In a consortium with a local investor, Phoenix Contact Innovation Ventures is supporting the Series A financing round of the young start-up from Venlo. The new funds will be invested in scaling the company and expanding the technology and product portfolio.
Phoenix Contact Innovation Ventures has completed an investment in Unconstrained Robotics B.V., also known as Accerion (www.accerion.tech). Unconstrained Robotics B.V. is a high-tech start-up based in the Netherlands that develops and offers infrastructure-free positioning systems for mobile robots and autonomous vehicles.
The future of logistics
“Autonomous driverless transport systems (AGVs) and mobile robots are important prerequisites for full automation in manufacturing and logistics. For example, reducing manual material handling in production lines is a key objective in the manufacturing industry, but this can only be partially achieved with existing technologies. Accerion’s technology opens up completely new use cases, as it enables AGVs and mobile robots to navigate truly infrastructure-free and in some cases achieve better accuracy levels than conventional infrastructure-based solutions,” recognizes Marcus Böker, Managing Director of Phoenix Contact Innovation Ventures.
More accuracy, less infrastructure
Since its foundation in 2015, Accerion has continuously improved and developed its positioning technology for the AGV and mobile robot industry. This 100% infrastructure-free positioning technology uses the ground as a reference for calculating the robot’s current position. To achieve high accuracy without infrastructure, the core technology consists of two functional concepts based on the optical measurement principle and proprietary algorithms: relative position measurement and absolute drift correction to achieve absolute positioning.
Well positioned
With two products currently on the market and several business relationships with renowned market players, Accerion is well positioned to implement its sales strategy and achieve the next important commercial and technical milestones. In this context, Phoenix Contact will support this development as a strategic investor with its industrial and technical know-how. “We are delighted to have Phoenix Contact Innovation Ventures on board. We expect to benefit from their experience and reach in the industry. Their commitment and vision has already been demonstrated during the investment process, where every discussion and decision has been focused on Accerion’s growth.
This significant Series A investment was made possible by a syndicate between Phoenix Contact Innovation Ventures and the regional investment fund LIOF.
more information
Marcus Böker, Managing Director
ABOUT UNCONSTRAINED ROBOTICS B.V. (ACCERION):
Unconstrained Robotics B.V. (Accerion) is a Dutch tech start-up founded in 2015. Under the leadership of Willem-Jan Lamers and Vincent Burg, Accerion has developed a 100% infrastructure-free positioning technology for mobile robots that uses the ground as a reference. With its breakthrough optical positioning and navigation technology for autonomous automated guided vehicles (AGVs), Accerion’s innovation enables effective navigation for mobile robots and autonomous vehicles that achieve high accuracy without the need for expensive and inflexible on-site infrastructure.
ABOUT N.V. LIMBURGS INSTITUUT VOOR ONTWIKKELING EN FINANCIERING (LIOF):
LIOF – the development and investment agency of the Dutch province of Limburg. Its main objective is to develop and promote Limburg’s economy. To this end, LIOF provides venture capital, supports innovative projects by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and attracts foreign investors.