A Canadian clean energy company is investing in and collaborating with a robotics innovator to advance lower-emissions vehicles through robotics technologies.
Founded in 2007 as Pure Extraction, Vancouver’s First Hydrogen rebranded in 2021 and now trades publicly under the ticker FHYD as a maker of road-legal hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered light commercial vehicles.
The B.C. firm announced that it has entered into a binding Letter of Intent with Surrey-based Exodus Actuation Solutions.
Exodus is the owner of RoboticsCo, which holds several patents and related intellectual property oriented around gearboxes and high performance motor lines.
The actuators from RoboticsCo combine human-like dexterity with machine precision, converting electrical energy into controlled motion that enables robotic systems to perform complex, repetitive, and hazardous tasks traditionally dependent on manual labour.
These technologies have been tested and successfully used in applications including robotics, automotive, and packaging companies worldwide, according to a statement.
Balraj Mann, chief executive officer of First Hydrogen, believes that “securing patented actuator and robotics humanoid technology positions First Hydrogen at the intersection of two major growth and investment themes: Next-generation clean energy, and Autonomous robotic systems and Humanoid Robotics.”
Robotics is transforming the clean energy sector by automating deployment, inspection, and maintenance of renewable assets such as solar farms and wind turbines, hydrogen, and battery storage facilities, optimizing energy use in industry, and improving worker safety in hazardous environments, according to Mann.
By pairing high-efficiency electronic actuators with AI-enabled control systems, humanoid and industrial robots can perform complex tasks with greater precision and lower energy consumption than traditional equipment, he posits.
Described as the “muscles” of a vehicle—and a production line—advanced actuators are considered “critical, foundational technologies for electric vehicles and their manufacturing.”
As part of the agreement, First Hydrogen will acquire a 60% interest in RoboticsCo.