Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data, and Neural Networking have helped several industries progress. These technologies have paved the way for improvements in the field of automation and robotics. Fast forward a few decades, many aspects of our everyday life will be automated.
Many companies across the world involve robots as these can resolve common issues and result in more productive, sustainable, efficient, and profitable solutions. Talking about robots, humanoid robots are also catching up with the trend and these can perform activities that humans can do and replace them in crucial applications to provide more accuracy.
Having said that robotics could dominate the future of businesses across industries, here we list some of the promising French robotics startups as sourced from Dealroom.
Wandercraft (Paris)
Founders: Nicolas Simon, Alexandre Boulanger
Funding: €19.9 million
Founded year: 2012
Why its hot: Wandercraft is focused on making wheelchair users walk again. With robotics, the startup provides a normal life to them by developing the first autonomous exo. In the clinical trials, the company demonstrated that people with paraplegia can walk like normal humans without crutches, thanks to their product.
Aldebaran Robotics (Paris)
Founders: Bruno Maisonnier
Funding: €18.5 million
Founded year: 2005
Why its hot: Aldebaran Robotics was acquired by Softbank Robotics for €89 million. The company develops a lineup of voice, speech, and facial recognition small-scale and programmable humanoid robots. Its automated lineup includes NAO and Pepper. This company’s products are used in over 70 countries across the world for various applications in retail, educationeduction, research, hospitality, and more.
Exotec Solutions (Croix)
Founders: Renaud Heitz
Funding: €18.3 million
Founded year: 2015
Why its hot: Exotec Solutions develops automated robots that can optimise the e-commerce warehousing process with its Skypods. The robotic machine can carry a standardised box with up to 30 kg load and bring it to a human operator. Notably, Skypods can move both vertically and horizontally, thereby making them suitable for warehouses with tall racks.
Robopolis (Lyon)
Founders: Jérôme Damelincour
Founded year: 2002
Why its hot: Robopolis that has been involved in making service robots for homes, education institutions, and businesses was acquired by iRobot, the makers of Roomba, the robot vacuum cleaner in 2017. The company develops pet-friendly domestic robots that make cleaning an easy and efficient task.
Scallog (Nanterre)
Founders: Olivier Rochet
Funding: €1.7 million
Founded year: 2013
Why its hot: Scallog is a designer and manufacturer of flexible and simple robotic logistics solutions. The startup was founded to widen the deployment of robots in warehouses. The Scallog System features software-managed robots with transporting mobile racks to order preparation and picking operators. The system allows at least three times as many orders to be prepared in an hour with its automated solutions.
PAZZI (Montévrain)
Founders: Sébastien Roverso, Cyrill Hamon
Funding: €10.2 million
Founded year: 2012s
Why its hot: PAZZI is a pizza robot company, which operates with the mission to use the most advanced tech in automated and robotics to provide a solution to source ingredients, increase food traceability and safety, recruit staff, and improve the fast food experience. It offers affordable and delicious pizzas with its solution.
Balyo (Ivry-sur-Seine)
CEO: Fabien Bardinet
Funding: €10 million
Founded year: 2005
Why its hot: Balyo designs, develops, and markets innovative handling robots. The company’s navigation technology lets it transform standard forklift trucks into standalone intelligent robots that can work alongside humans. With Balyo, fleets of robots navigate through warehouses or factories without any additional infrastructure.
Blue Frog Robotics (Paris)
Founders: Rodolphe Hasselvander,
Funding: €3.5 million
Founded year: 2014
Why its hot: Blue Frog Robotics creates smart robots with a smile to benefit everyone around them. The company uses natural language processing, computer vision, gesture controls, and Artificial Intelligence to change the way personal robots are put to use. The company developed BUDDY, the world’s first intelligence and true emotional robot.
Naïo Technologies (Escalquens)
Founders: Aymeric Barthes, Gaëtan Séverac
Funding: €5.9 million
Founded year: 2011
Why its hot: Naïo Technologies develops and markets agricultural power tools and robots that help farmers weed and harvest with confidence. These robots are designed to help farmers in their daily lives by reducing their workload. This agritech startup optimises the profitability of farms and minimise the overall impact on the environment.
VitiBot (Reims)
Founders: Cedric Bache
Funding: €3 million
Founded year: 2015
Why its hot: VitiBot is an industrial startup that specialises in the field of wine robotics. It has developed a universal platform for numerous electric and intelligent tools. The company aims to bring about a technological breakthrough with Bakus, which is a part of sustainable viticulture that is involved in maintaining vineyards.
Main image picture credits: Blue Frog Robotics
Stay tuned to Silicon Canals for more European technology news.
01
Code to AI: How Le Wagon is training product builders who can adapt to a moving tech landscape