Munich Startup: What does Roboverse Reply do? What problem are you solving?
Roboverse Reply: Our goal is to help companies increase their operational efficiency and develop innovative business models by Integrate mobile robotics into their processesWith a wide range of solutions based on AI capabilities, fleet management, and digital twins, among others, as well as strategic partnerships with leading technology companies such as Boston Dynamics, Roboverse Reply has the technological expertise and industry know-how to accompany companies on their journey into the future.
Helping with the use of mobile robots we Companies face a variety of challenges, such as the shortage of skilled workers and the need to take on monotonous tasks, dirty work, and dangerous activities (dull, dangerous, dirty). By implementing and automating work orders, we reduce order backlogs in plants and their downtime. With our solutions, we are able to detect defective pumps, motors, or bearings early on and automatically detect various leaks.
The collected data is processed and analyzed by AI. In the event of an anomaly, notifications are sent via dashboards, Teams, or email, keeping employees in the loop and able to respond to issues in a timely manner.
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Roboverse Reply: While some of the technologies and solutions offered by Roboverse Reply already exist, integrating and adapting them to specific operational requirements is a complex task. As a customer-focused systems integrator, we offer customized, efficient solutions, setting ourselves apart from competitors who often rely on off-the-shelf solutions. For example, our telemanipulation solution for mobile robots ensures complete control of robot fleets via a user-friendly web interface and VR headsets from anywhere in the world. This feature allows companies to conduct routine inspections remotely, as well as interact with and manipulate the environment.
“Autonomous robotics is a complex future topic”
The Roboverse Reply team draws on its experience in close dialogue with customers on-site, providing consulting services to find customized solutions. Autonomous robotics is a complex, future-oriented topic whose introduction into companies already creates added value today, but must be approached strategically and carefully. We accompany our customers throughout their robotics journey, from the development of a company-wide robotics strategy to the implementation of prototypes and the rollout of these systems – based on our accelerators and whitebox software. This makes us unique in Europe.
Munich Startup: What is your founding story?
Roboverse Reply: Our founding story begins with our acceptance as an early adopter into the Boston Dynamics partner program in 2019. At that point, we already had a certain level of expertise in robotics with a focus on data and AI. After initial testing and use case evaluation, we were able to launch proofs of concepts (PoCs), help shape the market with our developments, and grow together.
Roboverse Reply works closely with Boston Dynamics
As a team, we recognized the enormous potential of combining our expertise with Boston Dynamics' technology. When the opportunity arose, we decided to establish Roboverse Reply as an independent company in 2021. Today, Roboverse Reply has grown, and with it, our reach, as we have entered into numerous partnerships to offer multi-robot solutions.
That same year, we demonstrated our capabilities at the AIRA Challenge (Advanced Industrial Robotic Applications): We mastered the tasks, impressed the jury, and won the challenge. This year, we were able to defend our title at the AIRA Challenge. We were also honored with the Best Performance Award in the Recon Challenge at ELROB 2024 (European Land-Robot Trial). This demonstrated that we can not only provide our customers with strategic advice, but are also one of the best possible partners when it comes to implementation. A fantastic recognition, and one we are proud of.
With our headquarters in Munich and a strong network of robotics experts, we are positioned to help shape the future of robotics and automation. Our founding story is characterized by commitment, collaboration, and a belief in the transformative power of robotics technologies for a wide range of applications.
Introduce mobile robots into industries where they are not yet widespread
Munich Startup: What have been the biggest challenges so far?
Roboverse Reply: One of our biggest challenges was introducing our mobile robots to industries where this technology wasn't yet widely adopted, particularly among large, established companies in traditional industries. While we knew our product could be very interesting for these companies, their lack of familiarity with mobile robots presented a hurdle.
A practical example: Some companies purchase mobile robots and use them for social media posts, yet fail to create added value because pilot projects were underestimated in terms of resource requirements or complexity. IT security, data protection, and the works council also want to have a say in these issues. With no added value from their use, but high resource consumption, the robots didn't make a good internal impression, so these projects weren't pursued further. It's a challenge to identify these customers and help them give robotics another chance, focus on the right use cases, and achieve a rapid return on investment (ROI).
Our goal is to find and deliver the best projects for our customers' relevant use cases. To do this, we need up-to-date, practical expertise, which is why we are working internally on bleeding-edge robots and sensors. For example, we are currently evaluating a humanoid robot in our test area and assessing potential applications. There are many mobile robots available, but we need to know their actual market readiness, which regulatory requirements they meet, which typical specifications of large corporations they can meet, and also test their availability so that we can consider these robots in real-world use cases for our customers.
Steady growth of Roboverse Reply
We have been able to overcome some of these challenges with the support of the Reply network and the industry. The resources and expertise at our disposal allow us to advance the development and commercialization of projects while overcoming the concerns and reservations of the industry.
Munich Startup: How are things going?
Roboverse Reply: Since our launch in January 2022 with a team of five colleagues, we have undergone considerable development and grown to over 25 people. One part works in spatial computing, including extended reality (XR), simulation, and visualization of digital twins based on Nvidia Omniverse. The other part focuses on mobile robotics, for example with Spot from Boston Dynamics. Our close collaboration with this manufacturer has made us a preferred integration partner.) by Boston Dynamics in Europe. This reflects our commitment, customer satisfaction, and success in the industry.
We have established ourselves in key industries such as chemicals, energy, logistics, public safety, and infrastructure, offering customized solutions for complex requirements. A particularly exciting milestone was our digital twin projects based on Nvidia Omniverse. High-quality simulation in a realistic environment allows mobile robots and sensors to be validated and implemented more quickly and easily.
Munich is “very dynamic and conducive to technology-oriented companies”
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?
Roboverse Reply: We have so far perceived Munich as a very dynamic startup hub and conducive to technology-oriented companies. The region and its surroundings are home to a large number of technology companies, which have enabled us to continually establish new partnerships and expand our network. This close network at the location allows us to engage with leading minds in the industry and benefit from a diverse pool of knowledge. Furthermore, Munich offers an excellent infrastructure for the exchange of ideas at the highest level. We want to further expand our network in both industry and research and development in Munich and jointly build a cluster of thought leaders and companies that have the courage to lead the market in this field.
Munich Startup: Outsource or do it yourself?
Roboverse Reply: We have chosen to offer our customers end-to-end solutions. Since we install many things as "white boxes" in our customers' infrastructure, this requires a high degree of transparency, robustness, reliability, and quality. Furthermore, some of our customers operate critical infrastructures that require security clearance of project staff. Therefore, we handle development in-house rather than outsourcing. We focus on integrating robots and sensors into a user-friendly, integrated solution, rather than developing isolated systems.
With our robotics and sensor platform, we are able to solve universal problems while also specifically addressing individual requirements. For example, we have developed a VR telemanipulation solution for mobile robots that contains 3D models of our customers' premises and is simultaneously linked to internal systems to give employees a complete overview of the facility or create service tickets for tradespeople from VR. To best protect our customers' data, we avoid outsourcing and the associated risks.
