With $10M in Series A+ funding, Vincross launches MIND Kit, first
robotics-only makers kit, available on Kickstarter
San Francisco, February 19, 2019 / PRNewswire / — Vincross
<http://vincross.com/>, a developer of accessible consumer robotics,
announced the launch of MIND Kit, a robotics developer kit for makers,
developers, robotics enthusiasts, and even first time students of robotic
development, which is now available for pre-order on Kickstarter starting
today.
The launch of MIND Kit is opportune in an environment when robotics is
garnering greater visibility of its future impact to society, but in
reality the opportunities to learn about or even develop complex robotics
doesn’t exist outside of the laboratory or children’s robotics development
kits.
In fact, 90% of Americans believe learning about robotics will
‘future-proof’ their professions, but just 5% of Americans have attempted
to develop a robotics program, according to a Harris Poll commissioned by
Vincross. The crux of the problem lies in 62% of Americans today feeling
that robotics hardware is inaccessible, according to the poll. MIND Kit
comes in at a time when too few public or community-based resources are
available, while robotics kits with drag-and-drop programming merely cater
to children, but offer nothing modular and sophisticated enough to build
practical, complex robots.
Driven by a mission to make robotics accessible, which started with HEXA,
Vincross’ six-legged all-terrain robot, MIND Kit takes Vincross vision a
step further. As the first and only robotics-optimized makers kit that’s
highly customizable, MIND Kit sports 54 programmable pins and six USB-C
ports, suited for building experimental IoT devices and robots that makes
access to robotics development closer to a reality where it’s no more
challenging than building mobile applications.
MIND Kit is the sum of three fundamental hardware modules that make up the
base of the kit including the CEREBRUM, the central processing unit
enabling complex AI computations including computer vision AI or
Simultaneous Location and Mapping (SLAM); the SERVO CONTROLLER, which
powers as many as 20 servos motors simultaneously; and ENERGON, a battery
optimized to run both servo motors and AI algorithms with an output rate of
480 watts.
Under the hood powering MIND Kit, is MIND OS 2.0, Vincross’ updated
robotics-specific operating system that can be accessed through a simple
SDK, making it easier than ever to build your MIND Kit robot’s skills,
movements and applications, without requiring deep robotics development
skills. In addition, MIND OS is supported by the Vincross Forum, a
community of robotics developers sharing the knowledge and skills to
support other developers in their robotic builds.
For added functionality, users can attach additional plug-and-play modular
hardware accessories including lidar, mountable sensors, speakers, mic
arrays or even a tank base that allows your robotics build to drive over
uneven terrain.
In fact, early beta testers have transformed MIND Kit into lifestyle
accompaniments including a voice controlled IoT device with motorized arms
that act on command to passing the salt and pepper at your dinner table or
to assist with infant feeding; a consumer robotics product like a vacuum
cleaner that uses SLAM and computer vision to navigate around your floor
while brushing up dust autonomously; or even an eight-legged all-terrain
robot akin to HEXA.
“HEXA was the most sophisticated all-purpose consumer robot that empowered
even software developers to manipulate HEXA, but we saw a demand to make
robotics development just as easy for both developing hardware and
software,” said Tianqi Sun, CEO and Founder of Vincross. “MIND Kit was a
natural evolution from HEXA and hope to inspire more aspiring roboticists
out of the classroom and building real world use cases for robotics.”
Product Features
CEREBRUM – The ‘brain’ or CPU that powers the MIND Kit ecosystem including
its modular accessories, runs on an ARM Cortex-A53 Quad-Core 1.2GHz
processor.
SERVO CONTROLLER – The module that enables MIND Kit to run up to 20 servos
motors simultaneously. The Servo Controller along with the Cerebrum, when
clipped together, form the basis of MIND Kit as a robotics-optimized makers
kit.
ENERGON – a Lithium-ion battery that’s optimized to run both AI and robotic
motors efficiently.
MIND OS 2.0 – The first and only operating system on the market that’s
exclusively designed for robotics, has been updated and now makes it easier
than ever to develop software applications for your robot.
Customizable – With 54 programmable pins or 6 USB Type-C outlets built into
Cerebrum, hack MIND Kit to build highly sophisticated robots customized to
your desire.
Modular Accessories – With plug-and-play accessories, clip accessories
together to add more functions to your robotic build including Lidar,
4-Axis Robotic Arm, Tank Base (wheeled module with caterpillar track),
Speaker & Microphone Array, and Rover Base (four wheeled module).
Robotics-Optimized – The only robotics-tailored makers kit, MIND Kit can
control up to 20 servo motors at once, while also running SLAM, real-time
video processing, and reinforcement learning.
Vincross also announces $10 Million in Series A+ funding, lead by Lenovo,
with participation from previous investors including GGV and Seek Dource,
who share in Vincross’ vision of making robotics even more accessible to
people. The latest investment follows the company’s $6 Million Series A
round
<https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vincross-to-debut-all-terrain-consumer-robot-hexa-raises-6-million-series-a-led-by-ggv-300347625.html>
led by GGV Capital and participated by Zhenfund.
MIND Kit’s basic kit is available for on Kickstarter for $99 USD, including
Cerebrum, and will later retail for $150 USD. A combo kit, comprised of
Cerebrum, a Servo Controller, and Robot Battery, will be available for $199
on Kickstarter.
To learn more about MIND Kit, visit vincross.com/MINDKit