Robotics and Autonomous Systems

Engineering Support for an Autonomous Robotics Leader

From 2015 to 2019, NOVO helped Brain Corp turn its autonomy technology into shipping products — across two product categories and multiple OEM platforms.

The Client and their Needs

Brain Corp is an AI and robotics company focused on physical AI and real-world automation. Its BrainOS® software is used by equipment manufacturers to develop autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) as an alternative to manually operated industrial systems. From the beginning, Brain Corp’s strategy has been software-led. Their team owns the core innovation — the sensor fusion, machine learning, and autonomy software — while partnering with equipment manufacturers who build the commercial machines.

When NOVO began working with Brain Corp in 2015, the company was proving that model in the physical world. They made significant modifications to existing, human-driven cleaning equipment, adding sensors, motors, and control electronics. Brain Corp led the design and owned the requirements; what it needed from an outside partner was complementary capability on the physical side of robotics — mechanical and electrical engineering, on-site machining and rapid prototyping, and custom test equipment — delivered by engineers who could embed with its team and move fast against hard launch dates.

NOVO Contributions (2015–2019)

Across roughly five years and more than a dozen engagements, NOVO worked alternately as an embedded, on-demand extension of Brain Corp’s team — with tasks directed by Brain Corp — providing the hardware engineering around its autonomy core; and in a project-based delivery mode, at our facility, under our management, with requirements defined by Brain Corp.

• A research platform (2015). Designed and built full-scale, drivable “Mule” test vehicles that Brain Corp used to place sensors and develop its navigation software.
• First-product integration (2016). Supplied the mechanical and electrical engineering to integrate Brain Corp’s navigation system into an ICE floor scrubber — a redesigned front column, ruggedized enclosures (IP53/IP67), thermal management, and control-panel electronics. The result, EMMA, launched on time as the first fully autonomous industrial floor scrubber and won the ISSA Innovation of the Year award.
• Multi-OEM scale-up (2017). Provided on-site mechanical and electrical engineering to help extend Brain Corp’s Autonomy Kit to a second-generation scrubber and two additional manufacturers’ machines.
• A new product category (2018–2019). Contributed enclosures, thermal design, and new-product-introduction support to an early autonomous commercial vacuum effort.
• Custom test equipment (2018–2019). Designed and built fixtures to reliably build and verify robot, including automated test equipment to verify systems performance, and a 116-pin vehicle-control-board tester.
• Why It Worked

Why it Worked

Brain Corp brought the vision and the software. NOVO brought a full complement of hardware engineering under one roof — mechanical, electrical, and supporting firmware — plus deep cross-industry experience, mature development and quality processes, and on-site machining, 3D printing, and test facilities. That combination let NOVO flex from a single embedded engineer to a turnkey build as each phase demanded, test-fit parts on real vehicles, and consistently deliver on schedule. Developing a relationship with a trusted engineering partner allowed Brain Corp. to stay focused on perfecting their core technology, knowing they had a partner that handle almost any peripheral engineering need — expected or unexpected — they encountered along their product development journey.

Have technology that you’re ready to commercialize?

Contact NOVO for a full range of product-development engineering — from first concepts to manufacturing handoff.