The innovative machine shows how Viam helps
companies capture data from diverse hardware, transform data into
insights, and take action to enhance the customer
experience.
NEW YORK,
May 15,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Viam, the software platform for
smart machines, is proud to announce a partnership with Tennibot,
the world's first robotic tennis ball collector, aimed at helping
build, prototype, and scale its trailblazing fleet of autonomous
tennis assistants as it expands sales to tennis clubs and
enthusiasts nationwide.
The partnership shows how innovative
companies are using data and automation to revolutionize consumer
experiences.
The partnership reflects growing widespread
business interest in automation, and shows how the next generation
of innovative companies are integrating data and AI to
revolutionize the real-world consumer experience.
Unveiled by Tennibot in April 2024 at the inaugural RacquetX all-racquet
sports conference alongside the Miami Open, the "Tennibot'' robot
autonomously roves a tennis court to detect and recover balls,
allowing players and coaches to save up to 30% of their time
otherwise spent collecting them. The machine leverages unique data
technology from Viam, ensuring every machine is updated with
the latest up-to-date software to identify tennis balls, skillfully
self-navigate around obstacles, and collect data to improve and
optimize machine performance.
As more Tennibot machines move into production,
the company is also using the Viam platform to seamlessly and
securely capture and synchronize aggregate data from machines in
the field. The data then helps the Tennibot team monitor machine
performance, conduct remote diagnostics, and guarantee a superior
customer experience.
Inspiration for the Tennibot struck CEO and
co-founder Haitham Eletrabi during a frustrating practice session,
prompting the inception of the cutting-edge machine. Working with
co-founder and CTO Lincoln Wang,
Eletrabi navigated through an iterative process of designing,
prototyping, testing, and optimization. However, encountering
technical obstacles inherent to traditional fleet and machine data
management motivated the collaboration with Viam.
Viam's open-source platform provides
out-of-the-box cloud pipelines designed to easily plug into
machines and facilitate their monitoring and management. Its open
architecture allows any machine to be interoperable and share data
with the cloud and any other machine, regardless of its make or
manufacturer, breaking down technological barriers that have up to
now limited greater adoption of automated solutions in consumer and
industrial settings.
"Before we worked with Viam, managing multiple
machines and their data could only be done through a complex
integration of software and authentication platforms that weren't
designed to work with machines," said Eletrabi. "But Viam's
built-in data management pipelines snapped right into our machines
and rendered that patchwork unnecessary, freeing us up to just
focus on building and selling our robots."
In addition to boosting Tennibot's operational
efficiency, Viam's fleet management capabilities also helped the
company quickly scale and speed their time-to-market.
"Viam's cloud-based software makes it simple to
check the current status of our machines at any time and deploy
code to update them as needed," said Wang. "This allows us to
comfortably expand our fleet to hundreds of robots with full
confidence, and accelerate machine manufacture and delivery,
getting us to market faster."
Tennibot's integration with Viam demonstrates the
software platform's mission to unlock the full potential of
automation across diverse sectors, from consumer recreation and
home automation to full industrial solutions across manufacturing,
infrastructure, and climate.
"We're thrilled to provide Tennibot with the
crucial features to monitor, troubleshoot, and deploy code to their
machines," said Viam founder and CEO Eliot
Horowitz. "Tennibot is a great example of how Viam enables
both startups and enterprises to innovate, scale, and deliver an
improved customer experience through smart machines."
Long term, the partnership between Tennibot and
Viam includes plans to further develop the "Tennibot" robot and
incorporate optional AI and machine learning capabilities, helping
players study, analyze, and refine their technique.
Learn more about how Viam helps smart machine
startups and enterprises easily manage data from their fleet at
Viam.com, or reach out to sales@viam.com for a custom demo.
About Tennibot
Tennibot is an innovative robotics company
founded in 2018, specializing in the development of autonomous
tennis ball collecting robots. Headquartered in Auburn, Alabama, Tennibot aims to
revolutionize tennis court maintenance by utilizing cutting-edge AI
and robotics technology. The company's flagship product, also named
Tennibot, autonomously navigates tennis courts, efficiently
collecting stray tennis balls, thereby saving time and effort for
players and coaches. Tennibot's commitment to advancing sports
technology has garnered widespread recognition, positioning the
company as a leader in the intersection of robotics and sports.
www.tennibot.com
About Viam
Viam is a comprehensive open-source platform that
simplifies the building, monitoring, and data management of smart
machines. From industrial robots to smart home appliances to IoT
devices, Viam is transforming the way software powers hardware for
any device with sensing, compute, and actuation. Founded in 2020 by
former MongoDB co-founder and CTO Eliot
Horowitz, Viam is headquartered in New York City.
www.viam.com
Media contact: media@viam.com
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SOURCE Viam, Inc.