Buffalo Automation

Last updated

Buffalo Automation
Company type Privately held company
Industry Guidance, navigation and control
Founded2015
Headquarters
Buffalo, New York
Area served
 North America and Europe
Key people
Thiru Vikram (CEO)
ProductsAutoMate
Services Automation
Website https://www.buffaloautomation.ai/

Buffalo Automation was a failed startup [1] that attempted to provide autonomous navigation products for commercial ships, recreational boats, ferries, and water taxis to enable automation and improve maritime safety. [2] [3] [4] It was a private company based in Buffalo, New York. [5] [6]

Contents

History

Buffalo Automation was founded [1] by Thiru Vikram (CEO), Shane Nolan (COO), Alexander Zhitelzeyf (CFO) and Emilie Reynolds, who were engineering students at the University at Buffalo. [3] [7] [8] Originating as a university research project, the group was incorporated in 2015. [9]

AutoMate technology

The company developed AutoMate, describing it as a predictive system [10] that uses artificial intelligence neural networks to coordinate and fuse data, decisions, and actions based on nautical maps, cameras, SONAR, weather sensors, thermal imaging, broadband radars, GPS, LiDAR [11] and Automatic Identification System (AIS). [12] [13] [14] According to the company, the system performs autonomous identification and navigation around obstacles, [4] swimmers, [15] and other vessels within the surrounding 24 nautical miles (28 mi) [5] [9] [16] employing neural networks to recognize navigation signs and rules of way to maneuver in compliance with International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS), and to also interpret weather conditions for passage planning. [6] [17] [12]

Autonomous ships

In 2018, while claiming the technology was being tested on freighters in the Great Lakes but before it could be used for unmanned vessels, Vikram also claimed that self-driving ships could bring many benefits including improved safety and fuel savings without evidence. [18] In 2020, after receiving seed investment, Vikram announced that the company's next "key milestone" was to develop the capability to automate navigation of locks. [19]

Autonomous boats

Initially developed as a solution for the commercial shipping industry, the technology has since been adapted for use on recreational boats, including yachts and motorboats. [20] In early 2018, Buffalo Automation began testing a 22-foot (6.7 m) long autonomous pleasure boat made by Sea Ray, a boat manufacturer owned by the Brunswick Boat Group. [21] [22]

Mobile application

In 2020, Buffalo Automation launched a free "limited preview" mobile app which used the phone's camera to draw boxes around any detected watercraft. [19] [23] [24]

European sustainable urban mobility projects

In 2018, Buffalo Automation had expanded its operations to Europe. [25] Trials of the United Kingdom's first robot water taxis , equipped with Buffalo Automation's AutoMate autonomous navigation system, were scheduled for summer 2020 in Plymouth, UK, but were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [2] [26] In July 2021, an autonomous ferry began service in the Netherlands' Kagerplassen Lake District, dubbed as "Europe's first commercial robotaxi service". [27] Subsidized by funding from the South Holland provincial government, the self-propelled Vaar met Ferry service connects pedestrians and bicyclists from Warmond-Kagerzoom and Leiderdorp to the Koudenhoorn Recreation Area. [28] [29] [30] The ferry service was implemented as a collaboration between the Delft University of Technology, Future Mobility Network, Buffalo Automation, and the South Holland provincial government to provide a sustainable transport option and reduce crowding on the existing access bridge, as COVID restrictions have increased recreation area usage. [31] [32] Passengers use Buffalo Automation's ridesharing app to hail the robotaxi. [32]

Thermal analytics

In 2020, Buffalo Automation repurposed its thermal imaging software to enable rapid skin temperature scanning of multiple people in a crowd to detect fever. [33] This adaptation was initiated in response to an unmet need in the health care and public health sectors created by the COVID-19 pandemic. [33] Named BiFrost, the system operated as a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution, combining Buffalo Automation's convolutional neural network with existing thermal imaging equipment to rapidly report the skin temperature of different facial regions of each individual in a crowd. [34] [35] In July 2020, the Bifrost Project was piloted at the entrance of the University at Buffalo Neurosurgery Center of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. [36] [37]

Funding

Grants from SUNY and New York State business plan competition prizes helped bootstrap early activity. [38]

In 2016, Buffalo Automation secured its first private placement: US$25,000 in pre-seed investments from Launch NY and Z80 Labs. In 2018, it raised a total of $900,000 in a seed funding round led by the Jacobs family office, with Z80 making a US$100,000 follow-on investment. [3] [38]

By 2020, the company had raised US$1.7m in convertible bonds from angel investor Jeremy Jacobs. During the second round, the University at Buffalo's Innovation Seed Fund made its inaugural venture capital investment, investing US$250,000 in Buffalo Automation. [39] [19] Varia Ventures subsequently matched that US$250,000 investment. [19]

Awards and recognition

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "2025 Company Profile & Team". Tracxn. October 16, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  2. 1 2 Telford, William (16 Apr 2020). "Robot water taxis to be trialled by US tech giants in Plymouth". Plymouth Live . Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Caya, Chris. "Are self-navigating boats on the horizon?". NPR (Buffalo). Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  4. 1 2 "AI Startup Receives $900k for Self-Driving Boats". Great Lakes Boating. 1 Apr 2018. Retrieved 2 Feb 2020.
  5. 1 2 Bazan, Josh (2018-04-11). "Buffalo company leading the way in self-driving boat technology". WKBW. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  6. 1 2 "Automating Boat Travel with Buffalo Automation | Techweek". Techweek. 2018-05-09. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
  7. ↑ "Launch NY, Z80 back self-piloting ship startup". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  8. ↑ "A yacht that pilots itself". www.buffalo.edu. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
  9. 1 2 Dhakappa, Bhargav (May 9, 2018). "Automating Boat Travel with Buffalo Automation". TechWeek (magazine).
  10. ↑ Nealon, Cory (October 7, 2015). "A yacht that pilots itself". phys.org. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  11. ↑ Media, Buffalo Toronto Public (2019-10-15). "Self-driving boats move closer to reality". Buffalo Toronto Public Media. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
  12. 1 2 Lindeman, Tracey (April 18, 2018). "Autonomous Boats Will Be On the Market Sooner Than Self-Driving Cars". Vice (magazine).
  13. ↑ Dorsch, Jeff (3 Jun 2018). "Progress And Chaos On Road To Autonomy". SemiConductor Engineering. SMG. Retrieved 4 Dec 2019.
  14. ↑ "Some Companies Working on Autonomous Boats". Nanalyze. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  15. ↑ Serrano, Heather Magda; O’Conner, Adam; McKenna, Tim; Kay, Brady L. (February 1, 2020). "AI Startup Receives $900k for Self-Driving Boats Founded in 2015 by University at Buffalo students makes significant progress toward self-driving boats". greatlakesboating.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Self-driving boats might row soon". The Financial Express (India). June 10, 2018.
  17. 1 2 "Buffalo Automation Raises $900,000 In Seed Round". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  18. ↑ Zable, Stacey. "Shipping industry sees automation as inevitable next step in evolution" (PDF). No. August 2018. USA Today.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Szklany, Jessica (19 Oct 2020). "UB ventures into funding, invests $250,000 in student-founded startup". UB Now. USA. Retrieved 13 Feb 2021.
  20. ↑ Lehman, Joel (27 Apr 2018). "The journey to funding: Buffalo Automation's story". upstartny.org. Issue Media Group. Retrieved 2 Feb 2020.
  21. ↑ Levere, Douglas (September 27, 2018). "Buffalo Automation starting to scale its maritime-tech business". Buffalo Business First.
  22. ↑ Miner, Dan (April 1, 2016). "Buffalo TechCast (Vol. 64): The world's first self-piloted ship". Buffalo Business First.
  23. ↑ Miner, Dan (15 Aug 2020). "Who's Your Landlord CEO on personal tragedy, business traction and his company's future" . Buffalo Business First. Buffalo, NY. Retrieved 2 Sep 2020.
  24. ↑ "Install Mayday". buffautomation.com. November 29, 2020. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  25. ↑ Miner, Dan. "Buffalo Automation starting to scale its maritime-tech business". www.bizjournals.com. Buffalo Business First. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  26. ↑ Lowe, Yohannes (17 Apr 2020). "Britain's first robot water taxis to be unveiled in Plymouth as US tech firm announces trial". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  27. ↑ Wodecki, Ben. "Europe's first commercial robotaxi service is a yellow ferry that takes you to a Dutch golf course". AI Business. Retrieved 18 Aug 2021.
  28. ↑ Dragan, Otillia (30 Jul 2021). "This Solar-Powered Electric Ferry Is the First Maritime Robotaxi in Europe". autoevolution. Netherlands . Retrieved 18 Aug 2021.
  29. ↑ "Buffalo Automation and Future Mobility Network Launch Autonomous Ferry Service in Europe". 31 Jul 2021. Retrieved 15 Aug 2021.
  30. ↑ "TV: Self-propelled ferry in operation". bollenstreekomroep.nl. Netherlands. 23 Jul 2021. Retrieved 15 Aug 2021.
  31. ↑ "First automatic sailing ferry: Municipality of Teylingen has the scoop". Watersport TV. Warmond. 27 Jul 2021. Retrieved 18 Aug 2021.
  32. 1 2 "Netherlands: Europe's first fully autonomous water taxi". New Mobility News. Netherlands. 3 Aug 2021. Retrieved 16 Aug 2021.
  33. 1 2 Miner, Dan (17 May 2020). "Fast growth, hiring binges, millions in funding: Buffalo-based startups offer slivers of hope" . Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  34. ↑ Desmond, Mike (8 Sep 2020). "Local company using thermal imaging to find a COVID fever in a crowd". NPR . USA. Retrieved 10 Oct 2020.
  35. ↑ Branning, Barbara (3 Sep 2020). "UB-linked startup develops technology that streamlines process of detecting fevers". UBNow. USA. Retrieved 10 Oct 2020.
  36. ↑ "Startup company founded by UB grads develops technology that streamlines process of detecting fevers". WNY Papers (Niagara Frontier Publications). 2 Sep 2020. Retrieved 11 Oct 2020.
  37. ↑ "Streamlining process of detecting fevers". www.buffalo.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  38. 1 2 Stewart, Jack (May 28, 2018). "Forget Robo-Cars and Hit the Water on an Autonomous Boat". Wired (magazine).
  39. ↑ Miner, Dan (16 Oct 2020). "UB makes first venture capital investment into high-tech startup Buffalo Automation". Buffalo Business First . USA. Retrieved 13 Feb 2021.
  40. ↑ "Buffalo Automation Group takes top prize in Buffalo Student Sandbox accelerator". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
  41. 1 2 "UB-affiliated artificial intelligence startup raises $900,000 in seed round to advance driverless boat technology - University at Buffalo". www.buffalo.edu. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  42. ↑ "Thiru Vikram-led Startup Wins University at Buffalo Entrepreneur Competition". India West. June 24, 2016. Archived from the original on 24 September 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  43. ↑ Miner, Dan (2016-04-04). "Self-navigating ship startup wins prestigious Panasci prize". Buffalo Business First. Retrieved 2018-05-11– via www.bizjournals.com.
  44. ↑ "43North announces $5 million competition semifinalists". 43north.org. 23 July 2018. Archived from the original on 26 July 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  45. ↑ "Winners Named for Second Annual AUVSI XCELLENCE Awards". Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. 2019-04-30. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  46. ↑ "Five startups to watch in 2020". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  47. ↑ "The 101 Most Innovative Taxi Service Companies". DarkRound. 2022-09-03. Archived from the original on 2022-11-21. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  48. ↑ thetechtribune (2021-10-21). "2022 Best Tech Startups in Buffalo". The Tech Tribune. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
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