Cooperative Agreement Focuses on Developing Robotic Mobility Technology at Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility

SAN FRANCISCO, June 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Transcend Robotics, an innovator in ground-based robotic mobility, has announced a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Transcend Robotics and ORNL will work together to develop and demonstrate the impact that additive manufacturing can have on both direct part substitution and tooling for mobile robotics systems. This project will enable Transcend Robotics to benefit from the expertise and experience of the ORNL team to leverage additive manufacturing (3D printing) to improve performance and reduce the cost per platform, effectively lowering the barrier of entry for adopting advanced mobile robotic technology.

"This partnership with Oak Ridge National Lab validates the unique proposition value of the Articulated Traction Control (ARTI) technology and its potential to transform the world of robotics mobility through innovative obstacle traversal and stair-climbing," said Phil Walker, CEO of Transcend Robotics. "We are excited to work with the leading experts at ORNL to leverage advanced additive manufacturing to lower the cost of critical ARTI components. This enables applications of mobile robotics across more industries while keeping production in the United States."

"Oak Ridge National Lab is excited to work with innovative new startup companies such as Transcend Robotics," said Lonnie Love, Group Leader of Manufacturing Systems Research at ORNL, "This research fits squarely with ORNL's goal of delivering transformative solutions to compelling problems in energy and security."

About Transcend Robotics

Transcend Robotics is building the future of ground-based mobile robotics with the ARTI platform which excels at traversing the many obstacles of the human world. Transcend's patented technology (patents: US 8434576 B1, US 8893832 B2) enables robotics mobility for the real-world without the need for complex actuator systems. Transcend distributes the platform to a variety of industries, including manufacturing, construction, mining, and research. Transcend Robotics is based in San Francisco, California. For more information, visit transcendrobotics.com.

About Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the largest US Department of Energy science and energy laboratory, conducting basic and applied research to deliver transformative solutions to compelling problems in energy and security. This project is supported by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO). AMO supports applied research, development and demonstration of new materials and processes for energy efficiency in manufacturing as well as platform technologies for the manufacturing of clean energy products. AMO provides support for ORNL's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, a public-private partnership to engage industry with national labs.