Over the past several years, the robotics sector has made a tremendous impact on the world’s tech industry. For instance, Silicon Valley-based autonomous vehicle companies like Waymo have followed in the footsteps of self-driving giant Tesla to put robotics on the roads, thus redefining the future of transportation. But that’s not the only thing robots are being used for these days. In fact, robotics are now being used to facilitate online grocery shopping, rescue people caught in life-threatening situations and even beat our present global pandemic.
There’s no question that robots have the potential to change our world, and in many tech capitals such as San Francisco, this push towards a robotic future can be felt keenly within the local tech scene. Much like its northern tech neighbors, Houston has witnessed the rise of robotics on a large scale. As a city at the heart of the world’s oil and gas industry, Houston is naturally home to several robotics companies dedicated to transforming subsea operations in particular. The city’s assortment of automation experts have developed robots for a broad range of purposes, from seabed mapping to retail logistics. Here’s a look at nine Houston robotics companies proving the potential of an automation-dominated tech industry.
Houston Robotics Companies to Know
- Nauticus Robotics
- AutomationEdge
- Gecko Robotics
- Helix Energy Solutions
- ABB
- Diversified Robotic
- ARC Specialties
- Palladium Control Systems
- Cognite
Founded: 2016
What they do: Bringing a digitized approach to established industries, Cognite empowers businesses to make decisions supported by data and streamline their operations. Companies can determine the safety of a major project, automate dangerous or repetitive tasks, and rearrange their workflows to ramp up production. With the cutting-edge solutions of Cognite, organizations have the tools and ideas to move forward with measured and confident strides.
Who they work with: Cognite showcases partnerships with companies in the oil and gas, power and utilities, and manufacturing sectors.
Founded: 1883
What they do: Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, ABB aims to drive the digital transformation of industries through electrification, industrial automation, robotics, and discrete automation and motion. The company creates robots for a variety of uses such as recycling and remanufacturing, retail logistics and protective equipment manufacturing. Guided by the aim to achieve a more productive, sustainable future, ABB boasts a global presence spanning more than 100 countries.
Who they work with: Organizations involved with oil and gas, life sciences, automotive manufacturing, building and infrastructure and more.
Founded: 2015
What they do: AutomationEdge specializes in robotic process automation and IT automation solutions. The company’s robotic process automation product is designed to automate repetitive data processes such as transactions, collating data, triggering responses and integrating disparate data systems. With its robotic process automation solution, AutomationEdge intends to help companies automate things like Excel, chatbots and web UI while ensuring all operations across the organization are performed more quickly and at reduced cost.
Who they work with: American Express, Airbus, Sodexo, CenturyLink and Axis Bank.
Founded: 2014
What they do: Located in nearby Webster, Nauticus Robotics develops ocean robotics in an effort to transform the blue economy. The company’s Aquanaut is designed to tackle tasks like seabed mapping and wide-area structure inspection, boasting features like vertical thrust control and a 360-degree rotating head unit. These undersea robots are operated using the company’s Commander platform, which enables users to drag in 3D models of structures, import point clouds and analyze vehicle data.
Who they work with: Organizations involved with oil and energy, telecommunications, aquaculture, mining and renewables.
Founded: 1980
What they do: Helix Energy Solutions aims to help organizations confront offshore challenges including well intervention, subsea robotics and deep sea trenching. The company’s suite of robotics services includes engineering and tooling, geotechnical survey, inter-array cable burial, seabed drilling and well integrity. Helix Energy Solutions currently operates across the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea, Brazil, Asia Pacific and West Africa.
Who they work with: Oil and energy companies.
Founded: 2013
What they do: Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with additional offices in both Austin and Houston, Gecko Robotics specializes in developing inspection robots for industrial services. The company’s wall-climbing robots are designed to perform non-destructive testing on tanks, boilers, scrubbers and more, boasting the ability to identify wall thickness, cracking and other forms of degradation. Gecko Robotics’ mission is to protect and maintain civilization’s most critical infrastructure through the development of machines and platforms.
Who they work with: Oil and gas companies and pulp and paper manufacturers.
Founded: 2017
What they do: Launched by Wilton White, Diversified Robotic is dedicated to providing robotic process automation solutions to small and medium-sized businesses. The company’s automation services include workflow analysis, custom and tracked KPIs, detailed reporting, business analytics and bot design, development, and deployment. Diversified Robotic aims to help organizations increase accuracy, instantly scale production capacity, deploy quickly and significantly reduce operational expenses.
Who they work with: Small and medium-sized businesses.
Founded: 1983
What they do: Established by Dan Allford, ARC Specialties is dedicated to designing and building automated manufacturing systems and custom equipment. The company develops robotic products for a wide range of purposes including drilling and tapping, plasma cutting and welding, vessel cutting and precision lapping. ARC Specialties serves organizations from a variety of sectors such as defense and oil and gas.
Who they work with: Academy Petroleum Industries, Arc Dynamics, Helac Corporation and Tribocor Technologies.
Founded: 2014
What they do: Palladium Control Systems develops robots for a wide range of purposes. Some of these robotic capabilities include machine tending, material removal, parts transfer, assembly, inspection, force sensing and palletizing. Palladium Control Systems aims to help organizations optimize their operations, improve efficiency and increase profitability.
Who they work with: Manufacturers.
