help in enhanced object handling while lowering the overall time of deployment of robots by over 70% and cost by over 30%.

L to R- Sven Schreiner, Global Key Account Manager, Mojin Robotics, Nikhil Ramaswamy, Co-Founder, CEO, CynLr, M M Murugappan, Chairman of the boards of CUMI Ltd, Cyient Ltd & Director at IIT Madras Research Park, Ajay Gopalaswamy, CEO at DiFACTO Robotics and Automation, Gokul NA, Founder, Design, Product & Brand, CynLr and Rama Bethmangalakar, Director at Qualcomm Ventures

The use cases for the vision and intelligence technology will also extend beyond manufacturing & robotics, and into areas such as ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) and Object Search.

Particularly in driver assistance, this has the potential to simplify and accelerate the development of cognition by combining the benefits of RADAR (motion detection), LIDAR (depth detection), and CAMERA (color detection) into one simpler system, much like the human eye, and avoid sensor con "fusion” which is the status quo for the industry today.

Today, even a simple task like picking bolts from a bin and placing them in a screw hole is something that robots simply cannot do. Torquing of robots has been automated, but the task of picking and placing bolts requires a level of visual cognition, tactile feedback on the fingers and the wrist, and an understanding of the physics of the bolts that current vision systems cannot handle.

And what do we manufacture today that doesn’t have screws or bolts in them? Cognition to help robots handle such nimble tasks can fundamentally disrupt how we manufacture and make factories more adaptable and universal.

M M Murugappan, Chairman of the boards of CUMI Ltd, Cyient Ltd, Director at IIT Madras Research Park, and the chief guest at the event by CynLr said, "CynLr's dedication to creating an innovative and collaborative environment, alongside their customer partners and collaborators, is a glimpse into what India is capable of achieving. I am thrilled to see their progress and know that together they can take their ideas to the world. To those who have given them the opportunity to succeed, you are not just potential business partners, but champions of a vision that inspires confidence and progress for all."

Speaking on the launch, Nikhil Ramaswamy, Co-founder & CEO, CynLr said, “We are quite excited about the launch of Cybernetics H.I.V.E. that houses India’s largest density of visual robots. We hope that it will spur a transformation in robotics and in making them cognitive and adaptable for the universal hyper-automated factories of the future.”

“The new facility will help us realize the holy grail of robotics universal, object manipulation. Our 7D vision systems operate at 10X the speed, and 3x resolution than the industry-leading robotics vision cameras. We believe these modern visual robots can trigger a tectonic shift in the manufacturing industry, made possible by the convergence of cutting-edge infrastructure and technology deployment capabilities”, said Gokul NA, Founder – Design, Product & Brand, CynLr.

Gokul further added, “CynLr has robust plans to establish its business presence in the US and Europe in the coming quarters, to build capacity to address the current pipeline of customers and scale to deliver over 100 robots annually. The deep-tech startup has 250+ technology partners and vendors and sources components from 30+ countries of origin.”

The start-up has raised pre-series A funding of about USD 4.5 M in 2022, led by Speciale Invest & growX Ventures with a total funding of USD 5.25M to date.