tech
This startup that just raised $6.5 million bets the next big side hustle is controlling robots with VR headsets
Avatar Robotics, led by Colin Webb, is paying people to control warehouse robots, which generates the data needed to train autonomous machines.
TL;DR
- Avatar Robotics uses teleoperators to control warehouse robots via VR headsets and controllers.
- The company charges customers a recurring fee, reportedly less than hiring human workers directly.
- Teleoperators are often contractors in countries like Mexico, Colombia, and the Philippines, earning $5-$20 per hour.
- The teleoperation sessions generate data used to train the robots' AI for future autonomy.
- Avatar Robotics has raised $6.5 million in seed funding led by AlleyCorp and Defy.vc.
- Unlike competitors, Avatar sources robots and focuses on teleoperation and data generation rather than building their own.
- CEO Colin Webb envisions a future of millions of autonomous robots for industrial labor, with humans overseeing larger fleets.
- Potential FCC restrictions on foreign-made robots could impact Avatar's supply chain, but Webb sees it as an opportunity to build their own fleet.