Start-up Profile – Waypoint Robotics - Autonomous Mobile Robots Optimized for Rapid Deployment, Easy Operation and Quick ROI

Editor’s Note: Robotics Business Review‘s coverage emphasizes innovation, including start-up companies (or ‘young’ companies). RBR “Start-Up Profiles” highlight individual start-up companies using a consistent, templated format that makes for quick, yet informed reading, that also simplifies comparative analysis.

Waypoint Robotics – Company Profile

City:	Nashua	State:	New Hampshire
Country:	USA	# of Employees:	–
URL:	www.waypointrobotics.com	Founded:	2017

Founder – CEO & Co-Founder, Patrick Hussey- CTO & Co-Founder, Cory Hussey – General Counsel

Funding Status – Privately Funded

Waypoint omnidirectional autonomous mobile robots are easy to set up, operate, and reconfigure, allowing for immediate deployment and fast ROI.

Waypoint Robotics – Offerings Profile

Primary Target Markets – Logistics / Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Retail

Technology / Product / Service(s) – Waypoint Robotics offers a family of industrial-strength, omnidirectional autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) that includes Vector, which has a 600 lb carrying capacity, and MAV3K with 3000 lb carrying capacity. To support these AMRs, Waypoint also offers 1) EnZone, a contactless, wireless charging system, 2) Dispatcher, software for intuitive robot set-up and fleet management, and 3) Whistle, a common sense robot control Human-Machine Interface (HMI).

Waypoint also offers a variety of top modules to autonomously load/unload and transport materials including the Kingpin lift deck and cart hitch, the Waypoint conveyor top, and an integrated arm for easy-to-use mobile manipulation.

Value Proposition – Waypoint omnidirectional autonomous mobile robots are easy to set up, operate, and reconfigure, allowing for immediate deployment and fast ROI. The Vector & MAV3K systems can move in any direction and in any orientation with high precision and speed. Waypoint AMRs offer superior navigation to reliability move in real-world environments without infrastructure changes, and all are built tough to withstand the daily grind of industrial environments.

Demand Drivers – Industrial companies of all the sizes are having a difficult time attracting and retaining good people. Great workers are aging out without enough younger prospects to fill critical positions. In parallel, the on-demand, high mix economy is demanding faster throughput while high turnover, the global pandemic, and increasing pressure to perform is leading to greater economic and safety risks.

Robotic automation can address these issues, but robots have always been difficult to work with, and require experts to set up an operate. Waypoint offers easy to use and versatile autonomous mobile robots that enable companies to do more with workers they have on the job today. Waypoint AMRs reduce the time and energy workers expend moving materials, improve productivity, and increasing worker safety in the process.

Waypoint Robotics’ customers include large logistics companies, e-commerce medical fulfillment firms, machine shops, computer manufacturers, government groups, universities, a large beverage supplier, and internet service providers.

Waypoint Robotics – Business Model(s) and Competition

Business Model – Waypoint partners with systems integrators through their certified systems integrator program, but the company also sells directly to end users depending on the application. Waypoint also designs and builds robots for OEMs.

Partners – Waypoint Robotics has a sister R&D company – Stanley Innovation (Merrimack NH), and partners with systems integrators including AHS (Cincinnati OH) and Numina Group (Woodbridge IL)

Customers – Waypoint Robotics’ customers include large logistics companies, e-commerce medical fulfillment firms, machine shops, computer manufacturers, government groups, universities, a large beverage supplier, and internet service providers.

Competitive Landscape – Competitive options for Waypoint customers include manual methods and fixed conveyors. Waypoint is working to change the perspective of business leaders who think robotics may be too expensive or complex to implement by offering extremely easy to use and intuitive robots built for use by workers on the job today that can be set up and operating in under 15 minutes.

Other Waypoint competitors are providers of AGVs that require external guidance and/or infrastructure changes, and a variety of other AMRs with varying levels of capability. These range from general purpose AMRs to others that are built for specific applications.