ShadowRobot: AWS System Upgrade for a Robotics Company

Waverley engineers helped the leading robotics firm to update their cloud infrastructure to enable uploading large files, improved the software build system and integrated the client’s G-Suite domain with AWS account.

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The Shadow Robot Company

Created in 1987 in London by a group of robotics enthusiasts, the Shadow Robot Company is now one of Britain’s longest-running robotics firms and a leading developer of technology around grasping and manipulation for robotics. Their flagship product is the Shadow Dexterous Hand, an anthropomorphic robotic hand used mainly for research and development, with recent applications used to advance research into artificial intelligence.

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Project Analysis

The client faced the need to update its cloud infrastructure to enable more effective service delivery. There were several cases:

The client needed its customers to upload, into the system, gigabytes of data related to issues with the client’s robotic hands and to use the file location for further reference. The solution had to be cost-efficient and secure, and ensure authorization by the access key.
Another request was to improve the software build system to reduce the time and cost required to run the build servers. Pull requests that customers created in GitHub.com repositories should be built and either rejected or approved depending on the build results.
To enable the client’s employees to access AWS resources like S3 objects and CodeBuild jobs, the client’s G-Suite domain should have been integrated with the AWS account to enable Single Sign-On.

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Our Solution

Waverley was able to quickly provide the needed DevOps expertise and develop a cost-efficient solution that suited the client’s needs.

The team enabled the secure uploading of customer data. Most of the work was done using AWS, Linux Shell Scripting and the AWS Lambda function. Waverley also provided the AWS CloudFormation template for a repeatable solution.
In addition, Waverley integrated a fully managed build service that saves on costs by being charged only for the compute resource that the system uses. The solution compiles source code, runs tests and produces ready-to-deploy software packages, automatically performing server provision, management and scaling.
Waverley provided detailed step-by-step instructions for the client’s admins to enable and configure G-Suite and AWS Account Single Sign-On.

Waverley provided qualified engineers and I’ve enjoyed talking with them. They’re able to solve most of my difficulties. If they don’t know the solution, they’ll investigate it, which I really appreciate.”
– Andriy Petlovanyy
Head of Software, The Shadow Robot Company

Process

The client needed a continuous relationship to accomplish a number of mission-critical tasks. Waverley quickly found the necessary in-house expertise to take over right from the definition of specifications. This allowed the client to spend less time on documentation and to concentrate on business-related strategic tasks.

To ensure the most benefit from our collaboration, Waverley discussed with the client the areas in which it could improve, and produced and implemented a list of alterations. Additionally, Waverley provided UI/UX expertise when the client felt the need to scale up the team.

Results

Two-thirds of the work is complete and the team is preparing to start the migration to the new build infrastructure. Waverley will also assign a team of UI/UX professionals to provide the necessary UI/UX expertise.

To find out more please read the client’s review on Clutch.