Tesseract’s robot reveal: Wearable proximity trackers to keep workers at a safe distance
May 27, 2020 | Austin Barnes
Kansas City-wired clip-on robots could make social distancing a second thought, as Tesseract Ventures shares its first mainstream product with the world.
“This product exemplifies our mantra that there is nothing more human than technology and is a great example of what you can expect to see from Tesseract Ventures in the future,” said John Boucard, Tesseract Ventures founder and CEO.
Tesseract PRISM
The high-tech robotics startup — one of Startland News’ Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2020 — announced the Tesseract PRISM (TM) Wednesday, marking the first major unveiling of a product for the company, which has raised significant venture capital from local funders — despite heavily guarding its plans and technology.
“We recognize how hard essential employees are working right now, and we are proud to be able to provide a technology that can help create safer work environments during this difficult time,” Boucard added.
Click here to read more about Boucard and his vision for the future of robotics.
Unveiled as Stay at Home orders continue their roll back, PRISM acts as part of a larger cyber-physical worksite-management system, in tandem with Tesseract PRISM Anchors — wearable badges which track and document the proximity of workers and students in real time and alerts staff and management if social distance is broken, ultimately creating safer work and school environments, the company explained in a release.
“The capabilities of this product are endless, now and in the future,” said Dave Starr, vice president of research and development for Tesseract. “Not only is PRISM a vital piece of technology for ensuring workers keep their distance from one another during this pandemic, it was originally designed to benefit industry operators by providing data to help them identify problem zones within a site.”
Full product capabilities include credentialed worker identification; emergency SOS beaconing; control site access, defined entry and exclusion zones within the job site; the ability to assign workgroups, privileges and certifications for individuals; the ability to assign personal space requirements and receive alerts when cross-contamination occurs; rugged, site-ready construction; and RFID compatibility with existing access points.
John Boucard, Tesseract Ventures
PRISM was developed in Tesseract Ventures’, Crossroads-based Future Lab — an advanced, multi-disciplinary R&D studio — and was built in the company’s Martin City-based Cyber-Physical studio, which develops products that will define the future of work.
The company has two additional development studios — Experiential Entertainment and Human Things — which round out its mission to empower businesses and people to be able to defy the boundaries of space and time, Boucard told a crowd gathered for the Startland News’ Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2020 Celebration in January.
The startup’s mission was most recently backed by a $2 million investment from UMB Capital Corporation in March.
Featured Business
2020 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Panel: Teachers can’t just ‘fail fast’ with students, but plugging entrepreneurship into classrooms builds agility in both
As someone with a hand in both education and entrepreneurship, Tiffany Dixon recognizes that a gap between the two is limiting potential in Kansas City schools. “There is an ecosystem that teachers don’t realize exists around their classroom,” she explained during a “Youth: Our Future Entrepreneurs” panel discussion for Global Entrepreneurship Week – Kansas City.…
VIDEO: How KC-built Engenious Design is scaling with stealth to atmospheric heights
Editor’s note: Engenious Design is a financial supporter of Startland News. This video feature was produced through a paid partnership. From life-saving medical devices to unexpected innovations taking orbit, Engenious Design — a white label manufacturing and design firm headquartered in Prairie Village — might be Kansas City’s best-kept success story, teased Chris Justice, principal…
City zoning change melts barriers for artisanal makers building businesses in KCMO
Editor’s note: KC BizCare is a financial supporter of Startland News. This story was produced through a paid partnership. Birdie Hansen started making candles as a hobby during the pandemic, and the business quickly grew to a level beyond what she and her husband David’s home in Midtown could accommodate. Scaling operations for Effing Candle…
VC summit: It’s a great place to ‘keep your head down and build’ — but is ‘KC nice’ slowing potential?
Building a startup in Kansas City comes with a mix of unique benefits and challenges, said serial entrepreneurs Riddhiman Das and Toby Rush, who both agreed the local ecosystem is enjoying “significant” momentum — while pushing the startup scene to be “more aggressive and more brutally honest.” “When you’re on an exponential growth curve, whenever…