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Kudan signs partnership agreement with ugo

06.18.2021

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〜The collaboration between Kudan Visual SLAM and ugo Platform aims to accelerate the joint deployment of advanced autonomous mobile robots〜

Kudan Inc. (headquarters in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO Daiu Ko, hereafter “Kudan”) is pleased to announce that Kudan has signed a partnership agreement with ugo, Inc. (headquarters in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO Ken Matsui), a leading developer of avatar robots. Through this partnership, Kudan Visual SLAM※1 and the ugo Platform will be linked to enable advanced autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in diverse and dynamic environments. In addition, we will jointly develop highly efficient robotics solutions not only for office buildings, but also for a wide range of spaces such as commercial facilities, logistics warehouses, factories, public facilities, as well as for industries that operate their business in crowded areas with frequent layout changes and people moving about.

ugo, Inc., develops and provides the next-generation avatar robot, “ugo”, and the “ugo Platform”, which is a platform to integrate and manage various robots. “ugo” is a next-generation hybrid avatar robot that combines the advantages of both conventional simple avatar robots and fully autonomous robots. It can perform various tasks remotely with its two arms and adjustable height and also, perform in autonomous mode under the same operating conditions through machine learning using advanced artificial intelligence (AI).

Through this collaboration, where Kudan Visual SLAM is implemented in the ugo Platform, ugo will be able to recognize objects and spaces in three dimensions under complex and dynamic environments, in order to achieve highly accurate and robust autonomous mobility.

Kudan and ugo, Inc. will jointly and proactively develop robotic solutions mainly for industries, where the need for advanced AMRs is high, in order to improve the working conditions of its workforce by reducing repetitive manual tasks, and improve overall efficiency at each work site, while continuing to promote technological innovation to further improve the robustness of autonomous mobility.

Image of collaboration between Kudan Visual SLAM and ugo

Comments from Ken Matsui, CEO at ugo, Inc.:
ugo, Inc. aims to solve the serious labor shortage problems faced by all social infrastructure services by transforming them into sustainable service operations.
We have already evaluated Kudan’s technology through joint projects, and we are convinced that its technology is indispensable for robots like ugo to play an active role in any field. Through this partnership agreement, we believe that by combining Kudan’s highly accurate and robust SLAM technology with the ugo Platform, we will be able to provide solutions using service robots to industries that we have not approached yet and to the markets where the needs for DX (digital transformation) and automation are rapidly increasing. We try our best to accelerate the introduction of ugo to realize sustainable work styles with this partnership.

Comments from Satoshi Chiba, Vice President of Business Development at Kudan Inc.:
Kudan provides SLAM technology that allows devices to simultaneously self-locate and create maps of their surrounding environment, which is essential for autonomous driving and AMRs. We have seen recent growth in AMRs introduced into some parts of the market, but many users are still faced with the hurdle of finding a reliable and robust self-localization solution. Our SLAM technology will help overcome these challenges and accelerate the broader adoption of robots, and set a new standard for performance.
However, elemental technologies alone are not sufficient for the broad adoption of robots, and require a holistic package including complementary hardware, efficient path finding, control and intelligence software, and user-friendly operating systems are necessary. The ugo Platform has all these elements. Through this partnership agreement, we look forward to delivering our SLAM technology to end users, and we will strive to realize a true robot society together with ugo.

※1:Kudan Visual SLAM(Simultaneous Localization and Mapping)is a technology which allows devices to simultaneously self-locate and create maps of their surrounding environment through sensors such as camera images. Kudan owns SLAM technology utilizing both cameras and Lidar sensors, and has successfully combined these to further develop low-latency, high-precision, high-stability technology.

About ugo, Inc.
ugo, Inc. is a start-up company that develops the avatar robot “ugo”. The “ugo” is an avatar robot that can perform various tasks remotely with its two arms and height adjustment, and can also be operated in automatic mode under the same operating conditions with the learning function by artificial intelligence (AI). It is a next-generation hybrid avatar robot that has the advantages of both conventional simple avatar robots and fully autonomous mobile robots.
Commercialization of security solutions began in 2021. By substituting security robots for security guards for basic operations in facility security tasks such as standing guard and patrolling, we can reduce costs and risks of infection with less opportunities for human-to-human contacts.

■Company Details
Company Address: 1-7-8 Higashi Kanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Establishment: 2018
Representative: CEO Ken Matsui
URL:https://ugo.plus

About Kudan Inc.
Kudan (Tokyo Stock Exchange securities code: 4425) is a Deep Tech research and development company specializing in algorithms to enable artificial perception (AP). As a complement to artificial intelligence (AI), AP functions allow machines to develop autonomy. Currently, Kudan is using its high-level technical innovation to explore business areas based on its own milestone models established for Deep Tech which provide wide-ranging impact on several major industrial fields.
For more information, please refer to Kudan’s website at https://www.kudan.io/.

■Company Details
Name: Kudan Inc.
Securities Code: 4425
Representative: CEO Daiu Ko

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