If you are building a robot, a drone, an AGV, a warehouse picker, a delivery bot, or any system that moves on its own, you are building two things at once. First, you are building a product. Second, you are building a set of decisions that the machine makes every second: what it thinks the […]
Patenting SLAM and Navigation: What Startups Can Protect Read More »
Robotics grippers look simple from the outside. Two fingers. A clamp. A soft pad. But under the hood, they hide the kind of work that wins (or loses) a market: the geometry that makes a grasp stable, the control loop that stops slip, the sensor layout that “feels” without crushing, the compliance that handles uncertainty,
How to Patent Robotics Grippers and Manipulation Systems Read More »
Most robotics teams do not lose because their robot is worse. They lose because someone else copies the best parts, files first, and turns the same idea into a “protected” product. Then investors ask the hardest question: “What do you own that nobody can take?” If you are building AI + robotics, you are not
AI + Robotics Patents: How to Claim the Full Stack Read More »
If you build robotics hardware, you are not just building a product. You are building a machine advantage. The hard part is not only getting it to work. The hard part is making it hard to copy. Patents can help you do that—if you file the right things, in the right way, at the right
Patenting Robotics Hardware: Sensors, Actuators, and Mechanisms Read More »
Edge AI is moving fast for one simple reason: it saves time, money, and risk. When your model runs on the device—on a robot, a camera, a wearable, a phone, a factory sensor—you can cut cloud costs, reduce delay, keep data private, and keep working even when the internet fails. That is real value. And
Patenting Edge AI and On-Device Inference: A Founder’s Guide Read More »
Most computer vision founders wait too long to think about patents. Not because they do not care. But because vision work feels “too math-y” or “too model-y” to patent. Or they assume it will never hold up once a patent examiner asks hard questions. Or they think: “We will do patents after we get traction.”
Patenting Computer Vision: Claims That Actually Hold Up Read More »
Reinforcement learning can feel like magic. An agent takes actions, gets rewards, and slowly learns how to win—sometimes in ways even the builders did not expect. If you are building robots, AI systems, or real-world control software, reinforcement learning can become the core of your product. And when it becomes core, one question shows up
Patenting Reinforcement Learning: What’s Protectable and What’s Not Read More »
Robotics is moving fast. If you are building a robot, your real “product” is often not the metal. It is the software that makes the robot see, think, plan, and move. That software is also the easiest thing for a bigger team to copy once they understand how you did it. That is why patents
How to Patent Robotics Software and Control Systems Read More »
When you build a robotics startup, you are not just building a machine. You are building a new way to solve a hard problem in the real world. And if that way is truly new, you should protect it early. A good patent plan is not “paperwork.” It is how you keep your edge when
Robotics Patents: What to File First in a Startup Read More »
If you built an AI model that works well, your first thought might be simple: “Can I patent this?” And right after that comes the real fear: “If I can’t, can someone copy it and beat me to market?” Here’s the practical answer in plain words: you usually cannot patent an AI model as “a
Can You Patent an AI Model? The Practical Answer Read More »
Tran.vc invests $50,000 at the pre-seed stage to empower AI, software, and robotics startups. We help technical founders build strong IP moats, raise seed funding, and grow without relying on endless capital. Focused on speed, innovation, and ownership, we back the builders shaping the future with AI.
