Mitsubishi Electric Corp. buys stake in Realtime Robotics

Robot motion planning tech firm Realtime Robotics Inc. on Tuesday said it had landed a “strategic investment” from Mitsubishi Electric Corp., and would use the backing to support the refinement and scalability of its robot workcell optimization and runtime solutions. 

Details of the funding were not disclosed, but Boston-based Realtime called the funding the “lead investment” in its recently opened Series B round. Mitsubishi Electric was also a participant in the Series A round, and will now be adding a senior representative to Realtime’s board of directors.

Japan’s Mitsubishi Electric has been an active investor in logistics technology and robotics in recent months, including another unspecific “strategic investment” in autonomous mobile robot (AMR) maker Otto Motors in 2023—shortly before Otto’s parent company, Clearpath Robotics, was acquired by Rockwell Automation.

Realtime says its multirobot optimization software rapidly generates and evaluates hundreds of thousands of possible solutions to identify the shortest cycle time, providing collision-free, path-planning technology. That approach enables multiple robotic arms to work closer together, while simultaneously reacting to dynamic changes, the company says.  

Realtime says its software can be used by robot vendors ABB, Denso Robotics, Fanuc, Kawasaki, Kuka, Mitsubishi Electric, Universal Robots, and Yaskawa. Its customers include the automotive manufacturers BMW and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, as well as the integrators Valiant TMS and Schaeffler Group.

By increasing its stake, Mitsubishi Electric plans to further integrate Realtime’s motion planning technology into 3D simulators and other software to optimize manufacturing through the power of digital twins. Later, Mitsubishi Electric expects to incorporate Realtime’s technology into factory automation (FA) control system devices, such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs), servo motors, and computer numerical controllers (CNCs), to ensure uninterrupted plant operations by responding to needs for expanded automation capabilities, streamlined plant operations for improved efficiency, and fast responses to unexpected events. 

“We will utilize these funds to accelerate the development of additional interfaces, driving toward full industry-wide accessibility in an increasingly user-friendly and efficient manner,” Peter Howard, CEO of Realtime Robotics, said in a release. “Mitsubishi Electric understands manufacturers’ need to improve efficiency and productivity in the face of rising costs and diversifying customer needs. We’re thrilled to work closely with them to expand the use of our unique motion-planning technology.”