Tend.ai

Tend.ai is an artificial intelligence company that specializes in robotics.

The company's first major project was a robotic arm designed for "machine tending," that could start, stop, and monitor machines (e.g. 3D printers) in order to save time for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Using machine learning, the robot arm could be trained through demonstration to perform specific tasks, such as adding materials or removing finished goods from a 3D printer. Computer vision plays a key role in making this possible because it allows the robot to read status messages on machines and to perform precise movements.

The original idea for Tend was to build a unique platform for programming various kinds of robots with different functions from a phone or laptop. This business model had technical obstacles that made it impractical for its initial target market, SMBs, which resulted in the company falling short of early revenue goals. In 2018, Tend refocused their business on predictive maintenance for industrial robots, which are commonly used in the global manufacturing industry.

Tend uses machine learning to create an "anomaly-detection engine," which monitors robotic systems in order to detect any abnormalities and alert human operators. This helps manufacturers to avoid unexpected and costly failures. It also provides a tool to fix smaller issues without being dependent on a robotics engineer, saving time and money.

Tend received a US$2M investment from True Ventures in 2016.