Moscow technological Institute will invest 100 million rubles in projects of GenerationS Robotics accelerator

Moscow technological Institute (MTI) announced at the final of the Federal technology startup accelerator GenerationS about its investment in three projects that participated in the robotics track of the accelerator. The total investment has already amounted to more than 20 million rubles, and by the end of 2017 will increase by another 80 million.

MIT will investy money to support following projects: AnyWalker cross-country chassis, NVR virtual reality neurohelmet and prototyping laboratory in the field of bionneurosignals BiTronics Lab.

AnyWalker – is a universal cross-country chassis able to move in any environment, open doors and overcome obstacles. The device will be used in education to study mechanics, programming, and Cybernetics, in military and industrial complex, as well as for the creation of domestic and service robots. MIT has already invested in development of the prototype more than 3 million rubles. According to the development plan, production of the chassis will rise to thousands of copies per year, and sales in 2018 on the global market will reach $10-15 million a year.

The first national virtual reality neurohelmet made by NVR is an invention of scientists, postgraduates and students of MIT. It is already applied in education and gaming. The developers of the NVR helmet stake on patents in the field of processing of neurofeedback and building of virtual environments using artificial neural networks. The helmet can be used in defense, medicine and science. At present, the NVR project investment amounts to more than 6 million rubles.

The BiTronics project is a prototyping laboratory in the field of human bioneurosignals and biometric constructor. The project, which was sponsored by BiTronics together with KSI Ventures with 10 million roubles, has outlooks in the Russian market within the developing areas "NeuroNet" of the National technology initiative (STI). The constructor for receiving and processing of biosignals will be in demand for education of children in neurotechnology skills networks. It is expected that around 5000 children will become members of such networks within 3-5 years. It is also planned to introduce BiTronics to the global market: the creators will sell up to 50 thousand copies of the constructor worth approximately $20 million.

Evgeny Pluzhnik, First Vice Rector of MIT: “To support the winner of last year – the Promobot Company became our first investment in the GenerationS project. We relized that work with interesting teams can give many benefits other than financial. More than 100 children and adults all over Russia have joined to our Robotics Studio since the appearance of the Alantima robot from Promobot at the Institute in February 2015. And following completion of "Foresight fleet" in the framework of STI more than 200 students have becomve members of our young neurotechnology skills networks just over six months. Now the Institute supports already three participants of Robotics GenerationS. According to the classical scheme we select projects with high potential for development in the coming 10-15 years. But in angel investor funding MTI adheres to a nonstandard approach: the most important indicator are the educational prospects of developments and possibility of creating a new profession, so that in the future we can provide training and organize programs of training and retraining. As an example, I can call the specialty "neuropilot". We presented it at JuniorSkills in Yekaterinburg and are planning to exhibit this competence in 2019 in the global competition in the adult category of WorldSkills in Kazan."

The Director of the Department of innovative markets, member of the Board of RVC Gulnara Bikkulova: "Within the RVC GenerationS took over the function of a technology broker, acting as a link between promising projects and corporate customers and investors. An active community is established around the accelerator, accumulating the basic resources of the Russian venture market. One of the participants of this market is the Moscow Institute of technology which became an operator of the Robotics direction of GenerationS. RVC has been cooperating with MIT for several years, MIT is our strategic partner. The Institute invests in promising robotics projects, and actively supports promotion of robotics in Russia - organizes "Battle robots", "Roboyoga", various shows involving robots. This work is very important to ensure that there is a demand in Russia for robotics and to develop new projects in this direction in Russia."