Warehouse robot maker Ultra Robotics raises $62M to expand OP1 Operator deployment
Ultra Robotics said it raised $62 million across two rounds, including a $50 million Series A led by Framework Ventures, to fund engineering work and wider deployment of its OP1 Operator warehouse robot.
Fortune reported that the larger portion, $50 million, came as a Series A round led by Framework Ventures. The seed round was jointly led by Y Combinator and NextView Ventures.
Ultra sells a warehouse robot called OP1 Operator, which resembles a humanoid robot mounted on the end of a traditional robotic arm. It uses a pair of grippers shaped like forklift prongs. Its vertical reach extends to 10 feet, allowing it to pull merchandise off warehouse shelves, and it can pick up an item that falls to the floor.
The robot is aimed at work that follows inbound shipments, which often combine many types of items in a single container. An electronics supplier, for example, might group together components belonging to the same laptop series, and warehouse operators then separate the container's contents into bins holding a single type of component. Ultra says OP1 Operator can automate that task. It can also perform kitting, essentially the reverse operation, mixing items drawn from different containers into the same parcel when a shopper orders multiple products from an online store.
OP1 Operator also handles the final packaging stage of the workflow, placing the items it assembled during kitting into a package, sealing it and adding a shipping label. Ultra says the robot supports several packaging formats, including envelopes and plastic bags.
The unit is mounted on a flat, wheeled base and has no engine; workers move it between warehouse sections by rolling it by hand, and the wheels lock once it is in place to keep it from tipping over. It plugs into a standard wall outlet, which the company says removes the need to charge and maintain batteries, and a second cable links it to the local network. The onboard computer shares sensor data from the robot with other robots over that connection, and Ultra uses the data to enhance the artificial intelligence models that power its hardware.
According to Ultra, its AI models do not require extensive configuration on the customer's part, so OP1 Operator can be set up in a few hours. The company claims that a single unit is capable of processing up to 1,000 items per day once it is up and running.
"The robots that are actually changing the world are the ones doing valuable work for real people," said Ultra founder and chief executive Jon Miller Schwartz. "And this isn't some far-off dream. It's happening right now."
Ultra said it will use the new capital to finance engineering initiatives and expand adoption of its robots.
Editor's Summary
Ultra Robotics has raised $62 million, with $50 million from a Series A round led by Framework Ventures and the rest from a seed round co-led by Y Combinator and NextView Ventures. The money will fund engineering and deployment of the OP1 Operator, a wheeled warehouse robot that sorts mixed inbound shipments, builds multi-item parcels and handles final packaging. Ultra says a single unit can process up to 1,000 items per day and be set up within hours.