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6 River Methods’ Chuck autonomous cellular robots. | Supply: 6 River Methods

Ocado Group is buying autonomous cellular robotic maker 6 River Methods from Shopify. Monetary particulars of the deal weren’t disclosed.

6 River Methods develops the Chuck autonomous cellular robotic (AMRs) for the logistics and non-grocery retail sectors. Primarily based in Massachusetts, 6 River Methods was based in 2015 by Rylan Hamilton, Jerome Dubois and Chris Cacioppo, who’ve deep data of robotics, software program and success operations. Dubois and Hamilton are former workers of Kiva Methods, the well-known AGV maker acquired by Amazon in 2012 for $775 million.

“We’re delighted to welcome new colleagues to the Ocado household. 6 River Methods brings thrilling new IP and prospects to the broader Ocado expertise property, in addition to precious industrial and R&D experience in non-grocery retail segments,” stated James Matthews, CEO of Ocado Expertise. “Chuck robots are at the moment deployed in over 100 warehouses worldwide, with greater than 70 prospects. We’re trying ahead to supporting 6 River Methods to construct on these and new relationships within the years to come back.”

Shopify acquired 6 River Methods in September 2019 for $450 million. Shopify, the Canadian e-commerce large, paid 60% in money and 40% in shares for the deal. On the time, Shopify stated the acquisition “is a vital step to speed up its progress.”

As soon as supply advised The Robotic Report “the entire [6 River Systems] robotics staff was axed and bought to Ocado.” The supply continued, “Shopify bought 2/3 of Shopify Logistics to Flexport and 6RS to Ocado. The Shopify Logistics management was a catastrophe.”

This seems to be half of a bigger spherical of layoffs at Shopify. It stated on Thursday that it could let go 20% of its workforce in a second spherical of layoffs and bought its logistics arm to freight forwarder Flexport, sending its U.S.-listed shares up 16% in premarket buying and selling. Shopify additionally reported better-than-expected outcomes for the primary quarter, as extra retailers used its on-line instruments and concentrating on providers to draw prospects tackling excessive inflation.

One supply advised The Robotic Report that with this acquisition “Ocado can now go after non-grocery since they gained the lawsuit in opposition to Autostore. [6 River Systems] will assist them do extra.”

This refers back to the lengthy patent infringement lawsuit Ocado not too long ago gained over AutoStore. AutoStore filed the go well with in October 2020, claiming that Ocado’s automated storage and retrieval programs (ASRS) infringed on six of its patents. However the UK Excessive Court docket dominated that AutoStore’s patents have been invalid and that Ocado didn’t infringe upon them. Each AutoStore and Ocado function automated storage and retrieval programs (ASRS) that function on comparable ideas.

Editor’s Observe: The story is creating and might be up to date as wanted.