New Zealand robotics software company Rocos has been snapped up by a Silicon Valley business this week.
The acquisition will enable San Francisco-based drone data company DroneDeploy to make physical workflow automation possible.
DroneDeploy's software is used with aerial and ground robots on more than 400,000 job sites across the world in the agriculture, construction, energy sectors.
DroneDeploy CEO and co-founder Mike Winn said the acquisition would enable customers to automate ground-level data capture.
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"Companies are undergoing a digital transformation accelerated by challenges surrounding labor shortages and COVID-driven remote operations. As a result, the market demand for automatic site documentation and digital twins has soared," Mr Winn said.
"With the Rocos acquisition, we are enabling our customers to automate ground-level data capture, moving several steps closer to a complete automation solution."
The process to integrate Rocos' robotic control with DroneDeploy's indoor data processing technology to provide autonomous 360 walkthroughs and inspections at scale has already begun.
David Inggs, the former CEO and co-founder of Rocos and now DroneDeploy's head of ground robotics, said drones had made the leap from hobbyist toys to enterprise tools.
Mr Inggs said ground robotics was now on a similar trajectory.
"With the addition of the Rocos' ground robotics technology, DroneDeploy can now automate critical data workflows across both air and ground use cases, enabling greater safety and efficiency for the whole worksite," he said.
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