Housing and Development Newsletter “So I told him, 'Look, we could study just you, but guess what? We're just going to show a lot of failure, despair. That’s what happens,’” Beane recalled. “‘If, however, we could enroll four companies like you and get all of you to donate deployment sites, we might find the positive needles in the negative haystack.’” It was an intriguing proposal, even though the company might be aiding its competition. The CEO decided to broach the topic with leaders of several other firms in the industry. So far, eight companies commercializing AI-enabled robotics in pick-and-pack enterprises have partnered with Beane under a non-disclosure agreement, offering the researchers detailed access to their, and their customers,’ operations.