Fayetteville-based advanced manufacturing company AMBOTS has received a $100,000 SBIR Matching Grant from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission in support of its National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project.
These funds will be used to hire two engineers, a mechanical engineer and a robotics engineer, to speed up development of the company’s “swarm” 3D printing and assembly robotic platform.
ASBTDC Assistance
AMBOTS has been a client of the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center since 2018. AMBOTS’ chief technology officer Dr. Wenchao Zhou said, “The ASBTDC staff, especially Rebecca Todd and Catherine Corley, have provided tremendous help to guide us through the application process, provided valuable feedback to the applications and answered many of our questions. Without their help, the process would have been much more challenging.”
Growing Jobs
“The matching grant will provide us with essential resources to compete in a tightening labor market for hiring and retaining talents. Over the next few years, AMBOTS expects to expand the number of high-tech jobs as we grow, mostly in the areas of software development (computer vision, AI), robotics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and manufacturing,” said Zac Hyden, the Chief Mechanical Engineer of AMBOTS and the principal investigator of the NSF SBIR Phase II project.
Next Milestones
AMBOTS’ next R&D milestone is to finish the full automation of the AMBOTS platform defined in the NSF Phase II proposal and integrate third-party robots into the AMBOTS platform.
“Our next commercialization milestone is to monetize some of the technologies we have developed so far by packaging them into a commercial product that can be sold in medium quantities,” Zhou said.
Latest Success
AMBOTS has been busy with customer engagement even while performing on their NSF SBIR Phase II project. They cultivate relationships with customers by maintaining frequent communication with them, understanding their needs, and prioritizing tasks that can add value to them.
Zhou shared, “We secured our first sale of a development kit that consists of 144 square feet of floor space, 6 printer robots and 3 mobile transporters. We have just finished assembling it (pictured below) and are currently testing it. It will be delivered in late March 2022.”
Advice for Prospective SBIR/STTR Program Applicants
“It is a very rewarding journey. The SBIR/STTR program doesn’t just provide the important funding support for the technical development of your ideas but also valuable training opportunities for the team to learn how to execute as a business,” Zhou said.
How to Support AMBOTS
You can learn more about AMBOTS through their website, where you’ll also find their social media profiles and latest news articles.
“We are grateful for the support we have received from the vibrant and ever-growing community we have here in Arkansas. We would love to engage with anyone who shares a passion for robotics, 3D printing, or digital manufacturing,” said Zhou.
