RoboForce announces $10M early-stage funding for AI-enabled MMRs

AI robotics startup RoboForce recently announced it has raised $10 million early stage funding, with investment and guidance from Nobel Laureate Myron Scholes and Softbank VC co-founder Gary Rieschel.

The RoboForce development team come from institutions including Carnegie Mellon University, Michigan Robotics, Amazon Robotics, Tesla, Google, Waymo, Apple, and Microsoft.

With this funding, RoboForce is preparing to deploy its RF-04 mobile manipulation robots (MMRs) this year for early customers.

RoboForce will debut its technology at the Intersolar & Energy Storage Conference in San Diego, Calif. Feb. 25-27.

Labor shortages in decarbonization industry

RoboForce said its robots can help fill labor shortages in harsh outdoor conditions, complete hazardous tasks in dangerous work environments, and help its end users maximize project efficiency and cost savings.

“Labor shortages and decarbonization are the two largest trends that are happening at a global scale, and RoboForce is uniquely positioned to address both,” Scholes said. “RoboForce has a great team working on innovations very valuable for the world.”

With one millimeter accuracy in performing fine motor skills like picking and placing, pressing, twisting and connecting, RoboForce said the RF-04 has all-terrain mobility, precise manipulation, AI learning, communication, and safety compliance capabilities.

Founder Leo Ma seeks to make work safer

RoboForce CEO and founder Leo Ma grew up in China around manufacturing. As an adult, he’s visited over 200 facilities and solar farms to better understand the safety risks and longstanding workforce shortages involved in these and other industries.

RoboForce’s robots and business model are built to help address these problems, make work safer for humans, and improve the cost and hiring problems many companies face.

RoboForce RF-04 MMRs can help alleviate labor shortages for solar renewable energy construction and installation end users. Source: RoboForce

“At RoboForce, our mission is to create robotics for humanity to boost the world’s economy with the power of Robo-Labor,” Ma said. “We are building the most advanced Robo-Labor system to take on the most tedious, physically demanding, and dangerous jobs that humans shouldn’t have to do. We are dedicated to creating the leading high-intelligence 'super worker' system to redefine the future of industrial labor, making it safer, efficient, and more sustainable.”

Ma previously co-founded Cyngn.

MMRs for solar, renewable energy, manufacturing, mining

RoboForce said the potential applications of its MMRs are diverse. The startup’s target industries include solar, aerospace, manufacturing, and mining, which are the U.S. Bureau of Labor found were among the most impacted by injuries and loss of labor due to unsafe summer temperatures and other work-related hazards.

RoboForce’s first customers are commercial and utility-scale solar project developers who are struggling to hire and retain skilled workers due to extreme temperatures in remote locations where most large scale solar projects are being developed.

By providing robots that can withstand harsh and extreme environmental conditions throughout a years-long project duration, RoboForce said it can help solar developers complete construction and installation of large-scale projects faster or on schedule, and at a reduced cost, to finish sustainability and renewable energy developments faster than ever for an immediate impact.