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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LUOS (A platform to boost robotic innovation by enabling fast development cycles, reduced cost and low barrier to entry.)

Teaser

Summary

This report summarizes the evolution of the Luos project during the period of Phase 1 of SME Instrument, as part of Horizon 2020, the European innovation program for research and development.

Context
Pollen Robotics is a R&D, robotics and AI SME company created in 2016. The four co-founders come from the research institute Inria in Bordeaux, France. Pollen Robotics is hosting a project called Luos, aiming to develop a robotic modular architecture in order to ease robotic development. The technology si patented.
SME Instrument is meant to help and support the development of the Luos project.

Problem being addressed
Robotic development is too expensive, too long and too complex to let a real revolution happen in the global industry of robotics. Developing a robot today still takes years and costs millions. There is a need for robot developers to evolve to follow the robotics market future growth needs.

Proposed solution
The solution is to reduce many of the development difficulties, to simplify it and to make it accessible to any company related to robotics. Luos develops a modular set of compact electronic boards called modules, allowing fast prototyping and industrializing for robotic devices. It offers innovative and disruptive ways for robotic development.
It addresses to robotics companies wishing to develop robotic projects cheaper, faster and easier, without creating every new product from scratch. They will be able to accelerate the processes and loops of prototyping, industrializing and producing, and improve the life, maintenance and repair time of their robotic devices.

Why is it important for society?
Throughout history, a phenomenon of standardization occurred (brought by the normalization) in each big technological market (automotive, aeronautics, computers, etc.). Standardization will give to robotics a worldwide growth acceleration, because it brings benefits to the industry, shorting the cost and time, and rationalizing the development and production.
To respond to the extreme diversity of robots, the standards of robotics must be flexible and modular.
Our technology will allow robotics to move on the next step of its evolution.

Change of model
Robotics companies are basing their work on a vertical model: the development of robotic products in one block with one company only, resulting in many robotics project failures.
The other industries have developed an horizontal model, using several suppliers to build a single product, and allowing reduction of development time and cost.
This model brings concepts like modularity (re-use of existing parts for new products). Horizontal model is critical for robotic development.
(See figure 01)

Why is it important for the company?
As Luos system was made for our needs of robotic development for other companies, it became today so game-changer that it should become whole business. Pollen Robotics aims to ease robotic development worldwide through Luos, becoming a whole system that fully orchestrates robots.

Target, overall objectives
The general goal is to enable more companies to develop robotic products, and to enable a robotics revolution that reaches a wide range of new markets.
Luos aims to become the leading worldwide provider of robotic system architectures.

Luos products acquire through SME Instrument Phase 1 enough stability to be sold to customers for robots development.
The vision and strategy must grow as well in order to get the Luos project on tracks towards being a reliable and leading robotic solution.

The overall objectives are divided in four parts:
1 - Correct productâ€™s bugs and develop new modules
2 - Acquire new customers to secure revenue
3 - Develop our vision, business model and strategy
4 - Find a sustainable investment for proper growth
These four stages are described in the technical report.

Work performed

Work performed

Products and services:
During the first stage, we provided the customers with products (the Luos modules) as well as services (help to use Luos technology through modules, and develop new modules).

Regarding our willingness of standardization, we contacted several actors (like AFNOR), in order to work together towards a set of robotic norms. These side actions are still a topical and critical part in our strategy.

First customers:
The second stage of our short term strategy is to â€œAcquire new customers to secure revenueâ€.
The acquired customers are detailed in the technical report. After acquirement, keeping a good relationship with them is critical.

Coaching:
We use the services of a coach that helped us to elaborate the business strategy of Luos project.

Structuration and investments needs
We realized Luos had to be hosted by a fully committed company with no side projects. We created Luos Robotics, entirely dedicated to Luos. Its only purpose will be to operate the Luos project, without cutting others activities hosted by Pollen Robotics.
The vision is to focus on a narrow set of B2B-oriented targets with the modules, and then to expand to larger markets with licenses.

As a startup focusing on a deep tech innovation such as modularity, we must raise significant funds to scale to the envisioned strategy.
We identified the following needs:
- Hiring teams of developers (R&D)
- Comply with norms and certifications
- Improve and export production

There is a need of expanding the team to master the complex subjects brought by the scale of the company, as well as spreading the brand to other countries.

Main results and next steps
- Correct productâ€™s bugs and develop new modules:
- Acquire new customers to secure revenue:
- Develop our vision, business model and strategy
- Find a sustainable investment for proper growth.
These results are detailed in the technical report.

Final results

The next stage is to strengthen the vision, business plan and forecast, demonstrate the growing value of Luos, and measure the strategic needs for a consistent investment from business angels, and VCs.

The progress made beyond the state of the art was the patent, and then when the first viable products were sold to our first customers.

Expected results
Following this growing curve, we expect to double the number of sold modules as well as increase the services (modules development) and the number of customers, in order to be viable and to close a profitable year.

Impact of the project
We expect that the growth of the project will have a positive effect on socio-economic aspects such as global image improvement of robotics, and economic improvement, both from a local zone (city, region) to a global zone (France, Europe, worldwide).

The development and expansion of Luos will have a positive impact on robotics services and industrial robots. New companies are likely to emerge to use the technology, thanks to the ease of access of robotics. These markets will benefits from our growth, and new markets can emerge as a result.

Values and ethics
- Equity and equality between females and males. Give a better access to disabled person.
- Ecology: Despite the fact that robotics is not a friendly environment industry, we think that great progress can be made both with small and large actions. We want to engage ourselves in always choosing the greener way to do our business, and to become an environment-friendly company caring for our planet.

Added note: According to the article 38 of Grant agreement, we added the missing reference of the funding scheme to the project\'s website.