Robot software company Mujin raises $85 million

More and more companies are choosing automation because of the lack of qualified employees this is expected to be felt producers by 2030

Startup based in Tokyo and Atlanta Mujinwhich develops artificial intelligence-based software for industrial automation, believes robots can increase productivity and safety. Today, the startup is announcing an $85 million Series C, bringing its total funding to $150 million. The latest round was led by SBI Investment, with participation from Pegasus Tech Ventures and Accenture. Mujin declined to disclose a valuation.

Founded in 2011 by Ross Diankow and Issei Takino, the company created MujinController, which enables users to implement and automate various applications for industrial robots in manufacturing and logistics at a lower cost. CEO Diankov told TechCrunch that he decided to establish Mujin in Japan, where many manufacturing and automation technology companies are located.

He describes the software platform as “the ultimate brain of robots, the essential component that powers their intelligence and capabilities across industries.”

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MujinController currently supports more than 1,000 systems in production and has already been implemented by many strategic partners, including robot original equipment manufacturers such as ABB, Fanuc, KUKA, Yaskawa, Universal Robots and Kawasaki, Diankov said.

The platform is intended for picking and palletizing/depalletizing e-commerce products. Earlier this year, the company unveiled a trucking bot that can “unload trailers and shipping containers.”

Japanese logistics company Paltac has automated its manual palletizing process with Mujin Pack. The startup claims this has resulted in a doubling of productivity and a reduction in Paltaca’s labor requirements by approximately 90%. Mujin’s precision picking technology also allowed JD.com to meet the challenge of handling expensive, delicate items, depending on the outfit.

“MujinController introduces a unique approach to creating robotics applications by using a non-volatile real-time signal digital twin and offering a set of perception, planning and control algorithms to digitize the real world and autonomously move robots and other industrial equipment through it,” Diankove said in his statement.

Mujin will use the proceeds to support product development to develop advanced solutions and applications that meet changing market demands, and global expansion to expand its reach into new markets and customers around the world.

The company has offices in the US, Japan and China, employing over 300 people.