CANVAS Technology knows a thing or two about innovation. The Boulder-based startup burst forth from stealth mode in 2017, making waves with the unveiling of the world’s first completely autonomous self-driving cart.
Developing the CANVAS Cart — which is designed to automate the transportation of materials in highly complex and ever-changing industrial environments — was no small technological feat. Rather, it was made possible by the company’s deep bench of computer science, computer vision and robotics experts.
Nima Keivan is one such expert. He’s been there since the beginning to witness CANVAS’s evolution from small, stealthy robotics startup to well-funded, fast-growing innovation powerhouse and helped lead the company through its recent acquisition by e-commerce giant, Amazon.
As co-founder and CTO of CANVAS, Keivan played a pivotal role in bringing the cart to life, and today, as the head of autonomous mobility tech at Amazon, he’s leading an even faster-growing team as they continue to innovate and build upon CANVAS’s cutting-edge tech.
We caught up with Keivan to learn more about life around the office post-acquisition, how his team works together to continuously improve the experience for Amazon’s customers and what it’s like to tackle big problems — now, on an even bigger scale.
CANVAS Technology was acquired by Amazon back in April. What’s changed — or stayed the same — for your team since then?
Quite frankly, not much has changed. Amazon and CANVAS share a common vision in which we are creating collaborative robotics that improve the safety and workplace experience for those working alongside them. Now, we just get to do that at scale and with some added resources.
Innovation is at the heart of what your team is doing. How do you encourage your team to keep innovating and thinking outside the box when approaching new projects?
We are taking on hard challenges for which off-the-shelf solutions just don’t exist. The scale of these challenges energizes and motivates the team to continuously innovate for our customers.
How does your team work together — and across departments — to achieve a goal or complete a project?
Processes for definition, development and verification are core to how we ensure we’re solving the right problems — and solving them effectively. We evaluate these processes continuously and are always looking for ways to improve them, keeping in mind that too much process could be as detrimental as too little process.
When defining projects and goals, we work backward from the customer and consider the different but complementary development cycles and timelines for hardware and software. Our excellent technical program management team is key to our delivery, coordinating activity across our different disciplines.
Tackling challenges at Amazon’s scale has made us think beyond purely technical solutions.”
Solving complex technical challenges at the scale at which Amazon is operating is no small feat. How do you and your team navigate and overcome roadblocks along the way?
Tackling challenges at Amazon’s scale has made us think beyond purely technical solutions. We try to combine cutting-edge technical solutions with those that are focused on our operational processes in order to deliver the optimal experience for our customers. To facilitate this, we ensure that the voice of the customer is present at all levels and stages of development.
Autonomous mobility technology is advancing rapidly. How do you and your team stay ahead of the curve?
As a multi-disciplinary team of applied scientists and engineers, we keep informed of the latest research and development undertaken at labs around the world. Through regular reading groups and paper reviews, we explore the practical applications of this research for our customers. Our internal research also pushes the boundaries of science in robotics, computer vision and machine learning.
Tell us about a project you’re currently working on that you’re really excited about.
We are working on the next generation of camera systems that will be used by our mobile autonomous vehicles, leveraging the latest in optics, algorithms and computing. As a primary sensing modality, our cameras make or break the performance of our robotic systems, so it is particularly exciting to push the boundaries in this domain.
What impact is the technology you’re building having on the business and the experience of its customers?
Our state-of-the-art technology is helping to fuel fast delivery, increase efficiency, reduce defects, lower prices and improve workplaces around the world. It’s really exciting to see how robotics and advanced technologies have made our fulfillment centers more efficient, safer and more collaborative. We continue to identify areas within our operations where we believe robotics will benefit customers and associates alike.
How would you describe the culture of your team? What makes it different from other teams you’ve worked with?
Our team culture is that of exceptional ability, paired with low ego and a collaborative mindset. This has allowed us to bypass much of the drama that can hinder teams with exceptional individuals and instead focus on developing cutting-edge technology for our customers.
What do you enjoy most about your current role?
I am privileged to work with our amazing team and take on some of the most difficult challenges in robotics. What I enjoy most are the interactions with our customers and our team. It's in these interactions that great ideas are formed and refined.
