● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportLow impact1 neutral
Salem Robotics (YC S26) launches software for industrial inspection robots
Key points
- Salem Robotics provides software for industrial inspection robots.
- Focuses on task-specific intelligence for physical interactions.
- Addresses challenges in manipulation planning for industrial tasks.
- Developed from robotics research at UT Austin and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Software for Industrial Inspection
Salem Robotics has introduced software designed to enhance the capabilities of existing mobile robots for industrial inspections. The software provides task-specific intelligence, enabling robots to conduct surveys and physically interactive inspections within hazardous industrial environments. This development aims to bridge the gap between capable robot hardware and the complex requirements of complete industrial procedures.
Addressing Manipulation Challenges
The core focus of Salem Robotics' software is on manipulation tasks that are difficult for robots to perform reliably. Examples include taking nuclear contamination smears, which involve wiping a defined surface area, or conducting leak detection and repair (LDAR) inspections that require precise sensor positioning around valves or flanges. These tasks demand accurate motion planning that respects task geometry, manipulator kinematics, joint limits, and environmental collisions.
Background and Development
The founders of Salem Robotics originated from robotics research at UT Austin and have a combined 15 years of experience in the nuclear sector, including a decade developing and deploying autonomous robots at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Their experience highlighted the need for more advanced software to enable robots to execute industrial procedures without extensive manual intervention, leading to the creation of their current solution.
Real-time Constrained Planning
A key aspect of the software is its ability to generate constrained manipulation plans rapidly. This allows the plans to be based on the geometry observed by the robot in real-time, rather than requiring pre-authored trajectories for every individual surface or component. This capability is crucial for tasks where small errors in positioning or contact can compromise the effectiveness of an inspection.
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Reporting from
Salem Robotics, a Y Combinator S26 startup, has launched software that provides task-specific intelligence for existing mobile robots to perform surveys and physical inspections in hazardous industrial facilities. This software addresses the gap in making robots reliably execute complex manipulation tasks required for industrial procedures, such as taking smears or leak detection.