Telcos vs. big data companies: Which sector will drive consumer robotics?
NTT’s recent entry into consumer robotics suggests that it’s not just about Google vs Amazon, or Softbank vs NTT anymore, but about telcos vs big data companies. With two major and distinct sectors...
View ArticleAds, sales and shows make a business case for robotics
Kiva warehouse robots Clever ads that emphasize ROI, presentations that show production benefits, new robot sales records, capital expenditure for warehousing systems and increased attendance at trade...
View ArticleMoney continues to flow into robotics startups
$11.2 million to Virtual Incision, a startup developing robotically assisted surgical devices, and another $11 million to Jibo, the company founded by Cynthia Breazeal of HRI fame from the MIT Media...
View ArticleGreyOrange gets $30m for mobile robots
Co-founders of GreyOrange: Akash Gupta and Samay Kohli GreyOrange, an India and Singapore-based materials handling startup, has received $30m in equity funding to ramp up production of their Butler...
View ArticlePeloton Technology gets $17M for truck platooning tech
Peloton Technology, a Silicon Valley startup providing truck platooning technology, got $17 million from some strategic investors after receiving $16M just a few months earlier in April. Denso Intl....
View ArticleComing of age: Clearpath’s Ryan Gariepy on growing a robotics startup
Launched in 2009 by a group of Waterloo engineering students, Clearpath‘s unmistakeable bright yellow and black robots have become synonymous with unmanned vehicle research in university research labs...
View ArticleSiemens’ Frontier Partner program provides software tools to robotics startups
Established in Berlin in 1847, and with a presence in Silicon Valley since the 1950s, Siemens invests more than $1B in the US each year for research and development. Now their Technology to Business...
View ArticleBig bucks and big audiences for drones
Intel Capital invested $60M in Chinese drone startup Yuneek last month. At this week's InterDrone conference and expo, one can readily see why: lots of interest, lots of people, and products that are...
View ArticleAdept succumbs, sells to OMRON for $200M
When Rob Cain replaced John Dulchinos as CEO of Adept Technology in February, 2013 he was charged with restructuring the company to either make it profitable to operate or make it valuable as a...
View Article10 more robotics companies acquired. Why?
At last week’s RoboBusiness Conference and Expo in San Jose, there was much gossip, discussion and head scratching regarding the two most recent acquisitions of robot companies: Adept Technologies by...
View ArticleAugust/September robotics fundings report
August and September equity fundings, joint ventures, acquisitions and venture funds continue the momentum exhibited throughout 2015 of serious money flowing into robotics startups. For a list of...
View ArticleIFR predicts 15% industrial robot growth through 2018
Source: IFR At a press event to launch the IFR’s World Robotics Industrial Robots statistical review of 2014 (with projections through 2018), the $1,350 report forecasts a 15% CAGR, thereby doubling...
View ArticleRobots in Depth: Melonee Wise on building robots, and robot companies
Robots in Depth is a new video series featuring interviews with researchers, entrepreneurs, VC investors, and policy makers in robotics, hosted by Per Sjöborg. In this interview, Per talks to Melonee...
View ArticleCyPhy Works and Righthand Robotics get funded
The varied world of robotics appears to be in favor with venture capitalists. CyPhy Works just got $22 million to scale up building UAVs for the consumer market, and Righthand Robotics got $3.3M to...
View ArticleStrategic acquisitions and long-term R&D investments abound
German Chancellor Angela Merkel inspects the Renningen research campus: “Bosch’s own Stanford.” Image: Bosch We have reported 37 equity fundings and 25 acquisitions so far this year. It’s not just the...
View ArticleRobots in Depth: Grishin Robotics’ Valery Komissarova on getting funding
Robots in Depth is a new video series featuring interviews with researchers, entrepreneurs, VC investors, and policy makers in robotics, hosted by Per Sjöborg. In this interview, Valery Komissarova —...
View ArticleBlue Belt Technologies acquired by Smith & Nephew for $275m
As surgeons develop and use ever-more capable robotic augmentation devices for their surgical procedures, many startup companies are being acquired by global medical device conglomerates. Stryker's...
View ArticleDrone maker DJI and Toyota: setting up R&D centers in Silicon Valley
No wonder rents are so high in Silicon Valley. Companies from around the world are setting up research facilities and grabbing talent from the area. The most recent announcements are that Chinese...
View Article6 predictions, 9 stocks, a, revolution, an apocalypse, and killer robots – oh...
A new 300-page research report from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Robot Revolution – Global Robot & AI Primer, and to a lesser extent BSG’s report: Man and Machine in Industry 4.0, make for...
View ArticleCase study shows new roles for robots in today’s economy
Robots are starting to move out of the factory and into more common use as a service industry, where they work alongside people in places that range from the warehouse to the supermarket. Along the...
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