Space Continuum Partners With NEURA Robotics To Launch Technologies That Include A Cognitive Humanoid Robot

This Black-owned design and operations firm is expanding its technology footprint.

ContinuumX.ai

Space Continuum, led by President Joshua Johnson, has launched ContinuumX.ai, its technology division, which will focus on robotics, AI integration, and enterprise deployment and will target healthcare, education, hospitality, and manufacturing industries, according to a press release shared with AFROTECH™. Humanoid and cognitive robots are in the works to be deployed in the U.S.

Its efforts are in collaboration with strategic technology partner NEURA Robotics. Partnering with NEURA Robotics was a natural fit, since the company focuses on serving humanity and views robotics as a tool to collaborate with humans rather than replace them, Johnson told AFROTECH™.

“A lot of robots will replace certain jobs. That’s based on the company saying that’s actually requiring what their vision is. That can be for different reasons. But we also need to identify where there’s a labor shortage in some of these industries, as far as manufacturing, especially in healthcare,” Johnson said.

“That’s where NEURA Robotics and us has seen where we serve humanity … The great thing about our product is the sensoring that actually makes it really safe to work hand in hand … the programming and the sensors around the robots for safety make it where the robots can work along with humans,” he added.

MiPA

One solution the two companies have engineered includes MiPA, a versatile multipurpose assistant that can aid in personal care for patients by taking on repetitive tasks such as delivering meal trays, cooking, picking up items, folding laundry, and doing dishes, according to the press release.

MiPA can also detect people, recognize voices and gestures, and integrate with wearables for data through sensors and AI. The robot will be timely for caregivers and the healthcare system overall, as there is a nursing shortage that is expected to worsen. Data shows that 1.2 million nurses will be needed in the market by 2023 to support the aging baby boomer generation.

“Based on our data, about 70% of these baby boomers are going to be dealing with mobility and health issues. They’re going to need in-home healthcare,” Johnson explained.

“As we know, there’s a lack of nurses around in rural areas, but just generally in-home healthcare, there’s a lack of nurses to actually serve certain people. So we’re looking at robotics being an assistance in some of those fields and some of those houses,” he shared.

“Adding that [technology] pretty much extends the life cycle of some of these baby boomers and [makes] their life a little bit more pleasant as they continue to live on,” he continued.

MiPA will also benefit the education system as an “adaptive teaching partner” in classrooms. In the hospitality industry, it can greet and assist guests or complete room service and other cleaning tasks.

4NE1

4NE1, a cognitive humanoid robot — another product created in partnership with NEURA Robotics — can assist in automating manufacturing. It can complete tasks such as machine tending, quality inspection, and material handling in different environments with adaptive control and human-robot collaboration, according to information shared with AFROTECH™.

It is designed for anyone, as its name 4NE1 suggests, noted Johnson. Humans will be relieved from the physical strain of lifting items and will be able to focus on more important tasks.

“It’s pretty much the future of humanoid robots … It actually has legs and arms and fingers that kind of do different things like laundry, walking around,” Johnson explained.

Both the 4NE1 and MiPA robots can also tutor students in math and reading or assist with security protocols, such as roaming hallways and sending out notifications as needed.

“The future of different applications and solutions that we’re getting really, really creative with, and also working with different developers on, is really exciting,” he said.

“It’s also not scary. It’s easy to adapt as well,” Johnson added, addressing the preconceptions that some consumers may have about humanoid robots.

Johnson also identified two key demographics that he wants to ensure won’t get left behind in these tech advancements. The first was small to medium-sized businesses. He wants to ensure they are not fearful of their solutions that can be implemented quickly to survive trying times.

“And we definitely don’t want our small- and medium-sized businesses to be left behind based on different solutions that they can’t implement right away or they’re scared to have implemented because they don’t have an understanding,” Johnson shared.

“Let’s have a little bit more healthy conversation so we can create these solutions and talk about them so they can make the right investments and be able to scale their business and continue to operate in the new era of technology,” he expressed.

Empowering The Next Generation

Johnson also wants to ensure that youth in minority communities are included in the conversation and have access to robotics education. To that end, Johnson said there are plans to launch robotics labs in school systems, starting with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and expanding nationwide.

Johnson added that he is currently in discussions with workforce development programs and local leaders in Chicago.

“I’m very passionate about exposure to the next generation in robotics, especially in a minority community. We have always been at the forefront, especially with working with CPS, trying to integrate new technology systems and really get kids exposed to just different things that are coming in the future,” he mentioned.