Swiss robotics startup Asento has launched a new robot into the workforce. It is an autonomous security patrolling robot called Asento Guard and its purpose is to fill the labour shortage of security guards – which has seen a 52 percent decrease in many countries.
Founded by Alessandro Morra (CEO), Miguel de la Iglesia Valls (CTO), Ciro Salzmann and Dominik Mannhart (Software & Hardware), by using a wheel-leg design, the robot guard can tackle any ‘outdoor terrain with agility and stability of their legs’ and has autonomous charging. The latest model is able to detect intruders and bad actors as well as check for closed windows and doors. An app analysis feeds information back to the security manager.
The startup has raised $4.3 million in funding to realise the latest launch. The pre-seed funding round was led by Wingman Ventures and Playfair Capital and includes Tim Kentley-Klay (founder of Zoox who exited to Amazon), robotics industry veteran Ryan Gariepy (CTO & co-founder of Clearpath Robotics and OTTO Motors), Daniel Kottlarz (founder of MYBOTSHOP) and Tobias Redlin (founder of IGO3D,), including non-dilutive funding from the Swiss Innovation Agency Innosuisse and the European Space Agency incubator ESA BIC.
“Ascento is targeting the high operating costs the industry is enduring. The traditional approach is to use either people or fixed installed cameras. We know about the labour challenges and the installation of cameras has a huge outlay that can be complex. The Ascento Guard provides the best of both worlds, with the resilience, reliability and repeatability of technical solutions whilst being as flexible as human guards,” says Morra.
“We accompanied the founder team for over a year as sparring partners and the dedication, execution speed and how the team is listening to its customers to build the right solution is astonishing. We look forward to making the life of security guards easier and the objects they protect safer,” says Pascal Mathis, Founding Partner at Wingman Ventures.
Main image: ascento.ai
