University of Edinburgh spin-out Edinburgh Robotics has received £250,000 from the Alpha EIS Fund to bring its robot software development kit - including a real time operating system based on open-source Linux, to market.
“We had a SMART award that helped us build a prototype which we finished in February,” founder and CTO Nils Roeder told EW. “This round of funding allows us to complete the 
final product and launch it.”
The firm’s tool kit, dubbed DevBot, is designed to kick-start autonomous robot development programmes - for applications as diverse as lawnmowers, toys, un-manned submarines and flying drones.
Alongside the Linux-based RTOS, the tool kit includes an integrated development environment; a software library supporting multiple sensor types including infra-red, cameras and GPS; and a 3D physics-based simulator to model robot 
dynamics.
“DevBot is currently the only known software platform for mobile robots which provides everything needed to enable customers to develop software for mobile robotics hardware themselves,” said Alpha EIS Fund managers.
The simulator allows the interaction of robot mechanics and software to be studied before the machine is available. “It allows you to run the robot in a virtual environment,” said Roeder.
Three more staff - a commercial director and two software engineers - have already been hired with the new cash. “We are looking for more,” said Roeder: “a sales manager and one, possibly two, software engineers.”
An evaluation version of DevBot will be released this month with a production launch slated for late Summer or early Autumn, said Roeder.
The Alpha EIS Fund is managed by Braveheart and participants include Bank of Scotland Corporate, Scottish Enterprise, and Braveheart’s own clients. The 2005 £50,000 SMART Award was matched in February 2006 with funds from Braveheart’s SMART Equity Scheme.