An IISc-incubated startup’s space dreams; Solving warehousing automation

Bengaluru-based spacetech startup, SpaceFields specialises in solid rocket propulsion technology for aerospace, defence, and commercial purposes.

May 12, 2025 - 03:02

An IISc-incubated startup’s space dreams; Solving warehousing automation

Hello,

All that glitters is, sometimes, just gold.

Physicists at the Large Hadron Collider have turned lead into gold—albeit only for a fraction of a second.

In what looks like a modern twist of 17th-century alchemy goals, Scientific American details how scientists were able to briefly create gold ions from lead. Unlike alchemists of the past, researchers at CERN may not want to take up chrysopoeia as a side hustle.

Speaking of gold, the yellow metal has solidified its position as a safe haven, despite slight price fluctuations, as global markets remain jittery amid geopolitical uncertainties. As of Saturday, the MCX gold index was at Rs 96,535 per 10 gm.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin hit $101,707 on May 8, marking a major milestone driven by accelerating global adoption and a series of bullish US policy shifts, according to Binance.

Moving on to the world of artificial intelligence, a Chinese tech company is exploring whether it’s possible to translate cat meows into human language using AI.

Baidu, owner of China’s largest search engine, has filed a patent with China National Intellectual Property Administration, proposing a system to convert animal vocalisations into human language, Reuters reported last week.

ICYMI: Google has created a new AI model for talking to dolphins

An AI Dr Dolittle!

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about

SpaceFields reaches for the stars
Solving warehouse automation challenges

Here’s your trivia for today: Robert Allen Zimmerman is better known as which famous musician?

Startup

SpaceFields reaches for the stars

A Bengaluru-based B2B and B2G spacetech startup, SpaceFields specialises in solid rocket propulsion technology for aerospace, defence, and commercial purposes. With a 21-member team, it is presently incubated at IISc and has also set up its own firing facility at Challakere, Karnataka, where IISc has a bigger space.

Cutting-edge:

Solid rocket propulsion—a technology that develops solid propellants (a mixture of the fuel and the oxidiser used in rocket boosters) to launch rockets—has wide-ranging applications in defence, aerospace and unmanned aerial vehicles.
SpaceFields’ moonshot product is the Aerospike engine, which was demonstrated in a test in September.
The startup has signed an MoU with National Aerospace Laboratories and is currently in talks with ISRO for a potential collaboration for using an Aerospike engine.

Startup

Solving warehouse automation challenges

Bengaluru-based Anscer Robotics is building autonomous mobile robots designed to handle diverse material movement tasks. The startup develops autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) designed to simplify complex warehouse operations—from lifting to pallet movement with minimal human intervention.

Since its founding in 2020, Anscer has focused on scalable automation that integrates smoothly into existing systems. With its recent seed funding of $2 million from Info Edge Ventures in February and a planned expansion into the US, it is planning to bring its AMRs to factory floors around the world.

Key takeaways:

According to Mordor Intelligence, India’s Warehouse Automation Market is estimated at $0.43 billion in 2025, and is expected to reach $1.42 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 26.96%.
Anscer started as a project with three engineers and a shared vision, Co-founder and CBO Raghu Venkatesh tells YourStory.
The startup’s autonomous mobile robots are used in internal logistics, moving equipment around the factory floor or transporting boxes and pallets within warehouses. With sector-agnostic use cases, it can be used by manufacturers across automotive, electronics, FMCG, healthcare, hospitality, pharmaceuticals, and warehousing sectors.

News & updates

Partnership: OpenAI and Microsoft are rewriting the terms of their multibillion-dollar partnership in a high-stakes negotiation designed to allow the ChatGPT maker to launch a future IPO, while protecting the software giant’s access to cutting-edge AI models, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.
Tariff talks: Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reiterated on Sunday that he will aim for the elimination of all tariffs in trade negotiations with the United States. Speaking on a Fuji Television morning program, Ishiba said that “discussions have gradually come together,” and that Tokyo's relationship with US President Donald Trump is “surprisingly good.”
For science: The European Commission has launched a new initiative to attract researchers and scientists to the European Union—especially those from the US. The Choose Europe for Science programme, backed with more than half a billion dollars, is designed to offer an alternative to researchers who have been forced to seek new opportunities following cuts in scientific funding imposed by Trump’s administration.

What you should watch out for

Launch: Samsung is ready to unveil its slimmest phone–the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge–on May 13. In just a couple of days, the phone will be set to hit the market with its rumoured 5.85mm thin profile.
Earnings watch: The fourth quarter earnings season is almost over. Companies that release their Q4 results include Tata Steel, Bharti Airtel, Cipla, GAIL, Tata Motors, Hindustan Aeronautics, Tata Power, Jubilant FoodWorks, BHEL, and Divi’s Laboratories.

Robert Allen Zimmerman is better known as which famous musician?

Answer: Bob Dylan.

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