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Robot Wizards
For two alumni and brothers, the path to success began at Sears think[box]
Photo: Courtesy of Path Robotics
Alex Lonsberry, left, and his brother, Andrew, standing in the area where Path Robotics tests autonomous robotic welding technology.
As graduate students at 星空传媒, brothers Alex and Andrew Lonsberry spent marathon sessions at the Larry Sears and Sally Zlotnick Sears think[box] innovation center on campus, designing and testing their ideas for smarter manufacturing robots.
Today, investors think those ideas could prime American manufacturing for a new era. Since 2018 when the brothers formed Path Robotics, investors have poured about $170 million into the startup—including $100 million in July—based partly on the promise of its first product: a robotic welder that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to learn and improve on the job.
鈥淲ithout think[box], we would not exist, period,鈥� said Alex Lonsberry (CWR 鈥�09; GRS 鈥�12, mechanical engineering), the company鈥檚 chief technology officer and a doctoral student in the Case School of Engineering. 鈥淭hat world-class facility provided us with all the tools necessary to build our early prototype technology and test it. Think[box] was the ideal incubator and launchpad.鈥�
The campus community provided helpful professors, classmates who became collaborators, and a culture of innovation. 鈥淭hose formative years at Case [Western Reserve] were tremendously important,鈥� he said.
Andrew Lonsberry (GRS 鈥�21, mechanical engineering), the company鈥檚 CEO, came to 星空传媒 for graduate work. He joined his older brother at the engineering school, where they pursued their advanced degrees and entrepreneurial dreams.
When a local manufacturer alerted them to the critical shortage of welders, they thought, 鈥淲hy not a robot?鈥�
The brothers soon learned that welding is considered an art requiring precision and an ability to adjust to any changes encountered along the interface between parts.
鈥淢any manufacturers needed a machine that could adapt like a human,鈥� Alex Lonsberry said. 鈥淲e set out to build a system that could do just that.鈥�
Because AI is an emerging discipline, the brothers had to invent as they learned, said Roger Quinn, PhD, the Arthur P. Armington Professor of Engineering and director of the Biologically Inspired Robotics program at the engineering school.
鈥淎lex was always discovering a new paper, proposing a new idea,鈥� Quinn said.
鈥淭ime spent [in the program] ended up being some of the most critical in our lives,鈥� said Alex Lonsberry, whose master鈥檚 degree research into the use of imaging technology to guide mechanical systems informed Path鈥檚 technology.
Photo: Courtesy of Path Robotics
Matt Klein
That鈥檚 also where the brothers met Matt Klein, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering, who later became a co-founder and now leads the company鈥檚 robotics group.
Largely a software company, Path enhances existing industrial robots with AI capabilities and sensors it designs to create automated systems that find and weld seams, with an ability to self-adjust for each unique part.
The company has stressed that its robots won鈥檛 take jobs from workers but will address a welder shortage and automate more routine and repetitive tasks.
The latest infusion of cash from several venture capital firms sparked a hiring tear at the Columbus, Ohio-based company. A workforce that numbered five in 2019 is expected to exceed 200 by year鈥檚 end. The ranks include the brothers鈥� father, Ken Lonsberry, the chief supply chain officer.
Alex Lonsberry said Path is expanding its focus, developing everything from new sensors to AI machine learning techniques with a variety of potential applications.
鈥淲elding is where we are starting,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is not where we are ending.鈥�