Company History
Braintech Inc. (OTC BB: BRHI) is a public company founded in 1994. We design, develop, and deploy software and peripherals for Vision-Guided Robotics (VGR) systems.
Since its inception, Braintech has consciously patterned itself after the most successful software companies in the past 30 years. These companies developed revolutionary technologies, incorporated them into innovative products, and positioned those products to dominate an emerging market niche.
Recognizing that automobile and auto parts manufacturers, and precision manufacturing in general, would be forced in coming years into increasing reliance on robotics, Braintech developed a family of advanced vision technologies specifically for the industrial robotics market.
Our revolutionary Single-Camera 3D™ (SC3D™) vision systems, related 2D, 2.5D, and 3D vision technologies including RBP™, (random bin picking) have established Braintech as the global technology leader for robot vision. Braintech's SC3D guidance technology won the prestigious Henry Ford Technology Award in 2003.
Braintech saw early on that the emergence of Ethernet as a standard communications technology in manufacturing and the dominance of Microsoft in personal computers opened the door for PC-based Vision-Guided Robotics (VGR) software. We therefore incorporated our vision technologies into a unique application: eVisionFactory™, an off-the-shelf VGR development and run-time software environment for Microsoft Windows™.
In 2004, Braintech formed a strategic partnership with the world's leading robotics manufacturer, ABB (NYSE:ABB), to co-market the TrueView™ line of VGR solutions. TrueView solutions have exceeded performance expectations in production environments of automakers at Ford, GM, Chrysler, Honda, Porche and Toyota. Other systems are install at Tier suppliers and as well as other industries, including Delphi, Johnson & Johnson and the US Department of energy.
During the summer of 2006, the Company decided to expanded into the emerging consumer robotics market and in December 2006, signed an agreement to join the Microsoft Robotics Studio Partner Program, ("MSRSPP"), as part of the company's strategic plan to release a suite of vision services under the brand name, VOLTS-IQ™. The services were introduced in June 2007, as VOLTS-IQ SDK 1.0, a free download for Community Technical Preview with Microsoft Robotics Studio ("MSRS"). The SDK provides access to visual intelligence services for robotic application developers using MSRS, such as multiple object recognition, localization and tracking with a simple USB web camera.
By the fall of 2007, the Company developed a wireless prototype camera using the Bluetooth communication standard and coined it BlueVision™, with plans to manufacture a universal model for Q1, 2008.
On October 23, 2007 Braintech experienced a significant change in management. Frederick W. "Rick" Weidinger was appointed as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, and the founding management team took on new roles: Owen Jones resigned as CEO and continued on as an advisor and director for the Company; Babak Habibi resigned as director and continued as Chief Technology Officer and President of Braintech Canada, Inc.; Ted White resigned as CFO and director and took a new position as Senior-Vice President, Administration.
The changes were made as part of a plan to position Braintech as a major market leader in the rapidly developing intelligent robotics industry, which includes industrial, consumer and military markets. Mr. Weidinger's experience and success with other emerging technology based companies is seen as a great benefit to the future of the company.
