Bifrost helps industrials speed up model training with its 3D data-generation platform
Reading Time: 2 minutesFor many companies working on AI models with applications in the physical world, data presents the biggest opportunity. It’s also the biggest hurdle they face, as nicely labeled and clean real-world data is as readily available as hen’s teeth, and the costs and effort required to gather and clean up data can be immense.
Bifrost, a 3D data-generation platform, believes its tech can help robotics and industrial companies solve at least one part of that problem: the time required to train AI models. The startup, based out of San Francisco, says its platform lets companies generate simulated 3D worlds to instruct their AI models and help their robots adjust to new objects, tasks, and surroundings within hours instead of months.
The company said on Wednesday that it has raised $8 million in a Series A funding round led by Carbide Ventures.
Wong co-founded the firm with Aravind Kandiah in 2020. Wong previously worked on AI perception models for self-driving cars at NuTonomy, an MIT spinout that worked on self-driving vehicles and autonomous mobile robots. Meanwhile, Kandiah previously built a medical AI system that detects early signs of blindness and diabetic retinopathy.
Bifrost claims it is different from its competitors because its platform doesn’t require a team versed in creating 3D simulations to generate such data. This, Wong said, gives AI engineers a significant advantage, allowing them to develop AI systems for tasks like patrolling contested waters with autonomous boats without needing to hire a 3D team.
‘Nvidia’s Omniverse tools, by contrast, require a dedicated 3D team just to operate,’ Kandiah said, adding that Bifrost enables engineers in various heavy industries to teach AI systems new skills and accomplish more faster.
Bifrost’s product is currently in a closed beta with select heavy industry partners. The startup will use the fresh cash to fund the platform’s public launch in the coming months, as well as to hire more staff to speed up product development.
Wong said that the company’s primary market is the U.S., but it is also gaining momentum in Japan thanks to the country’s significant industrial sector. The startup generates revenue via an annual subscription model.
The platform’s primary users include AI developers who specialize in creating robotics systems, computer vision, and perception models for applications in industries such as robotics, aerospace, defense, maritime, geospatial, and industrial automation. Its target customers are big industrial companies, government organizations, and startups in the growth to late stages, all of which would have teams focused on developing physical AI solutions in their respective fields.
‘We are initially focused on mission-critical, heavy industrial applications. By 2025, we aim to expand platform availability. … Looking ahead, we plan to support a broad spectrum of commercial robotics use cases, especially as robotics applications have been rapidly emerging across nearly every major sector and industry,’ Kandiah said.
The Series A brings Bifrost’s total capital raised to $13.7 million. The round also saw participation from Airbus Ventures, Peak XV’s Surge, Wavemaker Partners, MD One, and Techstars. The outfit has 22 staff in the U.S. and Singapore.
Ref: techcrunch
MediaDownloader.net -> Free Online Video Downloader, Download Any Video From YouTube, VK, Vimeo, Twitter, Twitch, Tumblr, Tiktok, Telegram, TED, Streamable, Soundcloud, Snapchat, Share, Rumble, Reddit, PuhuTV, Pinterest, Periscope, Ok.ru, MxTakatak, Mixcloud, Mashable, LinkedIn, Likee, Kwai, Izlesene, Instagram, Imgur, IMDB, Ifunny, Gaana, Flickr, Febspot, Facebook, ESPN, Douyin, Dailymotion, Buzzfeed, BluTV, Blogger, Bitchute, Bilibili, Bandcamp, Akıllı, 9GAG