Opportunities
We host opportunities to highlight and advance robotic technologies.
MassRobotics Opportunities: We help industry, startups, and academia gain knowledge by connecting them to solve challenges and highlight achievements in the field of robotics. We currently have custom challenges underway, grants to work specifically with manufacturers.
WE WORK CLOSELY WITH OUR PARTNERS TO CUSTOMIZE CHALLENGES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE INDUSTRY.
The Healthcare Robotics Startup Catalyst
The Healthcare Robotics Startup Catalyst is a program presented by MassRobotics, FESTO, Mitsubishi Electric Automation, Novanta, and MITRE. Its aim is to support early-stage healthcare robotics startups by providing guidance, connections, and resources to help them grow and succeed.
Past challenges include:
Form & Function Robotics Challenge 2023 – 2025
Presented by MassRobotics, Lattice Semiconductor, Onshape, Nano Dimension, Festo, Novanta, Danfoss and ADI (Analog Devices).
This challenge calls for university teams or individuals associated with universities to create a robotics or automation project that delivers a compelling form factor specific to its tasks while accomplishing a useful function. The challenge is open to participants from around the globe, and encourages cross-collaboration between state-of-the-art software and hardware providers including MassRobotics strategic partners.
MELSE PLC IQ-F Challenge
The MELSEC iQ-F Challenge Program: This PLC program’s purpose is to expand IoT applications with PLC for OT-IT digital transformation. The MELSEC PLC iQ-F is designed based on the concepts of outstanding performance, superior drive control, and user-centric programming.
AWS Robotics Startup Accelerator
The AWS Robotics Startup Accelerator delivered by MassRobotics is a four-week technical, business and mentorship accelerator opportunity open to robotics startups from around the globe. The program provides resources to a select cohort of startups seeking to use AWS to help them solve their robotics development, deployment and management challenges.
Mitsubishi Startup Engagement Program
Through the Startup Engagement Program, MassRobotics helped Mitsubishi Electric find and develop Proof of Concepts (PoCs) and potential investment opportunities. Mitsubishi Electric sought startup companies that found creative solutions and innovative technology to enhance their Factory Automation portfolio. They continue to work with startups that represent unique opportunities and successful PoCs that can be presented and demonstrated to Mitsubishi Electric executive management.
AMD Robotics Innovation Challenge
Participants are invited to explore the benefits and advantages of AMD Kria SOMs to create solutions that seamlessly integrate adaptive computing into their robotics projects. Companies with existing solutions that welcome customization and optimization through the use of software and hardware re-programmability and acceleration are encouraged to apply.
GM Gripper Challenge
GM Gripper Challenge sought startups, academia and integrators to develop a proof-of-concept universal end effector capable of grasping and holding a variety of sheet metal components for purposes of precise robotic assembly.
Analog Devices Real Time Sensor Fusion Challenge
Analog Devices Real Time Sensor Fusion Challenge brought together several partners to participate in looking for innovation teams and startups to demonstrate enhanced real-time context awareness (using two or more sensors) in automation (factory or building), mobility (ground or air vehicles), healthcare and an open category (other kinds of sensor fusion Cyber-Physical Systems).
Panasonic Prototype 3D LiDAR Challenge
Panasonic Prototype 3D LiDAR Challenge provided the opportunity for Panasonic to find unique use cases for their new sensor. University teams provided cases including: point cloud for interaction with robot arms, mobile robotics, combination sensor object detection systems, object scanning, security systems and autonomous vehicle systems.
AMD Pervasive AI Developer Contest: Robotics AI with AMD KRIA™ KR260 Robotics Starter Kit
The AMD Pervasive AI Developer Contest offers developers the Kria KR260 Robotics Starter Kit –with pre-built interfaces and accelerated applications that make the KR260 an ideal platform to accelerate robotics innovation. We are looking for developers to create unique AI vision-guided robotics applications using camera inputs and control output with ROS and AI targeting the Kria KR260 Robotics Starter Kit and Vitis™ AI software or PYNQ™. Applications close February 29, 2024.
Opportunity FAQs
How can my company run a challenge with MassRobotics?
To run a challenge with MassRobotics you must be at the Enhanced Partnership Program level. Our team works with you to ensure your objectives and outcomes will be met.
Is there a fee run a challenge?
The cost of the challenge is included in the Enhanced Partnership Program annual fee unless you want to add an additional cash prize to the winners.
What is the length of a challenge?
This depends on the type of challenge and can be anywhere from 4-6 weeks (more intense and focused) to 4-6 months (academic semester). It is also determined by the purpose and objectives of the challenge.
Who develops the challenge and its objectives?
Many of our partners look for ways to engage with our startup residents, academia, other corporate entities, and the robotics ecosystem. Challenges are a great way to get exposure for their products, gain insight about how academia and robotics companies might use products, and find innovative solutions to their challenges. We work directly with our partners to customize challenges based on partners’ and industry needs.
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