About Crickets Continuum & DCA/r

The Proven DCA Model, Now for the Robotics Channel

For decades, the managed print and MFP market ran on one foundational tool: the Data Collection Agent (DCA). A small, standardized software agent that sat on customers' networks, silently collecting meter reads, consumable levels, and device status — normalizing that data across dozens of brands and thousands of models — and transmitting it back to dealers, MSPs, and vendors for billing, service dispatch, and fleet management. That one piece of software created an entire industry of predictable, scalable, usage-based managed print services.

Crickets Continuum was founded by veterans of that managed print world — Art Post and Greg Walters — who saw the same problem emerging in robotics that existed in print before the DCA: every robot vendor has proprietary telemetry, every dealer builds custom integrations, and no two platforms speak the same language for billing and usage measurement. The result is fragmentation, data silos, and friction that slows the entire channel.

DCA/r is their answer. Modeled directly on the DCA architecture that transformed managed print, DCA/r brings the same standardization to robots and AMRs — collecting, normalizing, and securely transmitting usage data across heterogeneous robot platforms, built on the twAIn Robotics open source billing metrics APIs, so no single vendor controls how robot usage is measured or monetized.

The Founding Vision
"For Decades, DCAs Transformed Managed Print. DCA/r Does the Same for Robots."
The DCA created a trusted, standardized data layer between hardware manufacturers, software vendors, dealers, and customers — making managed print services predictable, scalable, and commercially viable for the entire channel. DCA/r applies that same architecture to the robotics ecosystem, where the identical problem — proprietary data, fragmented billing, no common language — is slowing adoption of AMRs and service robots in the dealer channel.
"For decades, DCAs transformed how the MFP and managed services markets operate by creating a trusted, standardized way to collect usage data. 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."
— Art Post, Co-Founder, Crickets Continuum
Robot Work Units (RWUs) — Standardized Billing Metrics

DCA/r leverages the twAIn Robotics open source billing metrics APIs to measure robot usage in normalized Robot Work Units — a common language for billing, reporting, and performance analysis that works across any robot brand or platform.

RWU · 01
Cost-Per-Task
Billing tied to discrete robot task completions — deliveries made, items picked, missions completed. Clear, outcome-based pricing aligned to the value the robot delivered.
$ / task
RWU · 02
Cost-Per-Traveled-Time
Usage metered by active travel time. Accounts for the time a robot is in productive motion — distinguishing billable operation from idle standby or charging.
$ / hour
RWU · 03
Cost-Per-Linear-Feet
Distance-based billing — measures how far the robot traveled in productive operation. Natural fit for material transport, logistics, and coverage-area use cases.
$ / foot
RWU · 04
Cost-Per-Power-Consumed
Energy-based billing — metered by kilowatt-hours consumed during operation. Enables sustainability-linked billing models and energy cost allocation for multi-robot deployments.
$ / kWh
How DCA/r Works
01
Connect
DCA/r agent installed in the robot fleet environment — connects to AMRs and robots across multiple brands and platforms
02
Collect
Continuously collects real-world usage telemetry — tasks, travel, distance, energy, uptime — from every connected robot
03
Normalize
Raw data normalized into standardized Robot Work Units using the twAIn Robotics open APIs — same output regardless of robot brand
04
Transmit
Secure, standardized data delivered to dealers, ISVs, and billing platforms — enabling automated invoicing and fleet reporting
🔓
Vendor-Neutral by Design — No Single Vendor Controls the Data
DCA/r is built on the twAIn Robotics open source billing metrics APIs — ensuring that no manufacturer, ISV, or platform controls how robot usage is measured or monetized. Every robot brand, every dealer, every software vendor operates from the same open standard. The same principle that made the MFP DCA trustworthy — neutrality — is baked into DCA/r from the ground up.
Value Across the Channel
Dealers & MSPs
Consistent Usage-Based Billing Across Mixed Robot Fleets
Enable predictable, recurring billing models across customers with mixed robot fleets — Quasi C2s alongside other AMR brands — without building separate integrations for each manufacturer. Reduce operational complexity. Improve customer trust with transparent, verifiable usage reports.
ISVs & Platform Providers
Integrate Once, Support Every Robot Vendor
Connect to DCA/r's open APIs once and receive standardized usage data from any robot platform. Eliminate the cost and maintenance burden of building vendor-specific integrations. Accelerate time-to-market for billing, analytics, and fleet management applications.
Manufacturers & OEMs
Standardized Telemetry Without Exposing Proprietary Internals
Provide channel partners with the standardized billing and usage data they need to operate without disclosing proprietary robot internals. Increase ecosystem compatibility and channel appeal without compromising IP or competitive differentiation.
End Users & Customers
Clear, Predictable, Comparable Robot Usage Reporting
Receive cost and performance data tied directly to business outcomes — cost per delivery, cost per hour, cost per distance — in a format that's comparable across robot types and vendors. Make informed procurement and renewal decisions with real usage data.
About the Founders
Co-Founder
Art Post
Decades of managed print and MFP channel experience. One of the architects of the DCA model that transformed managed print services. Now applying that same framework to the robotics channel through Crickets Continuum and DCA/r.
Co-Founder
Greg Walters
Channel veteran with deep roots in managed services and office technology. Focused on delivering immediate, practical commercial frameworks for robotics — standardized billing, service readiness, and lifecycle support for the dealer channel.
What's Included in the TIC Early Pilot Offer
  • ✓ Early pilot program participation — TIC participants are invited to join the DCA/r early pilot, helping shape the product requirements, testing initial builds, and validating the four RWU billing metrics against real robot deployments.
  • ✓ Direct access to DCA/r founders — Art Post and Greg Walters personally engage with pilot participants to understand their specific robot fleet composition, billing requirements, and integration needs — influencing the DCA/r roadmap directly.
  • ✓ twAIn Robotics API integration review — walkthrough of the twAIn Robotics open source billing metrics APIs and how DCA/r maps your specific robot usage data to normalized RWUs (Cost-Per-Task, Cost-Per-Traveled-Time, Cost-Per-Linear-Feet, Cost-Per-Power-Consumed).
  • ✓ Channel commercialization consultation — for TIC participants who are dealers, MSPs, or ISVs, a dedicated session with the Crickets team on how to build usage-based billing models for robot fleets using DCA/r and the RWU framework.
  • ✓ Interoperability working group access — participate in the Crickets Continuum / TWAIN Working Group collaboration shaping the emerging open standards for robot data collection, normalization, and billing across the robotics ecosystem.
  • ✓ CORR™ certification pathway briefing — introduction to the CORR™ (Crickets Office Ready Robot) certification program covering safety, serviceability, and workflow fit for office robot deployments — relevant to TIC participants bringing AMRs into enterprise environments.
  • ✓ Priority access to production DCA/r — pilot participants receive first access to production DCA/r builds, reduced pilot pricing, and preferred partner status as Crickets Continuum scales the program through the dealer and reseller channel.
Join the DCA/r Early Pilot program →
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