Bedrock Robotics, a startup founded by former Waymo engineers, has secured $80 million in funding to develop AI-powered systems that retrofit existing heavy construction equipment for autonomous operation. The company’s technology package includes cameras, LiDAR sensors (which use laser beams to detect objects and distances), and AI software designed to enable excavators and other heavy machinery to work continuously without human operators, targeting an industry facing severe labor shortages.
What you should know: Bedrock isn’t manufacturing new equipment but instead offers retrofit solutions that can transform existing construction machinery into autonomous operators.
- The company’s prototype was specifically developed for excavators, chosen as the most versatile piece of construction equipment.
- Installation can reportedly be completed by technicians in just a few hours, making the technology accessible to existing equipment fleets.
- The system enables machines to operate 24/7 in conditions that would be unsafe or impossible for human operators.
The leadership team: Bedrock’s founding roster includes several notable Waymo veterans with proven track records in autonomous technology.
- CEO Boris Sofman leads the team alongside Ajay Gummalla and engineers Tom Eliaz and Kevin Peterson.
- Peterson previously served as head of perception for Waymo Via, Waymo’s autonomous trucking division, and founded autonomous equipment company Marble Robot in 2016, which was acquired by Caterpillar in 2020.
- Former Waymo CEO John Krafcik invested an undisclosed amount in the startup, calling it “an extraordinary founding team” with “the technical depth, grit and vision to make autonomous construction machines real.”
Market opportunity: The construction industry faces multiple pressures that create demand for automation solutions.
- Trade policies and immigration enforcement have tightened the already scarce pool of skilled construction workers.
- Infrastructure spending from Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, along with increased demand for warehouses and data centers, is driving construction activity.
- The company hasn’t released pricing or revenue targets but cites the established market size as justification for investor interest.
What they’re saying: Sofman positions the technology as a natural evolution from autonomous vehicles to construction equipment.
- “The state of technology just being right, where we’re seeing it work on one of the hardest applications in the world,” he told Forbes. “That’s exactly the type of building block that catalyzes change.”
- “It’s this fascinating situation where you have an astronomical macroeconomic tail and a need to re-industrialize the US,” Sofman said. “At the same time, the labor pool, even more aggressively than what we saw in trucking, is going the opposite direction.”
Investor backing: The funding round attracted notable strategic investors from the autonomous technology sector.
- NVentures, Nvidia’s venture capital arm, participated in the $80 million raise, though the company’s valuation remains undisclosed.
- The investment reflects growing confidence in applying autonomous driving technology to industrial applications beyond passenger vehicles.
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