Vitality Robotics
VITALITY ROBOTICS – MICRO Fall 2021
Published January 12, 2022
Introducing Joe Webb, founder of Vitality Robotics based in Morrisville, NC. Vitality Robotics builds AI-powered devices that combine computer vision with precision robotics & software to automate surgical or scientific experiments to improve animal health.
Q: Joe, what problem are you trying to solve and what influenced you to start your company?
A: First, we are addressing issues with data management in preclinical research because approximately 50% of the yearly expenditures to gather preclinical research data to create new therapies creates irreproducible data. This wasted spending is estimated to cost upwards of $28B/year. These costs directly affect how much companies need to charge to make their money back on initial research investments, which can cost nearly $300M/drug before getting approval. After spending the last 10 years helping pharmaceutical companies and academic laboratories conduct preclinical trials, we wanted to provide solutions to better manage data, provide auditing capabilities, and offer data longevity tools to ultimately reduce the total costs of bringing new life saving therapies to market.
Q: What does the road ahead look like for your company?
A: Our path forward over the next year will be focused on publishing our internal validation studies, grant writing, lots of customer discovery, and working with local manufacturers to custom build our devices. We are excited to work with Hangar 6 to prototype some of our small-scale laboratory devices!
Q: What other passions do you have besides your business?
A: Outside of work, I love to teach kids to code! I love to volunteer in the community teaching elementary, middle school and high school students how to program single board computers to create anything they can imagine. If you know someone interested in helping students learn more about computers, robotics, or machine learning; please email me to see if we can set something up!
While visiting the Triangle, Joe recommends:
- Checking out the American Tabaco Trail for a leisurely hike
- Eating at Vidrio in Raleigh for a cool atmosphere to go along with their great food
Support Joe and Vitality Robotics by:
- Following them on social media
- Emailing if interested in collaborating
