Symbotic and Nyobolt want to help warehouse robots spend less time charging and more time moving.
The two companies announced Tuesday that Symbotic will integrate Nyobolt’s batteries into its autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). The two have been testing the batteries since June, but plan to implement them into a greater percentage of Symbotic’s at-large fleets this month.
Nyobolt completed a $30 million venture round in April, nearly three years after announcing a $59 million Series B. The company, founded in 2019, has spent the last half-decade developing fast-charging power solutions for various industries, including electric vehicles (EVs) and more robust electrification capabilities for data centers.
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It’s now bringing its lightweight battery solutions to the robotics arena. Symbotic, which makes and deploys AI-powered robots that operate in warehouses to streamline supply chain processes, announced in January that it would acquire Walmart’s robotics business; the two had previously partnered on the retail giant’s warehouse automation strategies, but executives from both sides of the transaction said that the sale would accelerate Walmart’s potential and progress. Symbotic has now been tasked with deploying highly automated technology for Walmart’s accelerated pickup and delivery centers (APDs).
The deal between Symbotic and Nyobolt is meant to elongate the battery life on AMRs, which are quickly gaining traction among supply chain players. One of the core issues with today’s AMRs—and specifically ones with complex form factors, like bipedal humanoids—is that their battery lives can negate their impact. That is to say, while a robot might be excellent at dashing items back and forth through the warehouse for a human to restock or pack, it can only operate for a certain amount of time before it needs to be recharged. In some facilities, that means companies need to deploy several fleets of the same robotic solution to be able to work around the clock, which drives costs up significantly, even as robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) models become more popular.
The prospect, then, that a robot could leverage a battery that offers six times as much energy capacity is one that could propel the industry forward in terms of return on investment for robotics solutions. What’s more, a lighter battery could make it easier to decrease the size or weight of the robot’s hardware, which could offer further energy conservation to specific models.
Nyobolt said its batteries are 40 percent lighter than those in existing Symbots.
Sai Shivareddy, founder and CEO of Nyobolt, said the robust nature of the upgraded power source will help Symbot deliver on its aspirations faster.
“As Symbotic continues to transform warehouse automation, we’re proud to power that revolution. Nyobolt’s high-performance batteries ensure Symbotic’s autonomous robots never stop moving,” Sivareddy said in a statement. “Together, we’re accelerating progress by optimizing 24/7 operations and setting a new standard for speed and efficiency while delivering long life cycles.”
Nyobolt’s batteries will fit into older Symbot models and newer Symbot models, which means that the robotics company doesn’t need to build an entirely new AMR model to accommodate the power upgrade. The companies expect that the batteries will have a life 10 times as long as existing, market-ready lithium-ion batteries.
The two companies believe that Symbots will be able to complete more work, travel further on the warehouse floor and be operated by a teleoperator for a greater amount of time. James Kuffner, chief technology officer at Symbotic, said those promises make the integration worthwhile.
“This innovation will help us push beyond the limits of today’s technology,” Kuffner said in a statement. “ Improvements in battery power unlock the future, enabling us to continue developing and deploying additional capabilities and new, advanced technologies that will make our bots smarter, more durable and more productive. This is another step forward in our vision to reimagine the supply chain, and will further enhance the benefits of the Symbotic System for our customers.”
