Doosan Robotics this week announced $33.7 million in funding, led Praxis Capital Partners and Korea Investment Partners. The fundraising news arrives as the Seoul-based company shows off its wares at CES in Las Vegas.
The company says the funding will be used to increase research and development and attract new partners as it looks to expand its global footprint. Doosan also notes in a release that its robotics systems have hit 1,000 units annually, while sales outside of Korea (primarily North America and Western Europe) now account for roughly 70% of that total figure. The company is also in the process of eyeing an IPO.
“We’re looking forward to expediting the growth of our business with the recent funds raised,” CEO Junghoon Ryu said in a release. “We will further enhance the competitiveness of new products and software that are mounted with our proprietary technology and strive to attain the position as number one market share holder in the global cobot market.”
Doosan is primarily known for its collaborative robots (cobots), whose use run the gamut from manufacturing and research to the coffee-making barista robot, Dr. Presso, which debuted late last year.
Aside from the funding news, the company also announced the NINA (“New Inspiration. New Angle”) camera system. We’d mentioned it a few weeks ago, after it collected a CES Innovation award, but this week we’re getting more information on the robotic system, which is due out in March.
The company refers to NINA as a “prosumer” system, which likely applies to what’s supposed to be a relatively push-button approach to grabbing potentially complicated shots. That arrives in part, due to things like object tracking, coupled with an open platform that allows users to program different shots.
“NINA brings in a whole new era for Doosan as we expand our offerings into the entertainment and content genre,” the company’s CEO said in a separate statement. “Our goal has been to deliver something accessible yet innovative for professional content creators across entertainment, advertising, social media, and other relevant industries, and we’re confident NINA will deliver in big ways across the board.”
