Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG and Brain Corp Announce Technology Partnership for Industry's First Autonomous Stand-on Vacuum Cleaner

DENVER, Nov. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG, the leading provider of cleaning technology worldwide, and Brain Corp, a San Diego-based AI and robotics company, announced today at the ISSA Show North America, a partnership to bring autonomous floor care solutions to market. Kärcher has a simple innovation philosophy: innovation is what benefits the customers. In partnering with Brain Corp, the company is pleased to introduce solutions to benefit users in a variety of industries. The initial product resulting from the collaboration will be the Kärcher Intelligent Robotic Applications ("KIRA") CV 60/1 RS Chariot, the industry's first autonomous stand-on, professional vacuum cleaner powered by BrainOS. Kärcher will license BrainOS, Brain Corp's proven and commercially validated technology for the production, deployment and support of this new cleaning solution.

"I am pleased that another building block has now been added to our global robotics strategy: our partner Brain Corp will help us launch the world's first autonomous stand-on vacuum cleaner in the near future," said Marco Cardinale, Vice President Floor Care Solutions, Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG. "We designed the KIRA Chariot from the ground-up for autonomous operation, delivering best-in-class efficiency, reliability and mobility. In addition to the award-winning product concept of our KIRA B 50 autonomous scrubber drier, the new machine ideally complements our goals in the field of robotic floor cleaning solutions."

Kärcher has a track-record of efficient, resource-conserving cleaning systems that make a difference through top performance, innovation, and quality. Continuing this tradition, the KIRA Chariot is unique in its ground-up autonomous design, and will include several innovations: lithium-ion battery technology that provides longer run-times, a HEPA filtration system, and the capacity to clean large areas while still being able to maneuver in tight, dynamic spaces. Users of the machine can leverage the vacuum's robotic capabilities by utilizing a simple and intuitive "teach and repeat" approach, allowing for easy deployment and seamless updates to the cleaning routes as the environment changes. The KIRA Chariot will operate in both autonomous and manual modes, and will be available for sale in 2020.

"Brain Corp is excited to partner with Kärcher, one of the leading providers of cleaning technology worldwide," said Christian Cornelius-Knudsen, Senior Vice-President, Global Sales and Services, Brain Corp. "This collaboration continues our growing momentum in the commercial floor care market, with Brain Corp now counting the major industry manufacturers as technology partners. Thousands of robots powered by BrainOS operate across a wide-range of public and commercial environments today, validating both the technology and value to end-user customers."

BrainOS became commercially available in 2015 and enables original equipment manufacturers to integrate autonomous capabilities into their machines, regardless of form-factor size or application. BrainOS powered robots currently operate across geographies and operating environments that include retailers, warehouses, airports, shopping malls and school campuses.

Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG:
Kärcher is the world's leading provider of cleaning technology. The family owned enterprise employs more than 13,000 people in 72 countries and more than 127 subsidiaries. More than 50,000 service centers in all countries ensure continuous and comprehensive supplies to customers all over the world. In 2018, Kärcher reached the highest sales with more than 2.525 billion euros, the highest sales in its history.Kärcher Region North America is one of the largest subsidiaries of the Kärcher Group with over 1,000 employees. In the United States, Kärcher produces and distributes products and services under the brands Kärcher, Windsor Kärcher Group, Landa, Hotsy, Water Maze, Spraymart and Cuda Kärcher Group. The company's solutions serve customers' cleaning needs in an economical and environmentally-friendly manner. www.karcher.com/us 

About Brain Corp:
Brain Corp is a San Diego-based AI company creating transformative core technology for the robotics industry. Brain Corp's comprehensive solutions support the builders of today's autonomous machines in successfully producing, deploying, and supporting robots across commercial industries and applications. Named the world's top autonomy solution provider by ABI Research, Brain Corp is funded by the SoftBank Vision Fund and Qualcomm Ventures. For more information, please visit www.braincorp.com.

About BrainOS®:
BrainOS is a cloud-connected operating system for commercial autonomous robots. Robots powered by BrainOS navigate autonomously, avoid obstacles, adapt to dynamic and complex environments, manage data, generate reports, and seamlessly interact with human users. These core capabilities are all enabled by BrainOS, empowering robot builders to focus on product differentiation and greatly streamline time to market.

Media Contacts
Jim Lombard
EVP Value Stream Professional
Kärcher North America
4555 Airport Way
Denver, CO 80239

+1 (303) 903-788-9021
[email protected]  

KCD PR for Brain Corporation
Alicia Griffiths
951-404-8349
[email protected]

SOURCE Kärcher

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