Roboat, a spin-out from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS), contributing to safe, efficient, and sustainable transport and improved urban liveability, by automating waterways, just raised €550k from LUMO Labs and SHIFT Invest.
The funding underscores the investors’ confidence in Roboat’s vision and technological process to date. It will be crucial in establishing a position in the autonomous shipping market within city logistics and inland waterways and expanding the team to achieve company goals.
Ynse Hendrik Deinema, Roboat CEO & Co-founder, stated: “We are collaborating with multiple clients in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe where our system is either supporting the skipper on the bridgedeck or is even taking full control of the navigation depending on local regulation.”
GVB in Amsterdam is already using the Roboat system for situational awareness on the GVB IJveer, providing an extra set of eyes to support the GVB Skippers.
Founded in 2023, Roboat’s AI-powered system is developed to excel in highly complex urban and inland waterways, where heavy traffic conditions are the norm. The Roboat autonomy system can be applied to new builts and also to retrofit commercial vessels for various applications, including passenger transport, goods pick-up and delivery, including building materials, and waste collection, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of city logistics.
Andy Lürling, Founding Partner LUMO Labs, said: “Cities worldwide are struggling with transporting people and goods over their congested roads. Waterborne transportation is a good alternative to cars and trucks, but shortage of personnel and relatively high OpEx is currently posing a bottleneck. Roboat’s technology offers a solution based on autonomous navigation. This market is expected to grow tremendously, since we need to rethink our transportation systems, making it more versatile and more sustainable.”
Quint van Honk, SHIFT Invest, added: “We are impressed by what Roboat has accomplished so far. In addition, Roboat’s autonomous shipping technology stimulates sustainable waterborne transport by addressing key issues in the sector and enables more fuel-efficient sailing. Therefore, we are proud to be on board.”
This investment from LUMO Labs and SHIFT Invest follows prior funding from Delft Enterprises. Shipping companies can outfit their fleet with a Roboat system to support the day-to-day operation. By using advanced technologies, Roboat is able to create ships that can perceive, navigate, and perform tasks on their own. It provides a range of features such as situational awareness, decision support, obstacle identification and avoidance, automated docking and mooring, and autonomous sailing. These services are offered under a subscription and can be easily tweaked to the requirements of the operator.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2024/07/amsterdam-based-roboat-raises-e550k-to-transform-inland-waterway-transport-with-fully-autonomous-boats/
