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Kitchener-Waterloo-based startup Avidbots has made a new, smaller, addition to its line of fully autonomous floor scrubbing robots. 

Unlike Avidbots’ zamboni-like Neo robot, which is built for cleaning large spaces such as warehouses, the new robot, Kas, is narrower and has a tighter turning radius. Avidbots says Kas is part of the company’s effort to meet the needs of the retail, transportation, healthcare, and education industries, which require a robot that can navigate around people, objects, and tighter spaces. 

“Retail, in particular, stands at the forefront of automation adoption, and we’re thrilled to assist in realizing the industry’s automation objectives,” Avidbots co-founder and CEO Faizan Sheikh said in a statement. “Our customers are seeking a solution that simplifies their cleaning process, reinforces their store image, and allows their teams to focus on higher-value tasks. This is where Avidbots and Kas shine.” 

Richard King, manager of a Canadian Tire store in Welland, Ontario, that tested Kas, said the robot successfully cleaned while navigating frequent changes in the store’s floor plan and displays without disturbing customers. 

Kas is the culmination of years of research and development, according to co-founder, CTO, and vice president of product Pablo Molina, and comes with the latest generation of the startup’s proprietary AI software, a sensor system that helps with obstacle avoidance, and the ability to clean for over three hours on a single charge. 

RELATED: Avidbots closes $70 million USD Series C round to grow fleet of commercial cleaning robots

Avidbots was founded by Sheikh and Molina in 2014, then University of Waterloo engineering students, and has raised $107 million USD to date. Avidbots counts Kensington Capital Partners, Real Ventures, BDC Capital, BMO Capital Partners, and Asia-based growth capital asset manager Jeneration Capital among its backers. 

The company most recently raised a $70-million USD Series C round in September 2022, which it said would help expand its fleet and marketing efforts. Around the same time, Avidbots secured a new 70,000 square-foot space in Kitchener for a new headquarters, which it called a “significant upgrade” compared to the 40,000 square feet it had previously.

In March 2023, Avidbots laid off about 50 employees, or about 14 percent of its global workforce, according to the Waterloo Region Record, joining a list of many startups making cuts due to the economic downturn at the time. 

Avidbots says that its complete entire line of products – Neo, Neo 2W, and Kas – can be deployed together, unifying the entire fleet under its Avidbots Command Center software solution, which provides reporting, analytics, and real-time monitoring.  

Feature image courtesy Avidbots.