Foster-Miller acquisition of Automatika and Applied Perception completed

Citation

(2007), "Foster-Miller acquisition of Automatika and Applied Perception completed", Industrial Robot, Vol. 34 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2007.04934fab.002

Foster-Miller acquisition of Automatika and Applied Perception completed

Foster-Miller acquisition of Automatika and Applied Perception completed

Foster-Miller, Inc., a QinetiQ North America company, has announced that the company's purchase of Pittsburgh- based robotics companies Automatika and Applied Perception has been completed.

“The addition of these two companies introduces new robotics platforms and autonomous navigation systems to our robotics product line, “Dr William Ribich, President and CEO of Foster-Miller explained. “With newly enhanced and diversified product offerings, I am confident that we will continue to grow our customer base in government and energy markets and continue our leadership in the military robotics industry.”

Foster-Miller is the largest provider of man-transportable robots to the Department of Defense and has delivered more than 1,000 TALON(R) robots to help find and neutralize improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Automatika and Applied Perception were both founded by faculty and graduates of Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute and Business School in Pittsburgh. According to Dr Ribich, this is a prime example of how high-tech robotic companies tend to develop in the “centers of excellence” that traditionally grow around major universities. Foster-Miller, located in suburban Boston, MA, was founded more than 50 years ago by three graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Automatika, founded in 1995, provides invention, design, system prototyping, and product manufacturing for a wide variety of automated and robotic systems used in military and civil defense, oil and gas exploration, remediation and utilities inspection. Automatika's best known robot is Dragon Runner, a 14-pound urban warfare robot that was co- developed with Carnegie Mellon University and funded by the US Marine Corps. Dragon Runner is designed to be carried in a soldier's backpack and can be tossed into buildings to facilitate remote reconnaissance.

Applied Perception, founded in 2001, develops standardized perception, planning and control software and development tools to support the navigation of unmanned ground vehicles. Applied Perception's software is Joint Architecture for Unmanned Systems compliant and interfaces with radar and laser object detection systems, omni-directional cameras, and global positioning systems (GPS).

For further information, please visit the web sites: www.foster-miller.com/ and www.qinetiq-na.com/