Amazon to hire founders of robot software maker firm to improve warehouse automation
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Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) is hiring the founders of robot software maker Covariant and licensing the company’s robotic foundation models to improve its warehouse automation.
The e-commerce giant will absorb founders Pieter Abbeel, Peter Chen, Rocky Duan, and around a quarter of Covariant’s current employees into its Fulfillment Technologies & Robotics Team, Amazon (AMZN) said in a blogpost.
Through its commercial agreement with Covariant, Amazon (AMZN) will receive a non-exclusive license to Covariant’s robotic foundation models. Amazon (AMZN) added that it plans to grow its AI and robotics team in the Bay Area.
Launched in 2017, the Bay Area-based company has raised over $222 million in total funding. It counts Temasek, CPP Investments, Radical Ventures and Index Ventures as some of its investors.
In early August, Bloomberg had reported that Covariant had received takeover interest from Amazon (AMZN).
Amazon (AMZN) has dominated the warehouse automation space since 2012 with its acquisition of Kiva Systems, a company that builds robots that zip around warehouses to help move products.
The Seattle, Washington-based company has also invested in robotics firms Instock, Agility Robotics and Standard Bots.