Former Waymo engineer launches construction automation startup Bedrock Robotics
Boris Sokhman, an engineer with experience at Waymo, a self-driving car development company under Google, has announced that he has founded Bedrock Robotics , a startup that automates construction. The company aims to apply self-driving technology to construction machinery.
Bedrock Robotics
Ex-Waymo engineers launch Bedrock Robotics with $80M to automate construction | TechCrunch
Sofman was the head of Waymo's self-driving program, primarily training robotaxis and robotracks, which use a combination of existing robotics engineering and machine learning techniques to develop the know-how to navigate unpredictable urban roads safely.
Bedrock Robotics was launched to apply this knowledge to construction machinery. Like the robot taxis that run through cities, construction machinery must analyze complex environments that change every few meters and navigate precisely, and it must also be capable of transporting various materials, including several tons of steel, with precision.
To achieve this, Sofman said the company aims to automate existing construction machinery by introducing sensors and software.
Kevin Peterson, who served as head of perception systems at Waymo, has been appointed CTO (Chief Technology Officer), Ajay Gumala, who served as director of systems and programs at Waymo, has been appointed head of engineering, and Tom Elias, who served as director of engineering for Twilio Segment, the customer data platform, has been appointed head of engineering.
'Throughout history, breakthrough technologies have ushered in a new era of human progress. The steam engine didn't just power factories, it transformed how cities were built, how goods were transported, and how continents were connected. Today, we stand at another turning point. Advances in AI and machine learning have revolutionized chatbots and digital interfaces, but they are only part of the transformation. Physical industry accounts for 75% of global GDP, and sectors such as transportation, infrastructure, and construction are only just beginning to be transformed by the same machine learning. There is a huge untapped opportunity to transform how we build and create, not just online but in the real world,' Sofman said, highlighting the significance of automating construction.
The company has already announced that it has automated construction machines in operation in four areas, including California and Arizona. It also announced that it has raised $80 million in funding to launch the startup.
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