Berkeley, CA, Squishy Robotics, Inc., June 2018 – has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for $225,000 to conduct research and development (R&D) work on Shape-Shifting Robots for Disaster Rescue, Monitoring and Education.
Shape-shifting robots are game changing concepts that challenge assumptions around what robots are and what they can do. They are a lightweight, low-cost, and robust soft robotics that can survive large impacts while carrying a sensor payload and traveling over rough terrain. With prior funding from NASA, the researchers on the SBIR team will commercialize their robotic planetary lander/rover technology for solving critical problems on Earth.
CEO Alice Agogino comments: Our rapidly deployable mobile sensing robots are being designed for a wide range of challenging applications in disaster response. Our customizable platform is being designed to save lives and reduce risks to both victims and first responders.
“The National Science Foundation supports small businesses with the most innovative, cutting-edge ideas that have the potential to become great commercial successes and make huge societal impacts,” said Barry Johnson, Director of the NSF’s Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships. “We hope that this seed funding will spark solutions to some of the most important challenges of our time across all areas of science and technology.”
Once a small business is awarded a Phase I SBIR/STTR grant (up to $225,000), it becomes eligible to apply for a Phase II grant (up to $750,000). Small businesses with Phase II grants are eligible to receive up to $500,000 in additional matching funds with qualifying third-party investment or sales.
See more at Squishy Robotics: https://squishy-robotics.com/
To learn more about the NSF SBIR/STTR program, visit: www.nsf.gov/SBIR.
About the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Programs: The National Science Foundation (NSF) awards roughly $200 million annually to startups and small businesses through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. The non-dilutive grants support research and development (R&D) across almost all areas of science and technology helping companies de-risk technology for commercial success. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $7 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering.