Robovision–an early vision AI pioneer based in Europe–launches U.S. operations to meet growing enterprise demand
Date Section News
Manufacturing, agriculture, semiconductor, and recycling industries to be focus of expansion
Ghent, Belgium, November 20, 2024 — Robovision, the European leader in enterprise-grade computer vision AI, today announced the launch of its U.S. headquarters in Florida marking a significant milestone in the company's global expansion strategy. The move comes as demand for advanced AI-powered computer vision systems continues to surge across North American industries. According to Research & Markets, the United States has the world’s largest computer vision market with a market share of $5.3 billion by end 2023.
Founded in 2013 in Ghent, Belgium, Robovision became a frontrunner in developing sophisticated computer vision technologies that help machine builders–as well as enterprise in agriculture, food, semiconductor and recycling–to automate quality control and streamline operations. The company's flagship, the Robovision AI Platform, counts over a thousand machine deployments across six continents.
Europe: a Surprising Early AI Adopter
While Silicon Valley is synonymous with AI development, European companies have their own distinct history with vision AI adoption, often driven by factors like high labor costs, land constraints, and stringent standards to meet the focus on precision manufacturing and automation.
In its earlier years, Robovision pioneered agricultural and industrial applications with vision AI. Agricultural work included developing vision AI systems to help farmers analyze crops. Early machine learning applications were developed for manufacturing quality control, particularly in the automotive and food processing sectors.
At present, vision AI is not only being used to improve agricultural crop yield, but is also used for defect classification in circuit boards (PCBs) and semiconductor manufacturing. Workplace safety can also be improved in hazardous work environments since vision AI can better detect risk and vulnerabilities, for example, when sorting potentially explosive materials.
The American Opportunity
As the need for established and reliable vision AI companies in the Americas expands, Robovision is well positioned to capitalize on its experience and success stories.
"The U.S. market represents an extraordinary opportunity for Robovision," says Thomas Van den Driessche, CEO of Robovision.
Our proven success across different industries all over the globe, combined with the increasing demand for robust vision AI solutions in North America, makes this the perfect time to establish a strong presence in the United States. We're excited to help enterprises on the other side of the Atlantic take advantage of the full potential of computer vision technology.
Thomas Van den Driessche, CEO, Robovision
The new Sunrise, Florida office will serve as Robovision's U.S. headquarters. Kevin McCarthy, VP - Americas, has hired experienced team members in California, Florida and Canada to lead sales efforts. The choice of Florida balanced a favorable time zone for European operations with its strategic position as a gateway to the Americas.
Robovision is eager to intensify its presence in the United States. Our new office will enable us to better serve our North American clients and help them accelerate the deployment of vision AI across various industries. It’s an exciting step as we grow the business and build a fantastic US team.
Kevin McCarthy, VP Americas
Recent Robovision Funding Round
Though an established vision AI player, Robovision only sought and completed a Series A round this past March 2024, raising $42 million. Target Global and Astanor Ventures, known for their significant contributions to high-growth companies, led the round. Astanor Ventures, an impact investor, continues to amplify Robovision’s positive global impact mission. Red River West, the transatlantic fund known for facilitating the US expansion of European firms, also participated. The additional funding will serve and support Robovision’s expansion efforts, both in the U.S. and Asia Pacific.
Breakthrough Technology Meets Enterprise Needs
Industry analyst firm Gartner projects the computer vision market to reach $48.6 billion by 2025, with North America accounting for 40% of global demand. Robovision's proprietary technology stands out for its ability to process and analyze visual data with unprecedented accuracy and speed. More importantly, the Robovision AI Platform democratizes AI lifecycle management by simplifying model handling for users of all skill levels. Team members without technical expertise can update and retrain models, leading to improved accuracy on the production line and enhanced AI capabilities in quality control applications. For manufacturers, defects and operational costs are significantly reduced.
Platform Highlights Include
- Quality Control: Inspections at Sub-3 nanometers for leaders in the semiconductor industry (as a reference, a strand of hair is around 80,000 nanometers).
- Automation & Precision: Tulip bulb recognition applications that facilitate planting; efforts led to use in 60% of worldwide tulip production
- Error Detection: Flooring with unpredictable patterns (such as natural wood) inspected at speeds of 100 meters per minute. Deviations can be detected before becoming errors.
Customer Focus
Says Bram de Vrught, CEO of QING, a system integrator in food automation, “American companies will undoubtedly benefit from Robovision's scalable AI platform. In our case, we have integrated the Robovision platform into our STAQ framework. The Robovision platform enabled us to create, implement and maintain AI models for a peach sorting system without any additional external partners. The system has proven its added value which resulted in conversations with other global suppliers in food.”
ABOUT ROBOVISION
Robovision is a platform that allows companies to apply artificial intelligence (AI) to their processes to significantly scale operations. Users can build image-based deep-learning solutions tailored to specific operations without needing a technical background. Machines are able to perform complex visual tasks, such as robotically pruning plants or checking the quality of computer chips. The platform primarily serves environments where maximum accuracy, reliability and availability are business critical.
Any user—from factory operators and farmers to engineers and physicians—are able to create and retrain dynamic AI solutions. By adding intelligence to machines, complex automation challenges are solved with notable outcomes, often leading to industry-wide disruption. Today, Robovision counts 133 employees across the globe and has deployed more than 1,000 robots across six continents.
press@robovision.ai