Viam provides a software platform that brings modern software engineering practices to robotics, enabling developers to build and deploy intelligent machines from prototype through production scale. The platform addresses the core challenge of connecting hardware - sensors, cameras, and actuators - to software while enabling deployment of AI models for perception and real-world interaction. Rather than requiring code rewrites between prototype and production phases, the architecture supports iteration and scaling from single units to thousands of deployed systems.
The platform's technical approach focuses on abstraction layers that separate hardware integration from application logic. Developers can connect sensors and cameras, deploy computer vision and ML models, and build robot behaviors that interact with physical environments using APIs and tools designed for rapid iteration. The system architecture draws from lessons in building scalable software systems, applied specifically to the constraints of robotics: real-time requirements, heterogeneous hardware, and edge deployment conditions.
Viam's platform has been deployed in manufacturing environments - including robotic arms used in boat manufacturing - and in sports venue applications where smart systems improve facility operations. The company positions its tools as accessible enough for individual developers while maintaining the robustness required for enterprise production deployments. CEO Eliot Horowitz leads the US-based company, which serves cross-industry applications where teams need to move quickly from hardware concepts to deployed robotic systems without requiring dedicated research infrastructure.