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September 21, 2006
New Investor For Rotundus' Rolling Robocop
Looks like mobile robots are rolling out a niche for themselves in the building security market. We came across news this week on the Aerospace Corporation website announcing its taking a stake in Swedish startup Rotundus AB to give itself what it calls a "front seat" in the security market. The amount invested was undisclosed.
Ångström, which has contracts with a Canadian satellite manufacturer and Swedish space equipment manufacturers, said it would be delivering microcomponents to two year old Rotundus whose mobile robots are aimed at both space exploration and industrial security surveillance.
The Rotundus Rolling Eyeball
Its apparently robust, motorized surveillance robots were originally developed for Mars exploration, but are now also being honed to deliver security functions at power plants, airports, ports and military sites, the same market that another Euro startup, Berlin-based Robowatch, is targeting with its mobile robots.
Ångström Aerospace looks like it was set up to spin off technology, mainly micro-electromechanical subsystems used in spacecraft and unmanned vehicles, from Swedish research institutes. It has backing from Uppsala University, which owns a stake in Rotundus. RP Ventures, a Swedish venture firm, is also a shareholder in Rotundus.
We like this kind of high-tech wizardry, but we know it’s going to be a challenge to create anything bigger than a niche market for this one, especially considering that the startup's primary strategic investor so far is not an established name in the security surveillance industry.
Read - Ångström Aerospace Corporation acquires an equity stake in the mobile security robot company Rotundus (press release)
Read - German firm bring robocops to makret (a:c euro)
Posted on September 21, 2006 07:11 AM | Posted to News And Updates | Security | Venture Capital | Permalink
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