Movensys, a South Korea-based global motion control platform company, today announced that it has acquired Skylla Technologies, a U.S. startup focused on intelligent autonomous mobile robot (AMR) control. The purchase price is undisclosed.

Movensys, a developer of software-based motion control systems, plans to expand its business through the acquisition of Skylla Technologies by integrating their software to create a total AMR control platform.

Skylla is a startup spun out of the AI/ML Engineers & Robotics group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), founded in 2017. Skylla’s AMR platform, Jetstream, is equipped with a path generation algorithm solution that enables route optimization and fast mapping of work areas, as well as human recognition while driving. Skye’s AMR technology has been used to provide solutions to customers such as the Japan Railways and global machine tool companies, and was featured at the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Showcase Station.

In May of last year, Movensys entered into a strategic partnership with Skylla to jointly develop a platform capable of driving and controlling AMRs. The combination of Skylla’s Jetstream solution and the Linux version of WMX will provide a powerful solution for AMRs. In addition, the robot control technology within WMX will allow AMR’s driving and motion to be controlled from a single platform.

This enables AMR to increase its run time by 50% as the robot controller and PLC required to drive it can be controlled by IPC, reducing the number of controllers and cables required for control, saving space and effectively extending battery life.

The acquisition will also enable Movensys to accelerate the digital transformation of future manufacturing equipment and processes. With Skylla, Movensys will establish the Boston Advanced R&D Center (BARC) in Boston, U.S.A., to conduct advanced research and development on combining various software technologies such as vision and ML/AI and improving their connectivity with hardware. In particular, it aims to develop solutions to optimize data connectivity between process equipment and logistics equipment in terms of connecting and utilizing data, which is a key element of process automation.

The acquisition is particularly significant as it marks the first time a Korean small and medium-sized company has signed an acquisition agreement with a U.S. technology startup. Movensys expects to become a game changer in the AMR market by advancing its technology and strengthening its global competitiveness through the integrated platform with Skylar. It also plans to gradually expand its business areas from its existing focus on semiconductors to include secondary batteries, medicine, and entertainment.

“As the demand for software-based motion control is increasing in the robotics market, we are working on a project to enter the AMR market based on our high-precision motion control technology, which has been recognized in advanced industries such as semiconductors and smart devices,” said an official from Movensys. “We expect positive synergies between Movensys’ WMX, which is attracting attention as a next-generation technology to replace hardware, and Skylla, which leads the AMR control field.”