Roboat secured €550K for its AI-powered system for urban and inland waterway navigation
Roboat, an MIT and AMS spin-out, has developed AI-powered autonomous vessel technology for various applications, including ferries and water taxis, and recently secured €550,000 in funding to expand its presence in the autonomous shipping market.
Roboat, a spin-out from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS), has developed an AI-powered system that can turn new and existing vessels into autonomous vehicles or support their operation by enhancing the navigation system with situational awareness, decision support, obstacle identification and avoidance, and automated docking and mooring. Roboat's AI-powered services are offered as a subscription customized to the user's needs.
In an ongoing partnership with Holland Shipyards Group, Roboat enhanced the GVB IJveer 66 ferry with a situational awareness system, and both companies are currently working on the deployment of autonomous, electric, and 3D-printed ferries from recycled materials, which will serve locals, visitors, and athletes in Paris starting the summer of 2024. Additionally, Roboat is working on a fully autonomous on-demand water taxi and an autonomous waste collection container that could replace road-based trucks to collect waste cleanly and silently 24/7.
Roboat recently secured a €550,000 investment from LUMO Labs and SHIFT Invest, which follows a previous investment by Delft Enterprises. The new funding reflects the investors' confidence in Roboat's trajectory thus far and will support the company's mission to automate waterways to provide safer and cleaner transport and logistics. More precisely, the funds will enable Roboat to establish its position in the autonomous shipping market and grow the company's team so it continues to meet its set goals.
