All Posts By

Marta Portales

April 15, 2019
1

Robotics startups in the Medical Device sector

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Author: Leire Martínez | Source: Tecnalia 

The global medical device market is expected to reach an estimated $409.5 billion by 2023, and it is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 4.5% from 2018 to 2023. We even felt gracious working in a field that supports enhanced quality of life for elderly, care extended by technology, reduction of physical and mental burden for caregivers at the end of the day health benefits for all.

First came the business

On those first days of your startup, when trying to build your initial business model canvas you started to realize you either had several types of customers or you had no clue who your customers were or most probably you were mixing users with clients. […]

Read more here

April 5, 2019
1

Health and tech: A robot could take care of you when you are old

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Robotic technology in the field of health has had a great impact in recent years. In fact, by 2019, the application of artificial intelligence in robots to work dynamics is expected to increase hospital productivity by 10 to 15 per cent over the next 2 or 3 years, according to Forbes.

There is evidence that many of the tasks traditionally performed by humans are being replaced by more efficient robots, not only in the field of health but also in many other sectors. However, the evolution of this replacement will also depend on the degree of innovation in each country.

At present, the medical sector has robots, mostly directed by human beings, to do many daily tasks. The challenge for the next few years will be to make these tasks autonomous as well. But what are these robots, what do they do and how do they improve medical care? One of the most important tasks, with the greatest number of investigations written about it, is patient care and the social interaction capacity of the robots. In other words, robotics for care and rehabilitation.

“Robots will increase hospital productivity by 10 to 15 por cent over the next 2 years”

However, there are also many other applications that are triumphing in the sector, such as surgery through less incisive and more precise robots. In fact, according to Analytics Insight, the most important robotics companies belong to this sector for the most part. One example is Medrorobotics, which provides invasive surgeries to patients. It even launched an assisted platform to help surgeons in their operations.

In this post, we will focus on describing some of the most important applications in the field of social interaction with humans. This aspect faces one of the main challenges in this century for the robotics sector: to know how humans can interact with robots.

An example of these interactions can be found in a person who needs a robotic prosthesis to do an activity. In fact, even in medical recovery, people can be guided by a robot and not by a doctor. A  study published in ASME (The American Society of Mechanical Engineers) states that, after doing case analysis, people trained with robots after a stroke do not show any difference compared to those treated with a traditional therapy measured by humans.

  • In Japan, you’ll be cared for by a robot of older age

These types of robots help people regain certain capabilities they have lost. For example, in people with physical disabilities. They are very important robots to improve people’s quality of life. They can also be essential for recovery after a stroke or spinal cord injury. Similarly, there are robots that will replace functions such as accompaniment.

Nursing homes in Japan are already using robots that care for the elderly. The Shin-Tomi nursing home in Tokyo uses 20 different models of robots to care for its residents. Hirohisa Hirukawa, director of robot innovation research at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, told The Guardian in an interview that “the goals included relieving the burden of nursing staff and increasing the autonomy of people still living at home”.

Moreover, the Japanese government has established a strategic plan that expects four out of five people in need of care to agree to robot support by 2020. If you want to learn more, watch the following video.

  • A Robot Can Help Children With Autism

A robot’s ability to socialize can also help children with diseases such as autism, as is the case of the British robot Kaspar, created two years ago, which has helped thousands of children in England with autism who have problems with socializing. But what can a robot offer that a human being cannot? In this case, Yale University researcher Brian Scassellati explains in a video how robots possess the degree of socialization indicated for a person with autism since they are not as social as humans and do not cause them anxiety.

“The goals included relieving the burden of nursing staff and increasing the autonomy of people still living at home”

For this reason, robots do not seek to overcome human capabilities, but to complete them. Researcher Brian Scassellati tested his theory through 12 families with autistic children. The robots interacted with them every day for 30 minutes over 30 days. The results were better than expected in all areas. For example, children interacted better with people, were more sociable and able to cope with everyday situations.

The Kaspar robot interact with a child | Redbull

  • Robots help us understand depression

Many areas of medicine and science can benefit from robots, including neuroscience. In fact, according to scientist Zachary Mainen, there are many similarities between a brain and a robot programmed with artificial intelligence. Let’s say that software with errors could be a likened to a depressed software. This software would need new ways of capturing information in order not to have any errors. The same can be said of people. They need to reconstruct the information they have in their brains in order to cope with depression.

For this reason, Mainen argues that the evolution of artificial intelligence toward greater flexibility will help scientists understand illnesses such as depression or schizophrenia.  Of course, a machine can never understand suffering, however, it can give some guidelines on how we can deal with illness and whether current therapies are the right ones.

  • A robot can replace your doctor

There are areas in different, more isolated countries that do not have constant medical care. Today, there are already robots that can diagnose a patient through artificial intelligence. The Japanese firm iFlytek has already developed a robot that has passed the exams required to practice in a hospital in the city of Hefei. For now, the robot is supervised by a human, who must qualify their diagnoses. This video shows you how the robot works.

The relationship between human and robot will be very important in the coming years. For now, the human being will have to take care of the robot, but maybe someday the shoe will be on the other foot.

 

March 25, 2019
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Robotics revolution in Bucharest with RobotUnion and Rima

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How many times have you heard about the upcoming “Robotics Revolution”? Probably a lot if you have been in Bucharest this week. The capital of Romania has become the hub of the robotics industry in Europe for a few days, since it has held the 10th edition of the European Robotics Forum 2019 event (ERF 2019), on March 20th-22nd.

FundingBox team couldn’t miss it since our #FundingGrowth has reached the robotics industry with our projects RobotUnion and RIMA (Robotics for Inspection and Maintenance). Our project managers Roi Rodríguez, Izabela Zrazinska and Nicolaj Nigaard were there to present the open calls.

RobotUnion, accelerating startups in robotics

RobotUnion, funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020research and innovation framework and coordinated by FundingBox, supports robotics startups and SMEs on their road to success. The robotics accelerator was one of the initiatives which got a lot of attention when discussing the future of robotics in Bucharest due to its focus on technical mentoring and generous funding. Fresh ideas of already accelerated startups from the 1st open call and the new ones which might be selected in the second open call were discussed among the robotics experts during the event. FundingBox used the opportunity to participate in a panel related to our 5 verticals: agri-food, healthcare, manufacturing, civil engineering, and open disruptive innovation to define challenges that startups should address their solutions.

Izabela Zrazinska, RobotUnion project manager at FundingBox, explained the open call benefits and services among the projects invited to the ‘Traditional Funding Opportunities — Cascade Funding Panel/FSTP’ held on March 21st. Besides that, RobotUnion was also a part of the ‘Entrepreneurship Award’, whose winner, IM Systems, was awarded with the Fast Track option and direct invitation to the Jury Day in Warsaw which will take place in July 2019. In the FSTP session where RobotUnion was presented, FundingBox Project Manager Roi Rodríguez also introduced the AI4EU (Europe’s AI-on-Demand Platform) open calls, and our colleague Ali Muhammad, from our partner VTT, the L4MS (Smart Logistics for Manufacturing) calls.

Izabela Zrazinska explaining RobotUnion open call at the ERF 2019

AI4EU is foreseen to have two types of beneficiaries: AI Prototypes to which individuals can apply and can get up to €6K and a two months support program; and Tech Transfer Experiments addressed to startups that can get up to €180K and a 9-month acceleration program.

Going back to RobotUnion, the European robotics accelerator is currently looking for 20 innovative startups and SMEs to apply for RobotUnion 2nd open call before April 30th, 2019. The beneficiaries will get up to €223.000 in equity-free cash and additional services

  • State-of-the-art technical support and access to “premier-class” technology provided by top research and technology organizations like VTT, DTI, TU Delft, TECNALIA, and PIAP.
  • World-class training and high-level business mentoring by a pool of tier 1 mentors from Google, Airbnb, Ikea, Yahoo, Prisa, Microsoft, among others, provided by ISDI.
  • Internationalization services. Presence in top EU Scaleups events such as 4YFN, Mobile World Congress, Slush, Web Summit and International PR exposure powered by Mobile World Capital.
  • Fundraising services provided by Blumorpho (private funding) and FundingBox (public funding).
  • Engagement with world top industry leaders such as MADErepresenting world manufacturing leaders like Danfoss, Grundfos or Vestas among others; ARLA in agri-food; FENIN in healthcare, and FERROVIAL in civil infrastructure.

Take a look at what some participating startups of the first open call have to say about RobotUnion and get inspired to make your robotics dream come true!

Somnox, a robot that increases the quality of your sleep:

Chickenboy, a robot that improves chicken welfare at poultry’s farms developed by Faromatics:

Interested? If you need more information, join one of our Info Sessions organized by RobotUnion partners.

RobotUnion lead the discussion about the future of robotics

But that isn’t all. Apart from the open call, RobotUnion is leading the discussion about the robotics revolution in the robot-oriented community. Thanks to the consortium partners, mentors and startups, they gathered more than 600 innovative disruptors, startups, SMEs, mentors, experts, investors, and more in RobotUnion Community, were the discussion is following in a fresh way. On top of that, RobotUnion open call applicants get real-time support from FundingBox team through the application process. Are you curious about RobotUnion Community on FundingBox? Join it now!

You can also check our supporting communities who participate in the discussion about the future of robotics, and become part of the supportive community, spreading the word about our program.

Nikolaj Nygaard with a robot at the ERF 2019

RIMA, building the European network of robotics Digital Innovation Hubs

RIMA is a 4-year project, supported by FundingBox and funded by the Horizon 2020 initiative, aiming to establish a network of 13 Digital Innovation Hubs (DIH) on robotics sharing best practices and providing services to facilitate uptake of Inspection and Maintenance (I&M)technologies. It also aims to help small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) to develop novel solutions for different industry sectors.

RIMA’s challenge is to reinforce this connection and to provide education and training on robotics I&M, and to connect the value chain -research, technology companies, service providers, end users and investors- for accelerating economic growth in the field. For that, it will offer services including support to testing and technology transfer, coaching and training on robotics for I&M, process optimization and communication. Up to 50.5% of RIMA’s budget will be distributed to SMEs to run experiments using FSTP.

The main goal of RIMA is the constitution of a sustainable and scalable (open to new members) DIH network aligned with the industrial and European policies and ambitions.

Nikolaj Nygaard, RIMA project manager at FundingBox, also presented the project and RIMA’s open call at the European Robotics Forum 2019. RIMA will select 50 cross-border Technology Transfer & Technology Demonstrator Experiments through 2 open calls. Startups and SMEs can apply, and a total of €8.1M funding will be distributed to support these experiments. Stay tuned, because the first RIMA open call will be launched this Spring!

Do you think “the robots are coming”? At FundingBox we do, and we are coming with them!

 

March 20, 2019
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RobotUnion Info Sessions: Webinars and Meetings

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RobotUnion is an initiative designed to increase the number of startups and SMEs in Europe in robotics-related fields. We will invest €4 million in 40 companies during 2 open calls from 2018 to 2020 and will provide them state-of-the-art technical support and access to “premier-class” technology, World-class Training and high-level Business Mentoring, Internationalization services and Engagement with world top industry leaders.

Are you looking for opportunities to gain funding and interact with big players in the robotics field? We have the perfect opportunity for you!

We are currently looking for robotics startups to join our 2nd call (open until the 30th of April at 1 pm CEST), below you can find de dates and places where our info sessions will take place.

 

  • TUDelft Info Session (Netherlands)

When? 19th March 17:00 – 19:00 CEST

Where? RoboValley, Julianalaan 67a – 2628 BC Delft

 

  • VTT Info Session (Online)

When? 27 March 2019 14:00 CEST

Where? Webinar session

To register follow the link: https://bit.ly/2Ex2e4a

 

  • PIAP Info session (Poland)

When? 28 March 2019 13:00 – 13:45 CEST

Where? Automaticon Room B2

 

  • DTI-MADE-ODENSE Info Session (Denmark)

When? 3 April 2019 13:00 – 16:00 CEST

Where? DTI, Forskerparken 10F, 5230 Odense

 

  • TECNALIA Info Session (Spain)

When? 10 April 2019 9:30 – 11:30 CEST

Where? Paseo Mikeletegi, 2, San Sebastián Guipúzcoa

Salas Venaqueros, Tenaceros y Ferrones

Click here to register

 

  • MWC Info Session (Spain)

When? 10 April 2019 19:00 CEST

Where? Edificio MediaTIC, Mobile World Capital Offices – Room 8

To register follow the link: https://bit.ly/2JbFvQZ

 

  • Ferrovial (Spain)

When? 17 April 2019 10:00 CEST

Where? Ferrovial Servicios – Las Tablas

Room Los Andes

 

  • ISDI Info Session (Online)

When? 23 April 2019 18:00 CEST

Where? Webinar

To register follow the link: https://bit.ly/2VffMsg

 

  • Blumorpho Info Session (Online)

When? 24th April 12:00 CEST

Where? Webinar

To register follow the link: https://bit.ly/2Uapgsh 

 

RobotUnion is the first European acceleration programme that aims to discover, support and fund startups and SMEs in the robotics industry. Launched within the framework of the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme.

March 18, 2019
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RobotUnion is looking for mentors and facilities to join our pool of Acceleration services

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Would you like to become a part of Robotics revolution together with RobotUnion Startups and Consortium? Join our pool of experts and facilitites!

 

RobotUnion is constantly looking for:

  1. a) Technical Facilities for running the Proof of Concepts.
    b) Technical Experts.
    c) Business and Funding Mentors.

To join the RobotUnion Marketplace which will gather state-of-the-art technical support services and mentors which will provide access to “premier-class” technology to selected Startups.

Those interested in joining can apply through this online forms:

Those who will pass successfully through the validation procedure will be included in the RobotUnion marketplace and will be taken into account for matchmaking between services offered and Startups request.

How can you benefit?

  • You will become a part of the prestigious Robotics Marketplace created together with top Research and Technology Organizations like VTT, DTI, TU Delft, TECNALIA, and PIAP and top industry leaders such as MADE representing world Manufacturing leaders like Danfoss, Grundfos or Vestas among others. ARLA in Agri-Food; FENIN in Healthcare and FERROVIAL in Civil Infrastructure.
  • Be in touch with TOP European Robotics Startups selected in 2 Open Calls (see the winners list here:)
  • You can be paid up to 60.000 EUR according to the services you provide to one or more startups. If you apply to be part of the marketplace you will be announced for all the startups of our programs and if any of them wants to collaborate with you we will contact you and set up an agreement with the conditions for the collaboration.

 

Join us now!

In case of more questions write us to: info@robotunion.eu or contact @izabela.fbx

#robotics

 

March 18, 2019
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3 videos to understand Social Robotics

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What is a social robot? They are robots where social skills and interaction play a key role in their development. They should be capable of showing emotions, have capacity to carry an advanced level conversation, understand the mental models of their social partners, have relationships and maintain them, use natural communication cues and learn social capabilities, as described by Thosha Moodley.

For professor Mary-Anne Williams, social robots are designed to work with people safely and efficiently, and to add value to people’s lives by helping, caring, teaching and entertaining. Rotos are already among us and you can find them everywhere from the operating theatre to the bottom of the ocean. This should raise the conversation around their design, capabilities and legal status.

  • If you want to know more about Social Robotics watch the video below

  • Meet Pepper and Nao, two examples of social robots

  • And last but not least, where are social robots going?

By Natalia Cardona Mercado for RobotUnion

March 4, 2019
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Robots in manufacturing: Three things to look out for in 2019

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Amanda Koppel | Via: I4MS

As we have heard numerous times, the robots are coming — and they’re coming in larger numbers than ever before. Especially in manufacturing, robots have made their mark on industry and today 44 % of all Danish SME manufacturing companies use robots to some extent (Danish Technological Institute 2018). Three years ago, only 31 % of the same group reported that they are using robots.

There’s no indication that this development will slow down in the coming years. In fact, new technological solutions are constantly popping up across the manufacturing landscape making it possible for SMEs and other companies to use robots for new tasks in new industries. MADE is involved in multiple collaborations surrounding the use of robotics in manufacturing. In this article, I will present a few of the trends we are seeing around industry and academia in the area of automation and robotics.

1. Closer collaboration between robots and humans

Collaborative robots — or “cobots” — will be hard to miss in the coming years and are currently an important focal point for many actors in the manufacturing industry. By getting humans and robots to work together more closely, companies will experience an array of new options for automation of tasks that are currently not feasible with existing technologies. The core function of the cobot will be as a tool to deal with simple, repetitive part-tasks, while the human can focus on problem solving and more complex tasks. But ensuring a smooth cooperation between robot and human operator still requires a lot more R&D, especially when the most important job is to ensure the safety of the humans that will be working side by side with robots.

2. Smarter and more intuitive robots

In 2019, we’ll also be focusing on making robots more intuitive to use and adding higher levels of intelligence to them. In order to make robots more accessible for companies and specific tasks, manufacturers must focus on increasing the user friendliness and flexibility of the robots, and the supporting equipment such as part feeders and grippers, which is why they’re working on making the programming and the set-up process of a robot more intuitive. For example, by using robotic modules, businesses can pick and choose between standard modules designed to enable a robot to be adapted to a specific task or enable the production of a specific product. We’ll also be seeing more robots having integrated AI and machine learning which will make them faster learners and able to optimize their own performance and adapt to component and process variation which would typically cause a production stop.

3. The robot’s surroundings — especially feeding mechanisms

While the robotic arm itself is one thing, another thing is all the components attached to it or surrounding the robot as a whole. We expect to see robotic add-ons and accessories becoming even more coveted in 2019. These add-ons could be anything from tools and grippers to software, vision systems or feeding systems that help the robots with their grip and vision challenges and much more depending on the add-on. In Denmark within this area of robotic accessories, we’re seeing a lot of interesting potential for growth, especially for companies specializing in this aspect of robotic technologies.

Of these we find feeding mechanisms especially interesting. Feeding mechanisms help present the right object to the robot arm in order for the robot to grab the object and transfer it to where it needs to go. Developing smart feeding solutions is important for robots in the manufacturing industry since the industry is becoming more and more interested in producing smaller series of products and the handling of these small series requires new solutions. The traditional solutions based on vision systems and vibratory bowl feeders are usually both expensive and difficult to reprogram for new objects to be picked up restricting their application to large production volume and limiting the application of automation in SME’s. MADE among other actors are very interested in gaining insights about up-and-coming solutions and hopefully 2019 will be a big year in robotics research.

What are you excited about for 2019 in the robotics realm? An event, a company, a project or technology? Join I4MS Community and let us know in the comments.

February 9, 2019
1

RobotUnion launches its second open call with €4 million public funding for startups and SMEs

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  • Launched within the framework of the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme, it is the first European acceleration project that discovers, supports and funds innovative projects in the robotics industry
  • In this open call, the programme will select 20 European companies that develop innovative projects in the field of robotics linked to agri-food, healthcare, civil engineering and manufacturing


RobotUnion, the pan-European acceleration programme related to the robotics industry, has launched its second call with €4 million public funding for startups and SMEs. Through this call, RobotUnion will continue the acceleration journey with other 20 startups that will develop projects in the field of robotics linked to agri-food, healthcare, civil engineering and manufacturing.

Each selected company could receive up to €223,000 public funding as well as access to technological support from European robotics experts and business acceleration services. The best-performing companies participating in the programme will have a chance to obtain an additional €1 million of private investment in funding rounds lead by the VCs CHRYSALIX and ODENSE SEED AND VENTURE, with the support of Blumorpho.

 

The programme: from research to setting up

The 20 startups and SMEs selected in the second open call  will initiate an acceleration process of 2 up to 16 months. The participants will be always accompanied by Technical and Business mentors from their research phase all the way through setting up the business.

The process is divided into 4 phases where, in addition to funding, the companies will receive extensive technical and technological support provided by the leading institutes in robotics R&D in Europe: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Danish Technological Institute, TU DELFT, TECNALIA and PIAP. The participants will also receive business acceleration, led by digital business school ISDI.

The startups selected will take part in a rigorous and personalised training programme and will have access to ISDI’s international network of recognised mentors from Google, Airbnb, Ikea, Yahoo, Prisa and Microsoft, among others. A special voucher scheme will be initiated by project coordinator FundingBox, giving accelerated companies access to a range of service providers via a one-of-a-kind marketplace fully dedicated to supporting robotics companies.

The entrepreneurs will also have direct contact with leaders from agri-food, healthcare, civil engineering and manufacturing sector through the participation of corporate organisations including MADE, Ferrovial Servicios, ARLA Foods and FENIN.

RobotUnion will further boost the visibility of startups and SMEs in the robotics sector taking part in top international events such as 4YFN at MWC Barcelona, Automatica Munich, Slush and Web Summit.


A sector with challenges to overcome

The European Commission’s Horizon 2020 innovation frameworks have clearly identified that “There is a requirement to stimulate SMEs in the robotics sector to develop novel and innovative technology that has the potential to open new markets”.

To address this need, RobotUnion is designed to reduce the two main sectorial barriers faced by startups and SMEs in the robotics industry: the elevated setup costs and the lack of awareness of the high potential that robotics represents for entrepreneurs and startups.  The programme will bring together research centres, large corporations and innovative startups, with the aim of overcoming the elevated costs associated with the development of specific technologies for market entry. RobotUnion will also work with the selected companies and their respective ecosystems to overcome the psychological barriers and concerns that hinder the generation of entrepreneurial R&D projects in the area of robotics.

2nd RobotUnion Open Call will be presented at 4YFN 2019 during different events organised by Mobile World Capital Barcelona.

February 9, 2019
0

Win a fast track to the RobotUnion jury day 2019!

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Call for participants: Entrepreneurship Workshop and Award 2019

We invite all entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs in the robotics field to join the competition for the prestigious Entrepreneurship Award.

The euRobotics Entrepreneurship Award is given out each year at the European Robotics Forum (ERF) to the most promising robotic start up as judged by a jury of robotic entrepreneurship pioneers and experts.

Entrants to the competition stand the chance to gain valuable skills in how to pitch an investment idea together with the potential to gain interest in their company from the robotics and investment community. The 2019 edition of the Entrepreneurship Award will take place on 20-21 March, at the European Robotics Forum 2019, in Bucharest, Romania.

Benefits from participation
Each selected participant will have their flight and accommodation (up to € 500) and ERF attendance fees paid for one person, and will furthermore receive feedback on their pitch and project from the screening committee and an offer of a further 3 * 1 hour of counselling from European level robotic entrepreneurship experts.

Three participants will be selected as Finalists and pitch in the open Entrepreneurship Award workshop along with robotics entrepreneurship role models, and will receive a Finalist diploma, an ERF banquet fee paid for one person and recognition on stage during the ERF banquet.

The Entrepreneurship winner will additionally receive extensive coverage on ERF social media and recognition in ERF public promotion materials and in an press release and an ERF Entrepreneurship Award winner diploma and announcement on stage at the ERF banquet.

A further exceptional feature of this years competition is, that the winner additionally will have the opportunity to take advantage of a RobotUnion Fast Track invitation. That is, the winner of this years ERF Entrepreneurship Award will be invited directly to the upcoming jury day in Robot Union, and stand the chance to gain up to €223,000 in cash plus acceleration services. Read more about RobotUnion here: https://robotunion.eu/

Motivation and objective
The objective of the workshop is to encourage the wider acceptance of entrepreneurship in robotics researchers by providing Entrepreneurial coaching to several teams who themselves have ideas for developing robotics products or services.

Time of workshop
The workshop will take place over three sessions on 20March. The first and second sessions are private screening and coaching sessions, and will take place between 8:30 and 10:30 and again between 14:00 and 15:30. Each participant will be invited for just one of these private sessions. All participants will receive feedback immediately after 15:30 on 20March, and the three selected Finalist will be invited to pitch in the Entrepreneurship Award 2019 workshop on 20 March between 16:15 and 17:45.

The first two sessions will be closed sessions for the entrants only, while the last session will be open to all ERF participants, and will also feature role model presentations by a successful robotic entrepreneur.

Organisers
Troels Oliver Vilms Pedersen, Danish Technological Institute, tovp@teknologisk.dk

Jon Agirre Ibarbia, Tecnalia, jon.agirre@tecnalia.com

Approach
Three sessions will be held. The first two are private pitching and discussion sessions at which the 10 best entrants are invited to individually pitch their ideas to a panel of expert robotic entrepreneurship coaches. These sessions will result in three entrepreneurs going forward to the ERF Entrepreneurship Award workshop – the three finalists will do a public pitch in front of a jury of robotics entrepreneurship role models and experts. This jury will then consider the presentations and declare a winner of the Entrepreneurship Award.

The private coaching sessions will involve each selected entrant pitching their existing business in a 10 minute slot followed by questions from the panel.

The number of entrants will be restricted to a maximum of 10. If we receive more applications, the organizers team supported by some of the coaches will select the most promising or innovative ideas based on the application.

In order to address the confidentiality issues the workshop will adopt the following guidelines:

1. The first, second and third sessions will be closed sessions.

2. The fourth session will be open to all registered attendees of the European Robotics Forum.

3. It is suggested that presentations be kept to information you are happy to be in the public domain.

4. If there is any information that you feel is essential to your presentation but you do not want to be fully public then this can be discussed with the coaching committee during the first sessions, but no NDA’s will be signed by the coaches.

Coaching committee, jury and role models
The entrants will be followed by a team of expert coaches, that are also open for follow up counselling after ERF. Robotic entrepreneurship role models and experts will form the jury, and could give specific input and assistance in the further development of your investment pitch and your company.

Participants
How can participants contribute to, and prepare for, the workshop?

The participants are expected to have already developed an idea for a product or service and done some background work in researching the marketplace in which it could be exploited. Entries can be both individuals who have not yet established a company or teams with established companies and proof-of-technology, but without sales and turnover yet. However, only one person will be subsidized to join the event.

Participants will be coached and judged based on these parameters:

Innovation
Scalability
Team/roadmap
Interested participants must submit an application with the following format by 12:00 CET on 25 February 2019 to the following email address: tovp@teknologisk.dk

Entrepreneurship Award 2019 – Application Form

1: Contact details (Name, company/affiliation, email, phone number, etc.)

2: Abstract text of your idea (no more than 2500 characters):

Which problem/opportunity in the market, that you are addressing with your idea?
Your solution to that problem/opportunity
What is the market size for your solution?
Which are the existing solutions? (the competence) and how do you compare them to your solution?
At which level of development is your technology? Which are the next steps? What is your roadmap from here? Do you have access to the right competencies or a good plan on how to acquire them?
3: A presentation/your current pitch as attachment in .pptx or similar format

Deadline
Application is to be send by 12:00 CET on 25 February 2019 to the following email address: tovp@teknologisk.dk

Important notice
In order to promote the participation of entrants from different European countries, accepted entrants will be entitled to the cost of transportation and accommodation covered for one person until a maximum of 500 euros. The ERF registration fee for one person will be covered by euRobotics aisbl. Each of the three finalists will be entitled to the cost of the ERF banquet for one person.

Sponsorship
This event is sponsored by euRobotics aisbl and Odense Robotics.

February 5, 2019
2

RobotUnion News! 10 STARTUPS ENTER THE PRODUCT ACCELERATION PHASE

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Great news are coming for the 1st RobotUnion Acceleration program!

Last 2 months Technical and Business Mentors were working with 20 Startups who has started a Feasibility Stage on Welcome Camp in Delft in November 2018. They all had to focus on creating the Feasibility Plans which were presented to the RobotUnion Jury in the middle of January 2019.

We are excited to announce that the final list of 10 Startups who are selected to enter to the Stage 2 (Product Acceleration) are:

They will all start a 12 month Product Acceleration Phase which consists:

  • €120.000 financing
  • Full-time Technical Mentor (weekly meetings)
  • Researcher in Residence (assistance from the Robotic Specialists from RobotUnion consortium on demand)
  • Technical Vouchers (additional services on demand)
  • Business Mentoring

Congratulations to you all!

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