09 February 2026 | News
Image Courtesy: Public Domain
Crickets Continuum today announced its intent to develop a Data Collection Agent for Robots (DCA/r), a standardized software agent designed to collect, normalize, and securely transmit robot and autonomous mobile robot (AMR) usage data across heterogeneous platforms. Modeled after widely adopted Data Collection Agents (DCAs) in the managed print and MFP markets, DCA/r is designed to bring similar levels of visibility, predictability, and interoperability to the rapidly expanding robotics and automation ecosystem.
The DCA/r initiative will be built to align with and leverage the newly introduced twAIn Robotics open source billing metrics APIs, enabling consistent measurement of real-world robot usage metrics such as Cost-Per-Task, Cost-Per-Traveled-Time, Cost-Per-Linear-Feet, and Cost for Power Consumed. These standardized metrics allow usage data to be consolidated into normalized Robot Work Units (RWUs), creating a common language for billing, reporting, and performance analysis.
By adopting open, vendor-neutral APIs, Crickets Continuum aims to eliminate proprietary data silos and reduce friction between robotics manufacturers, independent software vendors (ISVs), systems integrators, and dealers.
“For decades, DCAs transformed how the MFP and managed services markets operate by creating a trusted, standardized way to collect usage data,” said Art Post, Co-Founder of Crickets Continuum. “With DCA/r, we are bringing that same proven model to robotics. Our goal is to give the industry a neutral, interoperable foundation that simplifies integration, improves transparency, and accelerates scalable business models for robots and automation.”
The use of twAIn Robotics open source billing metrics APIs ensures that no single vendor controls how usage is measured or monetized, enabling flexible pricing models tailored to different robot functions and customer use cases.
“Crickets Continuum is focused on delivering immediate, practical value while building toward a long-term strategy for interoperability,” said Greg Walters, Co-Founder of Crickets Continuum. “Our members consistently told us that standardized billing and usage metrics are critical to scaling robotics programs. DCA/r, built on twAIn Robotics open APIs, gives dealers, ISVs, and manufacturers a shared framework to implement predictable, usage-based business models — without reinventing the wheel for every platform.”
The combination of DCA/r and twAIn Robotics open billing metrics APIs delivers tangible benefits across the channel:
Enable consistent, usage-based billing models across mixed robot fleets, reducing operational complexity and improving customer trust.
Integrate once with open APIs to support multiple robot vendors, accelerating time-to-market and lowering integration costs.
Offer standardized telemetry and billing data to partners without exposing proprietary internals, while increasing ecosystem compatibility.
Receive clear, predictable, and comparable usage and cost reporting tied directly to business outcomes.
Crickets Continuum will collaborate closely with the TWAIN Working Group and the twAIn Robotics sub-working group to ensure DCA/r aligns with emerging open source standards and supports broad industry adoption.
Organizations interested in participating in the DCA/r initiative or contributing to early pilots are encouraged to engage with Crickets Continuum to help shape the next generation of interoperable robotics infrastructure.
