Im curious. Why is there minimal to no news about Akida being looked into in Australia? Apart from Circle8.
Would have thought that given Australia agricultural economy is large, there would be a lot of development done with it.
Just a random thought after reading all the IBM, TCS, Frontgrade gaisler news
That’s a great question FuzM.
We’re seeing recognition from the likes of IBM, Frontgrade Gaisler, Raytheon, etc internationally, yet locally there’s very little (if any) traction beyond Circle8.
I was questioning the same thing when I read this article a week or so ago that Australian Droid + Robot have partnered with Intel (see below) to power edge computing in underground mining which is a use case which I thought on the surface seemed perfectly suited to Akida.
I don’t think it necessarily reflects a lack of capability. Akida is perfectly suited for power-constrained, real-time environments like agriculture, mining and autonomous systems.
IMO what it most likely reflects is something else, maybe a lack of trust, absence of brand awareness, ecosystem unfamiliarity, etc.
I guess in sectors like mining and agriculture, buyers tend to choose platforms with established brand recognition and long support histories.
Maybe we need a bit more boots-on-the-ground here in Aus.
Maybe we could ask Pia if she can head off to some outback mining expos, fire up the BBQ, cook up a few snags, and give a five-minute yarn on neuromorphic AI between the ute muster and the auger demo.
Australian Droid + Robot partners with Intel to enable ‘edge computing’ for underground mining
Posted on 4 Feb 2026
Australian Droid + Robot (ADR) says it is removing the ‘risk human safety to gather data’ trade-off that exists in deep underground mining operations with the announcement of a strategic collaboration with
Intel Corporation, combining its rugged robotics platform with Intel’s world-class edge computing capabilities to keep people out of harm’s way.
The Explora XL is not just a remote-controlled car; it is an autonomous data centre on wheels, according to ADR. Operating deep underground often means operating without a reliable cloud connection. This is where Intel’s technology changes the game, ADR says.
By integrating Intel® Xeon® processors and Intel Core™ Ultra processors directly onboard robots, ADR is enabling “Edge Computing”. The robot doesn’t just collect data – it analyses 3D LiDAR scans, thermal imaging and gas levels in real-time in the mine.
“Intel has technologies and they have the ideas,” Bhupesh Agrawal, GM, Enterprise Edge at Intel, says. “The use case is very interesting because the robot is going in the mine…and the data is being analysed using that Intel Xeon power. It allows enterprises to analyse data at the edge and make real-time decisions.”
ADR CTO, Mathew Allan, added: “If people don’t need to be in hazardous environments, they shouldn’t be.”
With this new capability, the Explora XL can traverse mud, water and uneven terrain to inspect blast zones and unstable shafts. The company says: “If equipment is lost, the cost is financial. If a human is lost, the cost is immeasurable. This partnership ensures that human safety is never compromised for the sake of data.”