ai-navigation
(4)
TERN
TERN is an Austin-based startup building IDPS (Independently Derived Positioning System), an AI-powered, software-only alternative to GPS. Instead of relying on satellite signals that can be jammed, spoofed, or blocked by tall buildings and tunnels, TERN's AI reads the sensors already inside vehicles and phones - accelerometers, gyroscopes, speedometers - and matches that motion against existing map data to figure out exactly where you are. Founded by AI engineers and former U.S. special operations personnel, TERN serves automakers, delivery fleets, emergency services, and defense customers who cannot afford to lose their location when the signal drops.
Shaun Moore
Shaun Moore is the co-founder and CEO of TERN, an Austin-based startup building an Independently Derived Positioning System (IDPS) that locates vehicles using onboard sensors and map data alone - no satellites, no GPS, no cellular. Before TERN, he founded Trueface, which became one of the world's fastest facial-recognition platforms before its 2021 acquisition by Pangiam. A two-patent inventor, global keynote speaker, and World Economic Forum contributor, Moore builds companies that challenge foundational assumptions across technology, policy, and capital.
Tailos
Tailos (formerly Maidbot) is an Austin, Texas robotics company building AI-powered autonomous cleaning robots for commercial spaces. Its flagship product, Rosie, is a self-navigating commercial robot vacuum that uses self-driving-car technology - LiDAR, 3D depth cameras, and proprietary SLAM - to clean hotels, multifamily buildings, and senior-living facilities with no pre-mapping or setup. The company's pitch is plain: automate the most repetitive, physically punishing parts of cleaning so housekeepers can do higher-value work, with operators saving roughly 54 minutes per labor hour.
Yarbo M Series Robot
Yarbo M Series is a modular, autonomous yard robot that replaces four seasonal machines - lawn mower, snow blower, leaf collector, and edge trimmer - with one tracked, wire-free platform. Unveiled at CES 2026 and raising $2.6M on Kickstarter (26x its goal), the M Series uses nRTK GPS, LiDAR, and onboard AI to navigate without buried boundary wires, handles slopes up to 35 degrees, and operates year-round from -13F to 113F.