新たな1歩を踏み出すロボティクススタートアップたち

今回は「新たな1歩を踏み出すロボティクススタートアップたち」についてご紹介します。

関連ワード （SPAC等） についても参考にしながら、ぜひ本記事について議論していってくださいね。

本記事は、TechCrunch様で掲載されている内容を参考にしておりますので、より詳しく内容を知りたい方は、ページ下の元記事リンクより参照ください。

ロボティクス業界が2月最終週にSPACの世界への第一歩を踏み出した。Berkshire Greyが第2四半期までに株式を公開する計画を発表したのだ。これまで何度も議論してきた逆合併ルートを利用した場合の大きな問題点はさておき、さまざまな理由から同社は次の大きな一歩を踏み出すには理想的な候補といえる。

関連記事：ピックアンドプレースロボットBerkshire GreyがSPACを通じての上場を発表

第1にBerkshire Greyは高い実績を持ち、また注目度も高い。2020年、まだ全国がロックダウンに見舞われる前、筆者は同社の本社を訪れたのだが、同社の計画はすでにかなり積極的で、当時調達したばかりの2億6300万ドル（約281億円）のシリーズBの追い風も受けていた。どこの小売業者もAmazonという強敵に対する競争力を維持する方法としてすでに自動化に目を向けている。

Amazonはすでに世界中のフルフィルメントセンターに莫大な数のロボットを展開している。最近耳にした数字は20万台だが、それは2020年初頭の数字のため、それ以降間違いなく増えていることだろう。Locus RoboticsのCEOであるRick Faulk（リック・フォーク）氏によると「Amazonという名の企業以外なら誰にでも投資して、競争できるよう支援をしたいと考えている投資家が複数存在する」とのことで、昨今、「Amazon対世界」というかたちは普遍的な考え方になっているようだ。

画像クレジット：Berkshire Grey

巨額の資金を調達するという得意技はさておき、Berkshire Greyは工場をゼロから自動化したいと考えている企業にとって頼れる味方である。同社によると現在の倉庫の自動化状況は5%程度だという。これは以前に筆者も目にしたことのある数字であり、確かに多くのチャンスを示唆している。同社のサービスは完全自動化の提供ではないが、かなりフル機能のソリューションとなっている。

シリーズEで1億5000万ドル（約160億円）を調達したばかりのLocus Roboticsは、それとは真逆のアプローチで勝負している。Fetchのような企業と同様、同社は自動化へのプラグ・アンド・プレイ（PnP）アプローチを提供しており、顧客は初期投資が少なくすむため導入へのハードルが低い。また、テクノロジーの実装のために長期間倉庫を閉鎖する必要がないため、契約ベースの顧客や季節的なニーズにはより適切なソリューションである。

関連記事：フレキシブルな倉庫自動化ソリューションのLocus Roboticsが欧州、アジア進出に向け約159億円調達

Locus RoboticsはRaaS（ロボット・アズ・ア・サービス）モデルを採用して技術を展開している。これは最近業界でもよく耳にするようになった名前だが、HaaS（「H」はハードウェア）モデルと同様、同社は超高額なマシンをそのまま販売するのではなく、基本的には貸し出しを行っている。これもまた導入へのハードルを下げるための方法であり、またロボット企業には継続的なサービスアップグレードを提供する機会を与えるものだ。

画像クレジット：Future Acres

これは、ふいに姿を現した南カリフォルニアのアグテックスタートアップFuture Acresが模索しているモデルである。Wavemaker Partners（これは食品向けロボット会社Misoも立ち上げた企業だ）からスピンアウトした同社はまだ初期段階にあるが、同社はシードインベストとしてクラウドファンディングによる資金調達も目指している。このようなルートを取るロボット企業はあまり見たことがないので、今後の展開が気になるところだ。

関連記事：Future Acresがブドウ収穫を助ける自律農作物運搬ロボット「Carry」を発表し起ち上げ

ロジスティクスと同様に、アグテックはロボット投資におけるかなり巨大なカテゴリーになってきているようだ。FarmWiseは2019年に1450万ドル（約15億5000万円）のラウンドを発表し、他社の一歩先を行っていた（総額2000万ドル超え）。ベイエリアを拠点とする同スタートアップは同週、草取りロボットに農薬散布機能を追加している。

関連記事：全自動除草ロボットサービスのFarmWiseが薬物散布機能を追加

画像クレジット：NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASAの火星探査機「Perseverance」は今週、ロボティクス界で大きく取り上げられたが、ジェット推進研究所（JPL）のモットーである「Dare mighty things（偉大なものに挑戦する）」が書かれたパラシュートで着陸した探査機は、これまでで最も美しい火星の画像を見せつけてくれた。

一方、MSCHFのライブストリームはこれとはやや異なるものとなった。しかし、幾度にもわたるフィードの中断を除けば、40回目ともなる同社の試みは期待通りの結果に終わったと言えるのではないだろうか。Spotの後部にリモートコントロール式のペイントボールガンを搭載すると発表する前に、Boston Dynamicsはこの動きを非難する声明を発表している。

弊社の使命は、社会にインスピレーションや喜び、ポジティブなインパクトを与える、驚くべき能力を持つロボットを創造し、提供することです。弊社はお客様がロボットを合法的に使用する意思があるかどうかを確認するため細心の注意を払っており、販売を許可する前にすべての購入依頼を米国政府の拒否者リストと照合しています。

画像クレジット：MSCHF

MSCHFは社名が明かされる前から注目を浴びていたようだ。少なくともロボット工学の未来についての会話に火をつけたという点で、今回の行為は成功したと言えるだろう。Boston Dynamicsは同社のロボットが時に人々をゾッとさせていることを分かっている。さまざまなロボットがコントゥアーズの音楽に合わせて踊る様子を撮影した動画は、当然バイラル動画となって世間を騒がせた。

Boston Dynamicsはとりわけ「Black Mirror（ブラック・ミラー）」のような番組のディストピア的な見方に対して否定的である。もちろんペイントボールガンは凶器ではないものの、現時点では世論もまた重要だ。同社の担当者によると「お化け屋敷でSpotを使いたいというお客様の申し出もお断りしました。弊社のテクノロジーを使って人々を怖がらせるということは、弊社の利用規約には含まれていません。同製品が人々にとって有益なものとなるということがこのケースでは想定できなかったため、販売はお断りしました」という。

Video shows NYPD's new robotic dog in action in the Bronx https://t.co/4PwuA7gjDk pic.twitter.com/RkMCSoGRUV

— New York Post (@nypost) February 23, 2021

アメリカ自由人権協会（ACLU）は2020年、マサチューセッツ州警察が現場でSpotを使用している様子が公開された後、こういったケースに対しての懸念を示している。そして今週、ニューヨーク市警はブロンクスの家宅侵入事件の現場で再びSpotロボットを配備した（新しい塗装と「Digidog」という名前の理由は言うまでもない）。警察にどういった感情を抱いているかによって、この行為に対する捉え方や意見は違うものとなるだろう。

関連記事：Boston Dynamicsのロボットの警察演習映像に関し市民団体が情報請求

確かに警察は何十年も前から爆弾処理のためにロボティクスを活用しており、ロボット業界の多くの企業と同様に、Boston Dynamicsが国防高等研究計画局（DARPA）から初期資金提供を受けたのも事実である。現在のSpotは戦争用マシンというほどのものではないものの、ロボット進化の現段階でこのようなトピックは話し合われるべきものなのではないだろうか。なんと言っても世界には軍用ドローンが10年以上も前から存在しているのだ。

これは非常に重要な倫理的トピックである。ロボットが世に出た後のロボットメーカーの責任も当然重要だ。Boston Dynamicsはロボットを販売する際にデューデリジェンスを行っているが、ロボットを販売した後も責任を負うのだろうか？その質問にすぐ答えてくれる人は現在どこにも存在しない。

画像クレジット：Locus Robotics

【原文】

Robotics took a small step into the wild world of SPACs this week, as Berkshire Grey announced its plan to go public by Q2. Setting aside some of the bigger issues with using the reverse merger route we’ve discussed plenty, BG is an ideal candidate for this next major step for a number of reasons.

First, the company’s got a track record and a ton of interest. I visited their HQ early last year, before the country shut down. Their plans were already fairly aggressive, with the wind of a recently raised $263 million Series B at their back. Retailers everywhere are already looking to automation as a way of staying competitive with the ominous monolith that is Amazon.

The mega-retailer has already acquired and deployed a ton of robots in fulfillment centers across the world. The latest number I’ve seen is 200,000. That comes from early 2020, so the number has no doubt increased since then. As Locus Robotics CEO Rick Faulk told me the other week, “There are investors that want to invest in helping everyone that’s not named ‘Amazon’ compete.” As with so many things these days, it’s Amazon versus the world.

Image Credits: Berkshire Grey

Beyond its knack for raising money by the boatload, Berkshire Grey is the company you go to when you’re looking to automate a factory from the ground, up. The company says current warehouse automation is somewhere in the neighborhood of 5%. It’s a figure I’ve seen tossed around before, and certainly points to a ton of opportunity. BG’s offering isn’t lights-out automation, but it’s a pretty full-feature solution.

Locus, which just raised a healthy $150M Series E, represents a different end of the spectrum. Similar to offerings from companies like Fetch, it offers a more plug-and-play approach to automation. The lowered barrier of entry means a far less costly on-ramp. It also means you don’t have to shut down your warehouses for an extended period to implement the tech. It’s a more workable solution for situations with contract-based clients or temporary seasonal needs.

The company uses a RaaS (robot-as-a-service) model to deploy its technology. That’s something you’re going to be hearing more and more of around the industry. Like the HaaS (the “h” being hardware) model, the company essentially rents out these super-pricey machines, rather than selling them outright. It’s another way to lower the barrier of entry, and it gives the robotics companies the opportunity to offer continuous service upgrades.

Image Credits: Future Acres

It’s a model Future Acres, a Southern Californian agtech startup, is exploring as it comes out of stealth. Things are still early days for the company, which spun out of Wavemaker Partners (which also developed food service robotics company Miso). Among other things, the company is looking toward a crowdfunded raise by way of SeedInvest. I’ve not seen a lot of robotics companies take that route, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out.

Like logistics, agtech is shaping up to be a pretty massive category for robotics investments. FarmWise was ahead of that curve, announcing a $14.5 million round back in 2019 (bringing its total to north of $20 million). This week the Bay Area startup added crop dusting functionality to its weed-pulling robot.

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA’s Perseverance understandably grabbed the biggest robotics headlines of the week. Landing with a parachute sporting the JPL motto, “Dare mighty things,” the rover sent back some of the best and most stunning images of Mars to date.

MSCHF’s livestream, on the other hand, was a bit more spotty. But aside from a fair number of interruptions with the feed, I suspect the company’s 40th drop went about as well as it could have hoped. Prior to announcing that it would mount a remote-control paintball gun to the back of Spot, Boston Dynamics issued a statement condemning the move:

Our mission is to create and deliver surprisingly capable robots that inspire, delight & positively impact society. We take great care to make sure our customers intend to use our robots for legal uses. We cross-check every purchase request against the U.S. Government’s denied persons and entities lists, prior to authorizing a sale.

Image Credits: MSCHF

MSCHF seemed to bask in the attention, even before its name was revealed to the public. At the very least, the stunt was a success from the standpoint of having ignited a conversation about the future of robotics. Boston Dynamics intrinsically understands that its robots sometimes freak people out — it’s a big part of the reason we get viral videos from the company, like the recent one featuring various robots dancing to The Contours.

Among other things, the company is pushing back against the dystopian optics of shows like Black Mirror. Of course, a paintball gun isn’t a weapon, per say. But for the moment, optics are also important. A rep from the company told me, “I turned down a customer that wanted to use Spot for a haunted house. Even putting it in that context of using our technology to scare people was not within our terms of use and not how we imagined the product being beneficial for people, and so we declined that initial sale.”

The ACLU notably raised concern last year after footage from one of our events featuring Spot being used in the field by the Massachusetts police made the rounds. This week, the NYPD deployed a Spot robot yet again — this time at the scene of a home invasion in the Bronx (not to mention a new paint job and the name “Digidog” for some reason). Your own interpretation of those particular optics will likely depend on, among other things, your feelings about cops.

Certainly police departments have utilized robotics for decades for bomb disposal. It’s true that Boston Dynamics (along with much of the robotics industry) got early funding from DARPA. Spot in its current form isn’t much as far as war machines go, but I think these are important conversations to have at this stage in robotic evolution. Certainly there are military drones in the world, and have been for more than a decade.

That’s an important ethical conversation. As is the responsibility of robotics manufacturers once their machines are out in the world. Boston Dynamics does due diligence when selling its robots, but does it continue to be responsible for them once it no longer owns them? That’s certainly not a question we’re going to answer this week.

（文：Brian Heater、翻訳：Dragonfly）

Direct Listings & SPACs - Why VCs Are Forgoing IPOs Ad Viewing ads is privacy protected by DuckDuckGo. Ad clicks are managed by Microsoft's ad network (more info).

Learn How Venture Capital Investors Are Navigating A Changing Exit Environment.

Special-purpose acquisition company - Wikipedia

A special purpose acquisition company (SPAC; / s p æ k /), also known as a "blank check company" is a shell corporation listed on a stock exchange with the purpose of acquiring a private company, thus making it public without going through the traditional initial public offering process. According to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), "A SPAC is created specifically to pool ...

1 SPAC We're Excited to Own -- Even Before It Makes a Deal ...

Here's one bet on a great management team that two of our contributors recently made.

Grab SPAC? AGC Stock and AGCB Stock Climb on Altimeter ...

News of a Grab SPAC merger has AGC stock and AGCB stock moving. Here's what to know about the deal for the ride-hailing startup.

Cannabis SPAC Silver Spike Acquisition Corp II Raises $250 ...

NEW YORK, March 11, 2021-(BUSINESS WIRE)-Silver Spike Acquisition Corp II (the "Company") announced today that it priced its initial public offering of 25,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit ...

Be Wary of Celebrity SPAC Endorsements, SEC Warns ...

Sponsors may have conflicts of interest so their economic interests in the SPAC may differ from those of shareholders.

Howard Lorber Steve Witkoff Launch SPAC

Developers Howard Lorber and Steve Witkoff are raising a $250 million blank-check firm to take a proptech firm public.

SPAC, off-the-shelf dream? | Navesink International

The blank check companies are raising billions in IPOs... but for how long? Here is the SPAC 101 manual: nature, popularity, ego crisis... and even options!

General Catalyst targets $400M for another SPAC

General Catalyst, the Cambridge-based investor behind Airbnb and HubSpot Inc. (NYSE: HUBS), among others, is launching another special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC. The firm's Catalyst ...

Ride-hailing startup Grab is in talks to go public through ...

Grab Holdings Inc. is in talks to go public through a merger with a SPAC that could value the Southeast Asian ride-hailing startup at as much as $40 billion,...

Matt's Top 3 SPAC Targets - InsurTech | SPACInsider

Four new SPACs have listed since January looking for insurance and insurtech targets, but the market is large enough to entice far more.

Departed Velodyne Founder Attacks Board as SPAC Deal Turns ...

The SPAC deal that took auto-sensor maker Velodyne Lidar Inc. public has turned sour, with founder David Hall, who quit as chairman last month, criticizing the company's leadership and strategic ...

Apex CEO on Going Public Via SPAC: Report | DealFlow's ...

In this video clip Bloomberg interviews Apex Clearing CEO Bill Capuzzi for a conversation about taking private companies public via the SPAC route. Capuzzi also talks about the journey many companies take from startup to the public markets. Watch the video.

Regulators eye SPAC boom

It may be too soon to tell whether the SPAC party is over — but the forecast for the parade calls for rain.Why it matters: The phenomenon that has swept Wall Street is now a pop culture buzzword — attracting your favorite celebrities, former politicos, Reddit traders and long-time investors — and drawing increasing scrutiny. Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeHow it works: So called "blank-check" firms go public with the intention of using the money they raise to buy a private company, which then becomes publicly traded after the merger.By the numbers: A little over two months into 2021, almost as many SPACs (246) have gone public as there were in total last year (248, which was a record itself), according to SPAC Research.Driving the news: The SEC issued a warning on Wednesday against investing in SPACs solely because celebrities are involved or promoting them, echoing some of its alarm from a couple years ago during the digital token frenzy.And earlier Thursday, an advisory committee to the commission held a hearing about SPACs, where questions to the expert panelists largely focused on investor risks and whether additional protections are needed. NYU Law's Michael Ohlrogge pointed out that not only have post-merger returns for investors historically been poor, but that a lot of the true costs are obscured in the disclosures, noting he and his team have had to spend hours looking for and calculating this for even a single SPAC. Certainly, the average retail investor can't be expected to work this out. Lawmakers are also feeling new pressure to keep SPACs on their radar, with some advocacy groups recently asking Congress for fixes to "tamp down pre-merger hype," among other things. The other side: "You've had a lot of folks jump into the SPAC market thinking it's like a gold rush. Whenever you have that in any sort of market, there are a lot of bad actors," Arjun Sethi, co-founder of venture firm Tribe Capital, tells Axios."But you don't want to have it regulated so hard, with a tight iron grip that you lock people out from being able to participate in the upside," Sethi says. (Yes, he has a SPAC).And as Axios' Dan Primack recently argued, there are already guardrails in place preventing a true disaster. Between the lines: SPACs got swept up in recent stock market jitters — a sign they aren't immune from broader volatility.An index that tracks their performance is now roughly 15% below where it peaked last month.The bottom line: More rules — plus investors souring on these deals — could be on the horizon, but for now "the party is definitely not over," says Josef Schuster, who created that index.Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.

The SEC says never invest in a SPAC based solely on a ...

The explosive popularity in the SPAC market has attracted a slew of athletes and other famous figures to jump on the bandwagon. NBA star Shaquille O'Neal is serving as an advisor in the Forest Road Acquisition Corp , which announced a three-way merger with fitness company BeachBody last month.

Marijuana SPAC Silver Spike II prices IPO to raise $250 ...

Marijuana industry special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Silver Spike Acquisition Corp.

Goldman Sachs creates Hong Kong SPAC team for Asia deal ...

Citigroup C.N is the most active SPAC bookrunner with a 14% share of the market worldwide, ahead of Goldman Sachs at 12% and Credit Suisse CSGN.S at 9%, based on Dealogic data.

Lorber, Witkoff launch $250M SPAC - GPAM

Howard Lorber and Steve Witkoff (Getty, iStock) Frequent business partners Howard Lorber and Steve Witkoff have a new project, but it's not a condo or hotel. It's a SPAC. The developers' Ocean Drive Acquisition Corp. is looking to raise $250 million from investors to take a proptech startup public, according to a regulatory filing.

Grab Set to Go for IPO via Merger with Silicon Valley ...

Grab Set to Go for IPO via Merger with Silicon Valley-Based SPAC - Crypto News Cloud

SPAC mania has lit a fire in the proptech world. Insiders ...

Summary List Placement Between 2020 and 2021, almost 500 special purpose acquisition companies were filed. In 2019, there were only 59. This tidal wave is due to a combination of low interest rates, big public-market valuations, and large financial incentives for SPAC sponsors and private investors. And now this surge is coming to the vast […]

Howard Lorber & Steve Witkoff launch SPAC - Daily Beat

Howard Lorber and Steve Witkoff have launched a SPAC. The frequent business partners are looking to raise $250 million from investors to take a proptech

BuzzFeed in talks to go public via Spac merger, Companies ...

NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) - BuzzFeed, the digital-media outlet founded in 2006, is in talks to go public through a merger with 890 5th Avenue Partners, a special purpose acquisition company (Spac), according to people with knowledge of the matter.. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Goldman Sachs creates SPAC team in Hong Kong amid surging ...

Goldman Sachs has created a SPAC team in Hong Kong amid the surge in blank-check deals in the region. The team was set up last year but was not made public, according to Reuters. Raghav Maliah, the global vice-chairman of the firm's investment banking division, leads the team.

Magic Markets - Ep16: SPAC Attack - Moe-Knows

It’s a SPAC ATTACK ! Everyone and their dog is launching a SPAC. Listen in as @FinanceGhost and I help you unpack what a SPAC is and whether it is a good idea to invest in them or are they a dangerous fad.

Grab is eyeing US IPO via Altimeter SPAC, report says | KrASIA

A possible deal could be valued at near USD 40 billion and become the largest SPAC merger on record.

The SEC says never invest in a SPAC based solely on a ...

The Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday issued a warning against special purpose acquisition companies backed by celebrities, urging investors to think twice before ju

SPAC: Sebi forms expert group to examine feasibility of ...

NEW DELHI: Capital market regulator Sebi has formed a group of experts to examine the feasibility of introducing Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) l

The First Asian SPAC in Europe, Finnex Acquisition Corp ...

(YorkPedia Editorial):- Milan, Italy Mar 12, 2021 (Issuewire.com) - Finnex Acquisition Corp. ("Finnex"), incorporated in the form of a SPAC (Special Purpose