Security Robot Maker Acquisition Expands Company Focus to AI

Security robotics startup Cobalt has been acquired by an investor and rebranded to reflect a shift in focus to AI-powered security offerings.

Dean Drako has acquired the company, renaming it Cobalt AI - a name change he says aims to better reflect the company’s efforts beyond robotics

Founded in 2016, Cobalt Robotics developed AI-powered robot security guards. The company also offers an AI-powered suite for monitoring security and facilities management applications. 

Drako is the CEO of AI video surveillance firm Eagle Eye Networks. He previously founded cybersecurity solutions provider Barracuda Networks.

Drako will serve as Cobalt AI’s chair, while CEO Ken Wolff will continue to lead the company. 

The newly rebranded company will expand investment in research and development and sales execution. No financial details were disclosed.

“We are thrilled that Drako has acquired Cobalt and will serve as chair,” said Wolff. “We share a mutual vision of the tremendous advantages of automation through AI with human verification. Drako’s acquisition validates our strategy to improve monitoring, response times and lower costs and also gives us the capital to deliver for our enterprise clients.”

Cobalt offers a line of robots that autonomously navigate facilities conducting onsite security patrols. Housing more than 60 sensors, including lidar and thermal cameras, the robots tour sites to detect possible breaches or security issues in corporate and commercial environments.

Related:Robots as a Data Source: Obtaining Insights From Robotic Autonomy

The company says its robots perform five times more patrols per shift than a human security guard, allowing human professionals to “spend less time observing and more time responding.”

In August 2022, Cobalt partnered with elevator manufacturer Otis to improve its robot’s mobility. The guard robots can now call and ride elevators, improving their ability to navigate and patrol buildings.

The startup also offers security AI-powered solutions tailored for security teams to improve facility monitoring.

The Cobalt Command Center platform powers live remote monitoring of surveillance cameras and alarms. Powered by AI-powered software, it identifies issues using existing camera feeds, alerting security teams with signs of potential issues.

The platform controls alarms and remote unlocking capabilities and generates emergency messages for relevant staff via phone and email.

Cobalt customers include FedEx and Salesforce.

The company’s security solutions are “years ahead” according to its new owner.

“[Cobalt’s monitoring and command center technology is a catalyst for a new era of security,” said Darko. “They have created field-proven AI to make security and guarding tremendously more effective and efficient. Furthermore, Cobalt’s open platform strategy, which integrates with a plethora of video and access systems, is aligned with the open product strategy I believe in.”

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