BENGALURU: Control One, a Bengaluru-based startup, is setting out to become India’s answer to Boston Dynamics with its innovative approach to robotics. Founded in 2023, the company focuses on vision-based Visual SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) systems, contrasting with the traditional LiDAR technology used by many competitors.
Pranavan S, Control One’s founder and CEO, emphasizes that their technology allows robots to understand their environment through visual data, enabling dynamic navigation and task execution. The startup recently unveiled India’s first physical AI agent installed on a forklift, capable of interacting with its surroundings and responding to voice commands. This system, referred to as the 3-brain system, enables real-time AI decision-making remotely.
Control One has attracted $350k in funding from notable investors, including iRobot co-founder Helen Greiner and CRED founder Kunal Shah. Their OS for robots, “One AI,” integrates seamlessly with existing warehouse equipment and aims to improve operational efficiency by allowing a single operator to manage multiple robots.
Pranavan highlights the advantage of Visual SLAM over LiDAR, noting that while LiDAR detects obstacles, it lacks contextual understanding. In contrast, vSLAM processes visual data to make more informed decisions. Despite the efficiency of vision systems, Control One still uses LiDAR to meet safety standards.
The company’s future plans include enhancing their systems for more power efficiency and expanding into more advanced applications, potentially including humanoid robots. Control One’s approach signifies a significant step forward in the robotics industry, leveraging frugal innovation and advanced technology.