Amazon has announced that it has acquired Boulder, Colorado-based autonomous warehouse robotics company Canvas Technology, according to TechCrunch. Prior to the acquisition, Canvas Technology’s mission was to provide end-to-end autonomous delivery of goods.
“We are inspired by Canvas Technology’s innovations, and share a common vision for a future where people work alongside robotics to further improve safety and the workplace experience,” said an Amazon spokesperson in a statement via TechCrunch. “We look forward to working with Canvas Technology’s fantastic team to keep inventing for customers.”
Canvas Technology was founded in 2015 by CEO Jonathan McQueen, robotics engineer Juan Falquez, CTO Nima Keivan, and VP of Marketing and Product Sandra McQueen. And back in December 2017, Canvas raised $15 million in Series A funding led by Playground Global (Crunchbase).
Prior to launching Canvas Technology, Jonathan McQueen and Sandra McQueen both worked for TRB Lightweight Structures in the UK as a managing director and the VP of Marketing, respectively. TRB is a company that designs and manufactures high-performance lightweight structures to enable clean technologies and decrease fuel use and reduce pollution.
Last year, Canvas showcased its Autonomous Cart at Playground’s open house. The Autonomous Cart was able to successfully navigate around people and obstacles as it drove around autonomously. It is controlled by 3D imaging and in-house software solutions that can be integrated into other hardware. This could be especially useful in Amazon’s distribution centers.
In recent years, Amazon has been ramping up its fulfillment centers with robots especially following the $775 million acquisition of Kiva Systems in 2012. The robots deliver inventory to workers for picking customer orders.
