Seeing Machines Ltd (AIM:SEE, OTC:SEEMF, FRA:M2Z), the computer vision company best known for driver monitoring systems, has secured a development contract in factory robotics that takes its technology beyond the vehicle cabin.
The company said the customer was a global industrial technology group focused on factory automation and human-robot interaction, but did not name it.
No contract value or duration was disclosed. The initial programme will deliver a proof-of-concept robotics application for a factory automation environment.
Seeing Machines said it expected the work to lay the foundation for further collaborative development across industrial automation and robotics.
The deal builds on the Perception Map technology the company showed at the CES trade show in Las Vegas in January.
Perception Map applies what Seeing Machines calls Human-Centred AI, software designed to interpret where people are looking, what they are doing and how they are likely to behave.
The same underlying technology tracks drivers' eyes and heads in cars and trucks to detect distraction and fatigue.
Paul McGlone, chief executive, said the programme reflected the broader applicability of the company's technology.
He said combining more than 25 years of human factors expertise with advanced AI would help machines anticipate risk and make human-machine interaction safer and more intuitive.
Seeing Machines has historically depended on automotive contracts, where its technology is fitted to new models by manufacturers to meet European safety regulations requiring driver monitoring.
Industrial robotics offers a market whose timing is not tied to carmakers' production schedules, which determine when the company earns royalties on shipped vehicles.
