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Robot tourism coming soon to Korea: Masan Robot Land project finally breaks ground
With permission finally given to occupy lands that include an existing road and stream, the Masan Robot Land Project that went adrift for almost two years was officially launched on December 7, 2013 w...
20 January 2014, by
Jong-Oh Park
Ekso Bionics goes public for $20.6 million
Rehabilitative robotics company Ekso Bionics announced today that it has completed a public offering which will provide $20.6 million in a 'reverse merger'. Funds raised will go primarily to expanding...
15 January 2014, by
Andra Keay
Google acquires Nest for $3.2 billion
In another surprise release to the press, Google announced the acquisition of Nest Labs, the inventor and manufacturer of the stylish learning thermostat device, for $3.2 billion.
According to Aaro...
13 January 2014, by
Frank Tobe
Google getting more roboticists with Nest acquisition
Is Google getting a robot company? Or just another source of roboticists with the Nest acquisition that was announced today? Alongside Google’s recent acquisition of eight robotics companies, there ...
13 January 2014, by
Andra Keay
Are investments in robotics capital intensive?
In a recent post in IEEE Spectrum Automaton, Robert Morris abstracted a paper he wrote with Richard Green, a finance professor at CMU. The thesis of his article is that robotic ventures are not capi...
13 January 2014, by
Frank Tobe
KUKA buys 51% of Reis Robotics with option to buy remainder
In a surprise move, KUKA, one of the global big four robot manufacturers, signed a letter of intent to acquire 51% of the shares of Reis Robotics, a 57-year old family-owned Germany-based robotics ...
20 December 2013, by
Frank Tobe
Foxconn plans factory in PA and funds robotics research at CMU
Foxconn’s parent company Hon Hai Precision will fund $10 million for robotics and advanced manufacturing research at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. No further details about the 2-year str...
16 December 2013, by
Frank Tobe
KUKA opens Shanghai factory and announces orders
... KUKA cut the ribbon at their new factory outside of Shanghai. The factory will begin employing 350 and produce the QUANTEC line of robots and controllers and will be able to produce 3,000 robots a...
15 December 2013, by
Frank Tobe
Apple, Amazon and now Google: It’s a pretty exciting day for robotics!
There is serious momentum in robotics these days, evidenced by recent news from Apple, Amazon and Google:
Apple announced that they were investing $10.5 billion in supply chain robots and automati...
14 December 2013, by
Frank Tobe
Rethink Robotics downsizing: 23% laid off
... The Boston Globe reported that Rethink Robotics, maker of the $22,000 Baxter 2-armed robot, has cut 21 jobs from their staff of approximately 90.
... CEO Scott Eckert said, “The layoffs are the...
13 December 2013, by
Frank Tobe
Frank Tobe on “What were the top stories in robotics from 2013?”
As Editor and Publisher of the Robot Report, I follow robotics news closely, especially in business and finance. Here are my top picks for 2013:...
11 December 2013, by
Frank Tobe
Forget the octocopter, let’s talk about Kiva
Given all the chatter on drones and automation, we thought it would be a good time to dive deeper into the Kiva opportunity and potential impact on leverage/margins. For the sake of our analysis, we t...
10 December 2013, by
Shawn Milne and Michael Carroll
Amazon isn’t the only delivery service testing flying robots
... Amazon isn’t the only delivery service testing flying robots. DHL and microdrones are testing drones that could be used to deliver urgently needed goods to hard-to-reach places, eg, medicines to...
10 December 2013, by
Frank Tobe
Google makes big robotics investment
... In a revealing NY Times interview with Google’s Andy Rubin, some heretofor unknown things came to light. Google is now in the robotics business. They’ve made seven acquisitions in the last six...
06 December 2013, by
Frank Tobe
Jeff Bezos reaches for tip of UAS iceberg
On Sunday, Charlie Rose from CBS News 60 Minutes, interviewed Jeff Bezos about what is next for Amazon, the world's largest online retailer with more than 225 million customers.
Volume can reach 30...
05 December 2013, by
Frank Tobe
Google buys up robotics companies from DRC
If you've recently wondered where all the roboticists were going, the answer is to an unassuming complex in Palo Alto. Google has backed Android developer Andy Rubin to acquire at least 7 major roboti...
04 December 2013, by
Andra Keay
Amazon announces plans for drone delivery service, says safety will be key priority
Amazon announced yesterday that it is developing a drone delivery service called Prime Air that will aim to get packages into customer's hands within 30 minutes. They are planning to launch as soon a...
02 December 2013, by
Hallie Siegel
Apple buys Israel’s PrimeSense for $350 million
Famous from being the synchronized depth perception system inside the Microsoft Kinnect, PrimeSense, a venture-funded company based in Tel Aviv, was just acquired by Apple for $350 million.
Bloomb...
29 November 2013, by
Frank Tobe
Global Machine Vision market to grow at 9.4% CAGR
New report by Research and Markets, Global Machine Vision Market 2012-2016, a $2,500 report, forcasts global machine vision market to grow at a CAGR of 9.4% to 2016....
26 November 2013, by
Frank Tobe
Mazor Robotics on a roll
Mazor Robotics’ stock (NASDAQ:MZOR and TASE:MZOR) has steadily rolled up 260% year-to-date....
25 November 2013, by
Frank Tobe
How I helped create Robo-Stox, a new stock index for the robotics community
Photo: Nasdaq
On Tuesday, a sleek robotic arm rang the closing bell of the Nasdaq stock exchange. It was the first time a robot performed the task.
The event celebrated the launch of Robo-Stox, a...
18 November 2013, by
Frank Tobe
New ETF (NASDAQ:ROBO) focuses on robotics industry
... UPDATE 11/12/13: NASDAQ’s 10-story tall sign was all about Robo-stox LLC, ROBO the ETF, and a Universal Robot with a Schunk hand ringing the NASDAQ closing bell. Quite a spectacle. The arm/hand ...
13 November 2013, by
Frank Tobe
Matching technology to value creation: Drones in agriculture
‘Drones in agriculture’ has been a topic hot lately, but is it a real business?
As a former Army UAV platoon leader and a current founder of an aerial data collection start-up, I believe so, bu...
24 October 2013, by
Robert Morris
Robo-Stox: A dream come true
Throughout my 35-year career in the computer business, I always read and thought about what disruptive technology was ahead. When I had an IBM mainframe, I was looking at the DEC mini-computers and ev...
23 October 2013, by
Frank Tobe
Soon Internet crowdfunding sites will let investors buy stock
... Last year Congress passed Title III of the JOBS Act to allow smaller companies to get an exemption from the strict and costly rules controlling the sale of securities to individuals.
... The SEC ...
23 October 2013, by
Frank Tobe
Start-up profile: Knightscope
What happens when you mix big data analytics, a policeman, homeland security, some funding from an insurance company and robotics?
You get Knightscope, a Santa Clara, California start-up developin...
19 October 2013, by
Frank Tobe
Is open source a good business model for robotics?
Open source vs. proprietary software is an age old question. Since the advent of robotics, we also have the question of open source hardware.
In academia, where robotics researchers look to open so...
09 October 2013, by
RBI Editors
Robert Morris on “Is open source a good business model for robotics?”
The premise of this question is that robotics companies are manufacturers and that there is choice between an open source and closed source business model. Robotics companies are best thought of as ...
09 October 2013, by
Robert Morris
Brian Gerkey on “Is open source a good business model for robotics?”
The IT economy has powerfully demonstrated what happens when companies can leverage open source infrastructure when they build new products and services. A company like Google would never have come ...
09 October 2013, by
Brian Gerkey
Frank Tobe on “Is open source a good business model for robotics?”
To be able to choose between proprietary software packages is to be able to choose your master. Freedom means not having a master. Freedom means not using proprietary software.
- Richard Stallman, o...
09 October 2013, by
Frank Tobe
