CynLr, a Bengaluru-based robotics and cybernetics startup, has raised $10 million in Series A funding to further develop its innovative technology that aims to transform the manufacturing industry. Founded in 2019 by Gokul NA and Nikhil Ramaswamy, CynLr is on a mission to simplify automation and optimize manufacturing processes through its "universal factory" concept.

The company's proprietary CLX-01 robotic vision stack is the key to its transformative technology. Inspired by the human eye, CLX-01 enables robots to comprehend, grasp, and manipulate objects in complex and unpredictable environments. Unlike traditional vision systems that rely on pre-fed data for machine learning, CLX-01 uses real-time motion and convergence of its lenses to dynamically perceive the depth and details of previously unknown objects.

This advanced vision technology is the foundation of CynLr's first product, the CyRo modular robot. CyRo's three robotic arms can intuitively pick up and manipulate any object without prior training, allowing for quick reconfiguration and complex task execution. The company claims CyRo's Event Imaging technology is agnostic to lighting variations, making it capable of handling even transparent and highly reflective objects.

"CynLr's concept of a universal factory will simplify and eliminate the minimum order quantity bottleneck for manufacturing," said Sridhar Rampalli, managing partner at Pavestone Capital, one of the lead investors in the Series A round. "Furthermore, the idea of changing automation by simply downloading task recipe from an online platform makes factories... product-agnostic. [They] can produce entirely new products out of the same factory at a click of a button; it's a future that we look forward to."

The company plans to use the fresh capital to enhance its hardware reliability, improve software performance and user experience, reduce costs for customers, and expand its team globally. CynLr currently has a 60-member core team that it plans to grow to 120 employees, with a focus on R&D, business operations, marketing, and sales.

In addition to the Bengaluru robotics lab that hosts a "Cybernetics H.I.V.E." of 25 robots, CynLr has also recently opened a Design & Research Center at the Unlimitrust Campus in Prilly, Switzerland. This center will collaborate closely with research partners at EPFL, LASA Laboratory, and CSEM to drive further breakthroughs in CyRo's capabilities.

"Enabling an industrial robot to perform seemingly simple tasks — like inserting a screw without slipping, for example — is what CynLr has managed to crack," said Samir Kumar, general partner at Athera Venture Partners. "This breakthrough will enable the manufacturing industry to dramatically increase efficiency and maximize the value of production setups."

CynLr's vision for the future is to create an "object store" - a platform similar to app stores, where customers can pick a "recipe" of applications and object models to instantly have a robot perform desired tasks. This would eliminate the customization and programming bottlenecks that have long plagued the automation industry.

With the latest round of funding, CynLr is poised to accelerate its mission of transforming manufacturing through innovative robotics and computer vision technologies. As the company expands its team and production capacity, the industry is eagerly anticipating the emergence of the "factories of the future" powered by CynLr's universal factory concept.