In a groundbreaking move, Vayu Robotics has introduced its first on-road delivery A!-powered robot, bypassing the conventional LiDAR technology. Spearheaded by former Velodyne CTO and CEO Anand Gopalan, the company is leveraging AI and machine learning to create cost-effective and scalable delivery solutions.
Gopalan, who co-founded Vayu Robotics in 2022, is aiming to revolutionize the industry by eliminating the high costs associated with LiDAR. Instead, the company is turning towards a transformer-based mobility foundation model paired with a new type of powerful passive sensor. This innovative approach sidesteps the traditional multi-sensor method, reducing expenses and enhancing adaptability to new situations.
To date, Vayu Robotics has raised $12.7 million, with backing from Khosla Ventures, and secured a significant commercial agreement with a major e-commerce player to deploy 2,500 robots for ultra-fast deliveries. Capable of transporting 100-pound payloads at speeds up to 20 miles per hour, Vayu’s robots promise a substantial leap in delivery technology.
Vayu’s Delivery Robot operates autonomously without pre-mapping the roads it intends to drive on and is capable of navigating inside stores, on city streets, and unloading packages on driveways or porches.
Anand Gopalan said: “Our software is robot form factor agnostic and we have already deployed it across several wheeled form factors.In the near future, Vayu’s software technology will enable the movement of quadrupedal and bipedal robots, allowing us to expand into those markets as well.”
