Jerusalem Startup NUA Robotics is on the Move
If you’ve watched NUA Robotics’s smart luggage prototype video, you probably can’t help but feel as though we’ve finally reached a sort of Jetsons-esque future. In the year 2016, one can make phone calls from his or her own wrist, experience virtual reality through a pair of goggles, and drive a sports car that runs only on electricity. And we can, of course, have our luggage follow us. It seems almost magical.
And that’s how Alex Libman, founder and CEO of NUA Robotics, wants it to seem. The name NUA is the Hebrew root word of “to move,” and the prototype video, shot inside a New York City subway station at 14th Street, features Libman himself, casually strolling alongside harried commuters and wandering tourists. But Libman is, of course, trailed by his luggage — an otherwise basic blue suitcase — that mimics his movements at a four-foot remove, like a sort of animatronic terrier. Libman explains that NUA is “a form of modern magic. We decided to take the tech and tools we have, and bring magic into real life. Like Walt Disney.”
In an interview with Libman, I asked him to expand on some of the magic and motivation behind NUA’s robotic suitcase. I had anticipated a tragic story of lost luggage or a misplaced bag before a flight, but the answer was far from dramatic. “I studied computer science and electrical engineering at Hebrew University,” Libman explained, “and it gave me an idea of how to create ‘magic.’” For Libman, it seemed logical to use both elements of his degree — computer science and engineering — to solve a common a problem. But a suitcase — intrinsically tied to the wonder of travel — represents only the first application of NUA’s robotic technology. Libman sees the technology filtering down to everyday items, like shopping carts. “It could be integrated with anything that has wheels, or can have wheels,” Libman says. He sees robotics as eventually becoming ingrained in everyday life. “They can help with tasks at home, or anything that can follow the user around and be useful.”
Libman and his team are still based on the Hebrew University campus where they got their start just last year. Libman expanded, “One year ago I didn’t have any ideas about startups, or B2B technologies. I wanted to learn, but I didn’t even know that this sort of ecosystem existed.” He applied to, and was accepted by Siftech, a prominent Jerusalem-based startup accelerator. It was, in Libman’s words “an amazing experience. We then moved to China for about six months” to oversee manufacturing development, “and now we have offices in Kfar Hi-Tech,” a cluster of low-slung buildings in Hebrew U’s Givat Ram campus that houses many ascendant startups. In January, Libman traveled to CES, in Las Vegas, to promote NUA’s robotic luggage.
But Libman is a part of the Jerusalem scene in more ways than one. He is a musician on the side, and employs the beauty and spontaneity of music in his robotics work. He mentions “I have a recording studio in Jerusalem, and so I’m more on the production side,” producing and mastering hip-hop recordings. But for Libman, there are similarities between music and engineering. He continues, “You create something from nothing. You have an idea in your mind. The hardware and music industry have undergone a similar process in the last few years. Twenty years ago you needed to pay for a studio, and now everyone has a recording studio in their home. And it’s the same thing with hardware, with 3D printers, it’s the same type of evolution.” Libman volunteers that he admires Tesla for its fluid combination of art and technology.
Although the robotic suitcase does not yet have a release date (interested parties are encouraged to check the website), NUA is looking to expand. Libman emphasizes the importance of hardware development, and particularly his wish to grow the Jerusalem engineering community. “We’re focusing on bringing the best people possible to the company,” he says. “We’re recruiting more people, and looking for more engineers, particularly in computer vision.” Those interested in hardware engineering roles are encouraged to check out MadeInJLM’s newly-revamped jobs board, which easily allows companies to post open positions and for job seekers to quickly scan available options. Your luggage may travel on its own, but there’s no automatic job acquisition tool. Yet.
