Ex-Waymo engineers launch Bedrock Robotics with $80M to automate construction
Bedrock Robotics is focused on developing a self-driving kit that can be retrofitted to construction and other worksite vehicles, according to the company. The announcement confirms some of TechCrunch's reporting in May. Bedrock is 'upgrading existing fleets with sensors, compute, and intelligence that understands project goals, adapts to changing conditions, and executes work around the clock,' according to a blog post written by co-founder and CEO Boris Sofman.
Sofman previously led Waymo's now shuttered self-driving trucks program. But he's perhaps best known for his role as co-founder and CEO of Anki Robotics, which made the popular Cozmo consumer robot, and shut down in 2019. Other co-founders include Waymo veterans Kevin Peterson, who is now CTO, Ajay Gummalla, who is a VP of engineering, and Tom Eliaz, who previously worked at Segment and Twilio, is also a VP of engineering.
The company could not be reached for comment. TechCrunch will update this article with new details once Bedrock responds.
Bedrock is the latest company to steer engineers who are adept at robotics, autonomy, and AI toward the off-road environment. Several autonomous vehicle startups have popped up in recent years with an aim to apply their self-driving systems to off-road environments, like construction, mining, industrial sites, and even defense.
Earlier this week, Pronto, a San Francisco-based startup that has developed a self-driving system designed for haulage trucks and other off-road vehicles used at construction and mining sites, acquired competitor SafeAI. Other startups that play in the fragmented and broad sector of off-road autonomy include Kodiak Robotics, Polymath Robotics, Seattle-based Overland AI, New Brunswick, Canada-based Potential, and more established companies like Forterra.
Bedrock said it's focused on construction sites and is testing in Arkansas, Arizona, Texas, and California with four corporations: Sundt Construction, Zachry Construction Corporation, Champion Site Prep Inc., and Capitol Aggregates Inc.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Why this Seahawks Sunday off from training-camp practice was a great day for Charles Cross
Charles Cross assuredly is happier about his contract situation today than he was yesterday. When asked about his contract situation Saturday at Seahawks training camp, the starting left tackle who is guaranteed to remain with Seattle through 2026 but wants to be here longer said he and his agent have not started talks with his team on a new deal. 'No, not yet,' he said. The 24-year-old and Seahawks first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft also said Saturday: 'I want to be in Seattle for my career. That's something I've always thought of and wanted for myself. 'Hopefully, we can get something done and it'll go that way.' Then came Sunday. While Cross rested on a Seahawks day of from training-camp practices, the Los Angeles Chargers and Rashawn Slater re-set the top of the league's market for left tackles. The Chargers gave Slater, a 26-year-old two-time Pro Bowl selection, a four-year, $114 million contract with a eye-catching $92 million guaranteed, per multiple reports. Slater is now the league's highest-paid offensive lineman at an average of $28.5 million annually. Slater's deal is higher than the $27.55 million Trent Williams averages, at age 37, for the San Francisco 49ers. Those will be the comparisons the Seahawks and Cross' agents at Klutch Sports Group will use in negotiations on a multiyear extension Seattle general manager John Schneider would like to agree to with Cross before next year. Schneider and the Seahawks chose this spring to exercise their fifth-year option on Cross, at $17.56 million guaranteed for 2026. They did it to ensure their cornerstone left tackle remains in Seattle beyond his rookie deal that ends after the 2025 season. They also did it to buy time to strike a new deal beyond 2026 that would have a better salary-cap charge for next year than the $17.56 million currently on the Seahawks' books for Cross. Comparing Cross and Slater Slater's new deal sets the new, highest bar for left tackles. It will also raise the market value for the other left tackles that sign deals over the next year. That's the way NFL contracts and comparative values work. Timing is everything. Cross' agents will have a challenge to get the Seahawks to pay their client Slater money. Yet there's no doubt Cross' next payday got higher on Sunday. The Chargers selected Slater with the 13th pick of the 2021 draft. The Seahawks selected Cross with the ninth pick of the 2022 draft. He became one of the first-round picks Seattle got from Denver in the Seahawks' trade of Russell Wilson to the Broncos in March 2022. Cross has played 100%, 99% and 100% of the offensive snaps in his first three NFL seasons for Seattle. He missed three games because of a sprained toe in 2023. Slater was been selected to two Pro Bowls to Cross' none. Slater has more of an injury history than Cross. Slater missed 14 of 17 games in his second NFL season of 2022 because of a torn biceps. Another of the measurables agents use in negotiating contracts and making comps with teams on other NFL contracts is Pro Football Focus' player grades. That's particularly true for offensive linemen who don't have easily identifiable statistics of rushes, catches, yards and touchdowns. Cross graded 10th in the league out of 140 tackles rated by PFF last season. Slater was second in the NFL, per PFF. The 11 highest-paid offensive linemen in terms of annual average contract value begin at Slater's $28.5 million per year and go through the $20 million per season Detroit's Taylor Decker and Baltimore's Ronnie Staley get from their teams. Cross' agents will have easier times comping their client above Decker and Staley and $20 million per year. Both at 31, Decker and Staley are each seven years older than Cross. Cross' value rises in new Seahawks system Cross and Seahawks tackles have added value in the new outside-zone blocking scheme arriving offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is installing in this training camp. The point of attack for many of the outside-zone running plays is the gap between the tackle and the tight end. The ball carrier makes his decision where to cut and run based of the tackle's ability to drive his man through the destination zone of the called run. Cross is going to have a prime chance to showcase his worth this season, particularly in run blocking and again as the backside pass protector of a right-handed quarterback, Seattle's Sam Darnold. 'We're running off the ball,' Cross said Saturday, with a smile. 'It's very exciting just being able to run off the ball. Move the line of scrimmage and create holes for our backs and let them do their thing.' Cross the key in Kubiak's system for a lineman and a tackle in particular is 'making great decisions. Seeing the defense and being able to decide which decision is the right decision to make.'
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Walmart launches plan to steal customers away from Target, Amazon
If you're looking for a deal, you probably think to wait until the holidays, when most retailers launch big Black Friday sales. This is a sound idea; the holiday shopping season remains the most lucrative time of the year for most retailers. Related: Walmart cracks down on a growing type of fraud But the back-to-school shopping season is kind of like Black Friday's little sister. "The back-to-school shopping period from July to mid-September is the second-biggest sales driver of the year after the holiday season," the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reports. Every year, usually in the weeks that lead up to late August or early September, most big-box retail stores hold their own versions of back-to-school sales. It may seem gimmicky to celebrate a pretty routine part of the year to get shoppers through the door, but it works. "Americans are expected to spend $38.8 billion on clothes and supplies for children in grades K-12, and $86.6 billion on college students," the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said, per a 2024 National Retail Federation report. But tariffs, rising prices, and inflation complicate this picture. Many families have indicated they'll either slow their spending or specifically shop at discount retailers in search of deals. Some retailers, like Walmart (WMT) , are poised to win in such an environment. Image Source: Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images The late summertime is typically a busy shopping period for Walmart. Customers are shopping for vacation, outdoor activities, picnics, and barbecues. And the most prepared ones begin to trickle in around mid-July for back-to-school shopping. More Retail: Walmart makes drastic change to fight theft amid worrying trendTarget has new plan to win back customers with big savingsHome Depot makes clear statement amid boycott threatsFamous retail chain makes two more alarming store closures So Walmart has decided to roll back the cost of some crucial items for families. The Arkansas-based retailer has cut the price of its top 14 most popular items to prices lower than they were one year prior. Some items are as low as $0.25, and its popular private brand Wonder Nation backpack is less than $5 at just $4.98. All told, Walmart says a student can get outfitted for the new year for just $65. But tariffs, which are duties on imported goods, have complicated the typically profitable back-to-school shopping period. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon explained the complication during the Q1 2026 earnings call. "We started to see increases happen in April and through May. We've been really focused on back-to-school receipts," McMillon explained. "When you have an imported item, you pay the tariff at the time it comes through customs. And so the cost is higher, even if the tariff rate comes down later, the cost has been elevated. McMillon added that tariffs could touch certain items, including back-to-school supplies, with an outsized effect. "So I wouldn't think of this as a moment in time necessarily, except when you think about seasonal things like back-to-school." Other top retailers, including Target (TGT) and Amazon (AMZN) , are also hosting early back-to-school promotions. Amazon's Prime Day served as its early back-to-school launch. It featured deals on books, notebooks, and pens for as low as $3. And Target announced it would put over 20 items on sale for back-to-school. The Minnesota-based retailer said it was freezing the prices of these items at 2024 prices. It claims students can bundle most of their school essentials for just around $20. The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
Detroit Tigers Sweep Toronto Blue Jays
NASCAR was put on pause due to inclement weather and the Tigers defeat the Blue Jays Sunday. #NASCAR #NFL #DetroitTigers #TorontoBlueJays Learn more about your ad choices. Visit FOX News Radio
