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Robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) provider Covariant is planning to scale up its technology for automated material handling applications across multiple industries, thanks to $40 million in new venture capital funding announced today. Berkeley, California-based Covariant raised the "series B" funding in a deal that was led by Index Ventures, along with Radical Ventures and participation from existing investor Amplify Partners and others. The investment raises the firm's total funding to $67 million, and will be used to accelerate Covariant's partnerships, introduce AI Robotics to new industries, and grow its research, engineering, and commercial teams, the firm said. The latest funding follows Covariant's moves to build partnerships with industrial robotics supplier ABB and with intralogistics systems supplier Knapp, both intended to accelerate the deployment of robotic stations to customers. "As the coronavirus crisis has exposed serious frailty in the global supply chain, we're seeing more demand than ever for our AI Robotics solutions," Peter Chen, Covariant's CEO and co-founder, said in a release.