Latest news with #Viam
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Viam and Viking Yachts Announce Robotic Sanding Partnership
Viam's solution enables more consistent and efficient fiberglass sanding, addressing a major manufacturing challenge across marine and other sectors WASHINGTON, June 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Viam, the engineering platform for data, AI and automation, today announced a partnership with Viking Yachts, a global leader in sportfishing and cruising yachts with 1 million square feet of manufacturing facilities in New Jersey. Integration of Viam's technology to support fiberglass sanding—critical in yacht construction—will enhance efficiency and consistency through intelligent automation, complementing the skills of Viking's craftsmen. Fiberglass sanding is a vital but labor-intensive and time-consuming aspect of marine manufacturing. The process requires specific protective equipment and extensive training, posing operational challenges for manufacturers and workers. Traditional sanding robots rely on rigid, pre-programmed paths and struggle to manage the complex shapes of custom yachts. The Viam platform provides skilled judgment that allows robots to adapt in real time, ensuring consistent finishes across a range of yacht sizes and types. "Our partnership with Viking represents a major innovation around one of the most challenging aspects of marine manufacturing," said Viam Founder and CEO Eliot Horowitz. "We've taken a time-consuming, resource-intensive process and made it resoundingly more efficient and scalable." Founded in 1964 by the Healey family, Viking has earned its reputation as one of the marine industry's most respected companies through a unique combination of experience, craftsmanship and innovation. The vertically integrated operation provides a real-world example of major marine industry trends. The shipbuilding and marine robotics sector was valued at $1.26 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow significantly over the next decade as manufacturers make new investments and advanced technology is more readily adopted. The partnership will roll out in July and positions both companies at the forefront of an industry transformation that prioritizes worker safety and smarter production methods to achieve the highest levels of quality. "This is about improving the way we build boats," said Pat Healey, President and CEO of Viking Yachts. "We've always embraced innovation that makes us better. If robotics can help our team work smarter, faster and more efficiently, then it's worth the investment." Eliot Horowitz will discuss the partnership during a session at Capitol Hill Ocean Week on Wednesday, June 4, in Washington, D.C., entitled "Emerging Ocean Economies: Innovation Driving Conservation Outcomes." Co-hosted by Viking, the panel will explore how companies like Viam and Viking are using technology to enhance ocean stewardship and support the marine industry overall. The discussion will also spotlight the work of the Whale and Vessel Safety (WAVS) Taskforce, a Viking-led initiative developing real-time whale detection technology to protect marine mammals and improve boater safety. In addition to Viking Yachts, Viam's customers in the marine space include Kongsberg Discovery, Digital Yacht, Canyon Runner, and GOST. Viam's technology is applied across sectors, including manufacturing, food and beverage, sports and entertainment. The company was launched in 2020 by Eliot Horowitz, former co-founder and CTO of publicly traded database giant MongoDB, and closed a Series C funding round earlier this year. About ViamViam helps companies unlock the power of AI, data and automation in the physical world. We provide a single platform for engineers of all disciplines to solve problems together and build solutions that are fast and future-proof. Viam powers solutions across robotics, food and beverage, climate tech, marine, industrial manufacturing, and more. Founded in 2020 by former MongoDB co-founder and CTO Eliot Horowitz, Viam is headquartered in New York City. About Viking YachtsEstablished in 1964 by brothers Bill and Bob Healey in New Gretna, NJ, Viking, along with its subsidiary Valhalla Boatworks, is a global leader in semi-custom luxury sportfishing and cruising yachts. Viking has delivered nearly 6,000 yachts to date, with current models ranging from 28 to 90 feet, with the vast majority of each yacht built in-house to ensure superior quality and uphold a commitment to craftsmanship, innovation and excellence. Media Contacts: Christopher FarrellBeginnerschris@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Viam, Inc. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
New York Post
4 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
Long Island boaters now use AI to catch fish, see through 'pea soup' fog
Capt. Eric Collins recently boated through '9/10 treacherous fog' off the inlet by Jones Beach to the point he couldn't lay eyes on half a dozen vessels coming toward his Southport 33FE. 'The weather was horrific as far as fog goes,' Collins, a marina owner and fisherman from Massapequa, told The Post. 'We refer to it in the marine world as pea-soup fog, where you could barely see, maybe 50 to 60 feet in front of your boat.' However, Collins has a difference on board that makes miserable pea-soup days much more manageable and safer — cutting-edge AI by New York City-based tech startup Viam, which enables his instruments to communicate with one another in a highly sophisticated way. 7 Eric Collins, a fisherman and marina owner in Massapequa, on his boat in Freeport on May 16, 2025. Dennis A. Clark 'At no point was today something that I would consider an easy, navigable day,' he said. 'This makes it a better experience for everybody on the water.' These advanced safety features, responsible for spotting where the six boats came from, are just one of Viam's new offshore advances. The AI firm is also utilizing machine learning to make it exponentially easier to spot and catch fish, serving as an industry game-changer. 'What's out there now on boats is just a picture with a bunch of green blobs on it,' Viam CEO Eliot Horowitz told The Post. 'Ours is, 'hey, there's a 75% chance it's a fish 300 feet to the right.' Horowitz, who grew up catching striped bass on the Long Island Sound, has seen firsthand that high-tech hardware, such as HD radar, sonar, and GPS, typically isn't worth its price tag. 7 Collins uses AI technology from New York City-based tech startup Viam to help his boat navigate through 'pea soup' fogs. Dennis A. Clark 7 Collins recently used the AI to sail through a fog off Jones Beach where he could hardly see any other vessels coming his way. Dennis A. Clark He said it's because their software interfaces are often anything but user-friendly, to the point that mariners want to smash their radios like Capt. Quint from 'Jaws.' 'If you ask most boaters, they don't really know how to use them very well. They're hard to manage,' Horowitz said. Now, the emerging AI from Viam creates easy-to-read data from instrumentation. 7 Collins' boat seen in Freeport with a 'Powered by Viam' sign on the side. Dennis A. Clark A quick glance at a boat's console shows the predicted location of fish with a clear readout, utilizing metrics such as changes in water temperature, sonar and other real-time probability statistics. 'There's no scientific GPS that's going to say 'go here and you're guaranteed to catch fish,' but it's definitely something that's taking a lot of the guessing out of it,' said Collins, who is hooked on the tech. 'I think that in the boating world, there's not anything touching near the significance of this,' Collins said. The system can even predict when boat parts may need repair or replacement, modifying things to 'a 20-minute fix instead of a two-week fix,' according to Horowitz. 7 The AI also helps Collins spot and catch fish. Dennis A. Clark 7 Collins said the AI helps take some of the guessing out of fishing. Dennis A. Clark 'A ChatGPT for boating' Viam's breakthroughs are still in shallow water as opposed to the potential they could bring in the coming years, according to Collins. 'I see this becoming a ChatGPT for boating that can start networking vessels together,' he said, adding that it will likely appeal to the Coast Guard and the operators of the Staten Island Ferry. The captain's prediction is close to what Horowitz has in the works — something he described as 'a Waze for boaters.' 7 Collins holding a 130 pound bigeye tuna he caught on his boat. Courtesy of Captain Eric Collins Viam is looking to link boats to the same system to provide real-time safety updates on the water in the same way Waze notes traffic and road hazards/ Horowitz said the Jones inlet, where Collins recently fought through the intense fog, is a perfect example. 'Like many inlets in Long Island, it can get dangerous at times because after every storm, the sand gets pushed around.' 'One of the things we're working on with a different customer is actually getting users real-time maps of the ocean floor,' he said, adding that sharper technology to fish in foggy conditions is in the works as well. The long-term goal for Viam, which also operates outside the aquatic space, is to be able to identify different marine life in the water, from sharks to fish and whales. 'We think we can get there, which would be cool,' said Horowitz. 'One of my huge things that I care about is getting more people to enjoy the water.'
