New Zealand Captis deployment makes the news

New Zealand Captis deployment makes the news

May 29, 2025 | Autonomous Cycle Counting, Case Studies, In The News

By Cypher Robotics

 

It’s always nice when someone takes note of what you’re doing. And it’s particularly nice when that someone is mainstream media.

This week, both the New Zealand Herald and major New Zealand radio station NewstalkZB picked up on our deployment in Auckland. They did so because there’s actual news here.

Our trial deployment in New Zealand is a partnership with the country’s leading telco, Spark (more on that relationship here). It’s also a partnership with Ericsson, the world’s largest provider of telecommunications hardware. Odds are, your mobile plan runs on a network built by Ericsson.

As large companies increasingly embrace automation and the Industry 4.0 space, demand is growing for private 5G networks. These enable secure, low-latency closed networks for all the data throughput required by smart, interconnected devices.

The news here is that Air New Zealand, which has a stated goal to be “a leading digital airline globally,” has – in conjunction with Spark and Ericsson – installed the country’s first private 5G network at its Auckland warehouse. That network has been installed so our Captis cycle counting solution can operate securely and at peak efficiency in its 9,000 square metre (53,800 square feet) facility.

We’ll get into more details in a moment, but this brief radio interview with Spark New Zealand’s Customer Director for Enterprise and Government, Mark Beder, provides a great overview.

WHAT WE’RE DOING

 

Our Captis cycle-counting and precision scanning solution is an autonomous mobile robot about one metre high. Using powerful compute, machine vision and an autonomy software stack, Captis can navigate even massive warehouses on five-hour missions before returning to a wireless recharge base. It can carry out precision scans for digital twins while carrying out its other work. No infrastructure changes are required.

That other work involves a tethered drone that rests on top of Captis. When Captis heads down aisles, the drone ascends and scans any codes on warehouse stock. It counts that stock as it goes, with all data instantly uploaded to a client’s Warehouse Management Software or Warehouse Execution Software. (An additional module can replace the drone for RFID captures in, say, a showroom setting.)

Our deployment in New Zealand is a first for that country, and Spark believes it heralds the beginning of wider adoption of private 5G networks.

“It’s really exciting to have the first one under way and it really is a good test for us to really figure out how we can also solve different types of problems,” Spark’s Mark Beder told the New Zealand Herald.

In the same article, Ericsson’s Head of Enterprise for Private 5G networks Ian Ross said Air New Zealand’s warehouse is “a very complex radio environment,” adding ““Wi-Fi has struggles providing a good signal quality in the depths of the aisles, particularly with the height of the racks, where we find 5G is optimised for this type of environment.”

 

DEPLOYMENTS

 

Providing one of the flagship pieces of technology for this venture is a huge opportunity for Cypher Robotics. But it’s not the first. The company has been carrying out trials for more than a year with one of Canada’s leading retail outlets – a company that has hundreds of large warehouses across the country and large turnover of its retail projects. Captis has been scanning in one of those warehouses – and another unit is about to be deployed in a second location.

“Captis has been proven in Canadian trials,” says Cypher Robotics Founder and CEO Peter King. “The partnership with Spark, Ericsson and Air New Zealand allows us to operate in a private 5G network environment – which is a first for us. We look forward to helping to demonstrate the benefits of these networks in an Industry 4.0 setting.”

Below: Cypher Robotics Founder/CEO Peter King at Air New Zealand’s Auckland warehouse

Cypher Captis App Spark Accelerate Peter King

CYPHER’S TAKE

 

We’re obviously pleased to be taking part in this trial in New Zealand – especially since it involves that country’s first private 5G network. It’s also gratifying to see coverage from the news media.

“This is a highly significant deployment for Cypher Robotics – and the first outside of Canada,” explains Peter King. “We’re grateful for our robust partnerships with Spark, Ericsson and Air New Zealand as we demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy Captis brings to cycle-counting within a private 5G network setting.”

If you missed it the first time around, here’s a link to that New Zealand Herald story.

Cypher, Ericsson share the stage at Detroit’s big Automate 2025 show

Cypher, Ericsson share the stage at Detroit’s big Automate 2025 show

May 13, 2025 | Autonomous Cycle Counting, In The News, Precision Scanning

By Cypher Robotics

 

Greetings from Detroit, where Cypher Robotics is pleased to be sharing a booth with telecom leader Ericsson at the big Automate 2025 show. More than 40,000 people are attending, so it’s a pretty big deal.

Specifically, we’re displaying our cycle counting solution, Captis, alongside Ericsson’s Enterprise Wireless Solutions division. Captis is an autonomous mobile robot that can capture inventory in even massive warehouses in a single five-hour shift.

It does so in one of two ways. In the back end of a warehouse, a tethered drone ascends from the Captis AMR base. That drone scans product codes as the AMR moves its way autonomously down the aisles. All data is uploaded in realtime to existing warehouse management software.

By swapping out the drone’s “nest” for a different module on top of Captis, the system is capable of capturing RFID tags. We’ve found this particularly useful for getting an accurate count in showrooms, where stock is frequently sold directly from the floor. (And yes, Captis can do this work while customers are in the store.) Captis can also, we should note, carry out precision scans for digital twins while it’s on the job.

But there’s a secret sauce here that really enables Captis to shine in an Industry 4.0 setting: A private 5G network. And that…is the reason we’ve joined Ericsson at Automate 2025.

Below: Captis and its tethered drone, ready for another warehouse shift…

Captis with drone

THE 5G CONNECTION

 

If you’re not aware, Ericsson is the world leader in telecommunications hardware and software. If you’ve got a cell phone – and who doesn’t – odds are you’re using a network built by Ericsson regardless of provider. Those are, obviously, public networks.

But Ericsson also builds private 5G networks for industry. Earlier this year, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) installed one of those networks to enhance its auto manufacturing in an Industry 4.0 setting.

“This cutting-edge networking technology is enhancing the production of Range Rover vehicles by supporting business-critical applications such as vision systems, IoT sensors, and production tools,” explains this Ericsson post. “The deployment of Ericsson Private 5G is a pivotal step for JLR in embracing Industry 4.0.”

Industry 4.0 is a highly automated setting, where smart devices communicate with each other in a low-latency, high-bandwidth, highly secure network. In addition to the ability to monitor all devices, these systems also offer predictive maintenance analytics to reduce unplanned downtime. We reached out to Ericsson for more.

“As part of their digital transformation and push towards Industry 4.0, we’re seeing manufacturers make investments in key areas like autonomy, industrial IoT devices and advanced analytics,” says Ericsson’s Jan Diekmann, the company’s Global vertical lead manufacturing – Private 5G Networks.

But why not simply hop on your local cellular provider network?

“If you use a public network, your data goes through that public network,” says Diekmann. “If you have a private network, you get the security that comes with having the data managed by you. You control who sees it, where it goes. You can also accommodate a high density of devices in a small area – which is critical in an Industry 4.0 setting.”

 

THE CYPHER CONNECTION

 

So how do you demonstrate the benefits of a private 5G network to industry? It’s not like you can point to invisible data flying through the ether.

That’s where Cypher Robotics and Captis come in. Because these devices are intended for an Industry 4.0 setting, they’re a tangible way to demonstrate the benefits of such networks.

“That’s the reason we like to showcase use-cases. We’re really trying to help manufacturers see the value of a private 5G network and bring the concept to life,” adds Diekmann.

Below: Cypher Robotics Founder and CEO Peter King, left, along with partners Ericsson and Slolam Consulting

Peter King with Ericsson, Slolam Consulting Hannover Messe 2025

THE VIEW FROM CYPHER

 

We’re obviously pleased that Ericsson wanted Cypher Robotics onboard for Automate 2025. It’s an important show – and a great way to get our solution in front of additional potential clients.

We’re equally pleased to help Ericsson showcase how private 5G networks will, over time, become ubiquitous in the Industry 4.0 landscape.

If you’d like more information about the Captis solution, feel free to get in touch here.