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Pitch the detailed operation
of a prototype robot

Meta Connectivity // ULC Technologies

Sizzle Reel

Product visualization, 3D animation

Step into Sub-Saharan Africa as the Bombyx robot brings fiber optic internet to isolated towns.

Bombyx was a project between ULC Technologies, a robotics engineering company focused on utilities such as gas and electric; and Meta Connectivity, an R&D arm of Meta that focused on telecom innovation including wireless, satellites, drones, etc. The goal of the Bombyx project was to quickly and easily distribute high-speed, fiber-optic internet to remote and rural areas of the globe. It did this by utilizing the existing infrastructure of medium-voltage power lines. In 2023 the Bombyx technology was licensed to a Japanese robotics company, Hibot.

The Challenge

Early in the stages of the Bombyx project there was little real-world reference for what the robot was going to look like and how it would work. Even conceptually, the system was difficult to understand, especially for people without engineering expertise.

So, Meta needed a way to show the future of the project and demonstrate its operation long before it actually existed. That way they could start building relationships with customers and raise funding to make it a reality. 

Approach

Raconteur produced several animated videos and concept renders throughout 3 years of development of the Bombyx robotic system. They also used 3D animation to analyze the engineering data and determine its feasibility in different real-world scenarios.

Results

The animated videos were instrumental in raising $10M+ in funding within Meta and from external customers.

They not only helped catch the attention of important decision makers, but made the system easy to understand.

Meta also used the renders and animations in a press release when the project was announced publicly. 

“[Meta] used the animation in presentations to stakeholders. The video helped facilitate the conversation and address concerns about the robotic system since they were able to pause and discuss specific areas of operation.”
Jon Kuriloff, R&D Project Manager, ULC Technologies

SAY HOWDY

howdy@raconteuranimation.com

512-489-0407

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in Austin, TX

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