After two decades working on leading robotics and autonomous software, the trio concluded that the only way to realize large-scale robotics applications like robotic delivery was to invent a new technology stack that included lower-cost hardware and more robust software.
“At Vayu, we have developed a unique technology that allows us to solve problems that have plagued delivery robots for the last decade, finally creating a solution that can be deployed at scale in real life to cheaply transport goods anywhere,” Gopalan said.
The company is said to have recently signed a major commercial deal with a major e-commerce company to deploy 2,500 robots to enable lightning-fast product delivery, with more commercial clients in the works.
The team is also working with one of the world’s leading robotics manufacturers to replace LIDAR sensors with Vayu’s sensing technology for other robotic applications.
“We believe in backing companies that can carve out large markets with significant, differentiated technology. Vayu is a great example of this. The company has deployed novel sensing technology and AI-based models to robotics problems that have the potential to have a significant economic and societal impact,” said Kanu Gulati, Partner at Khosla Ventures.
“Our software is robot form-factor agnostic and has already been deployed on several wheeled form factors,” said Gopalan. “In the near future, Vayu’s software technology will enable quadruped and bipedal robot movement, enabling us to penetrate those markets as well.”
Vayu has raised $12.7 million to date.
Looking ahead, the company’s founders believe their system could power a new wave of mobile robots for other applications. “Autonomous delivery robots are just the tip of the iceberg,” Gopalan says.
