The Robot Report’s database now has over 2,300 robotics links in the following directories:

... Industrial robot manufacturers
... Service robots for gov & corp use
... Service robots for personal use
... Ancillary businesses
... Start-up companies
... Educational & research facilities

A global map of robot makers including start-ups is here.

First responder and military ground robots to grow at close to 20%

... New $3,800 report by Wintergreen Research says that first responder and military ground robot marketplace will expand at close to 20% annually for the rest of the decade.
... Expected revenue in 2019 is $12 billion.
... Growth is based on the adoption of automated processes combining innovative software and robotic platforms in systems of engagement that have arms and sensors, tracks and wheels, motors, solid state batteries and leverage smart phones and mobile platforms.
... This report confirms Markets and Markets report which predicts a 17.4% CAGR over same period for service robotics.

Upcoming Robotic Events

... Hamlyn Symposium on Medical Robotics, June 22-25, London, UK
... China Intl Robot Show (CIROS), July 2-5, Shanghai, China
... Automation, Robotics and the Supply Chain conference, July 16-17, Pittsburgh, PA
... AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems 2013, August 12-15, Washington, DC
... TMC’s RobotXWorld Conference & Show, August 27-29, Las Vegas, NV
... DIREX, Dubai Intl. Robotics Exhibition, September 3-7, Dubai, UAE
... AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems Europe 2013, October 15-16, Köln, Germany
... RoboBusiness Santa Clara 2013, October 23-25, Santa Clara, CA
... Pioneer Festival of Entrepreneurship & Exponential Innovation, October 29-31, Vienna, Austria

Are headlines about killer robots obscuring the valuable use of drones for other purposes?

... Are the campaigns to ban killer robots scaring people unnecessarily?
... Is the coverage obscuring the valuable contributions that commercial uses of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) offer?
... There weren’t any headlines about a very helpful drone mapping expedition in Haiti last month.
... Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water is an article you might want to read.

Coming soon to protect texters (like you?)

... CrashAlert is an app under development by Pourang Irani and Juan David Hincapié-Ramos at the University of Manitoba to provide a realistic solution to the ongoing dangers posed by walking and texting. Since users aren’t likely to pocket their devices, the system restores their peripheral vision through the use of a Kinect-like forward-looking depth camera that provides distance and location cues to obstacles in the user’s path.
... Unlike existing apps WalkNText and TypenWalk, which are essentially see-through texting apps, CrashAlert displays a small slice of the depth camera’s image on the mobile’s screen and alerts users of obstacles immediately in front through a red alert prompting users to immediately stop or lift their heads.
... No info on commercialization plans yet but it’s easy to see the market is ripe for the product.
... Photo courtesy of Examiner.com.

Is the commercialization of UASs passing the U.S. by?

... Forget the debate about the military use of drones (but if you must know, here’s a comprehensive FAQ and a United Nations Report on the issue).
... There’s money to be made using those very same unmanned aerial vehicles and systems for commercial purposes. And money is being made by UAS makers and the ancillary businesses that support them in Europe and Australia—but not in the U.S. which will have to play catch-up beginning in late 2015 when the FAA issues rules governing UAS flight in civilian airspace.
... Agriculture, forestry, mining, infrastructure and general surveying, topographical modeling and first responders are just some of the groups that will all benefit from the use of UAS.
... Swiss startup senseFly has 40 engineers producing 60 drones a month at selling prices ranging from $10,000 to $20,000. That’s $18 million a year for senseFly (which was recently acquired by Parrot SA, the French car electronics and AR.Drone maker).
... Airware, an American startup that provides autopilot hardware for UASs, must market outside the US. However, CEO Jonathan Downey says there is plenty of very profitable business outside the United States.

Rethink Robotics’ Baxter and Universal Robots Succeeding

... Almost all industrial robot makers have or are working on lightweight and human-friendly robot arms, but none are offering them at low cost, or with user-friendly training, or plug and play and safety features. There are other robot startups in the SME marketplace - and on the horizon - but none are as far along as Rethink Robotics and Universal Robots.
... Rethink Robotics’ Baxter robots are being produced and sold at a rate of 500+ units for 2013.
... Universal Robots is building 100+ UR5 and UR10 robots a month of which approximately 25-30% are for customers in the U.S.
... Click to see a review of each robot’s features and a couple of examples of how they are being used.

Othermill: a new high quality CNC circuit board fabricator

... Otherfab, a spin-off from San Francisco-based Otherlab, an engineering, energy, education, math, computation and design research facility, surpassed their Kickstarter goal and is well on their way to produce their new CNC device.
... Originally developed to revive shop class in American schools by providing a very capable CNC fabricating machine but stalled by government funding delays, Otherfab’s new CNC Othermill and simple software is designed for ease of use and flexible operation.
... It’s not too late to subscribe to the Kickstarter campaign.

All Eyes on Intuitive Surgical Suit

UPDATED 5-21-2013: Lawyers conclude closing arguments and case given to jurors

... For continuing coverage of not only the court case but also the FDA probe, the JAMA article, the product recall, and the new class action suits, click here.

UPDATED 4-19-2013

... Intuitive Surgical’s marketing director testified that they focused on a category of urologists who have “basic or limited laparoscopic skills who currently perform” traditional prostate removals and that group is “where 80 percent of your clinical [marketing] time should be spent.”
... Intuitive released their first quarter results showing surprisingly high profits and revenue. But Intuitive also narrowed their 2013 revenue projections slightly. The stock market responded with a $21.00 drop in price (4.25%).

UPDATED 4-17-2013

... In first day of trial in State of Washington, in their opening arguments, lawyers stated their cases:
    [Plaintiff] that Intuitive Surgical designed a watered down training program to make it easier for them to sell systems to hospitals thereby compromising surgical quality which, in this case, led to complications which caused a man to die.
    [Defendent] that injuries suffered by the obese and medically-troubled patient occurred after the robotic system was unplugged and not in use; the injuries happened after the robotic surgery was completed. Trial details here.
... A suit alleging injuries tied to the robot surgery system in a 2008 procedure to remove a patient’s prostate claims that the surgeon was not adequately trained and that the results of that lack of training caused mistakes which led to kidney failure, brain damage, permanent incontinence, the need to wear a colostomy bag, and ultimately, heart failure and death.
... An attempt by Intuitive to have the case thrown out was denied because the state’s product-liability laws require medical-device makers to properly train physicians who buy their products.
... There are 12 suits of this type pending trials. But there is also a JAMA article which shows that although the number of robotically assisted procedures is up, their effectiveness is the same as laparoscopic methods but their costs are about $2,000 higher per procedure. However, when reductions in hospital stays and post-recovery work from traditional surgery are added into the mix, robotic surgery is the most cost efficient.
... Also, the FDA has initiated an ongoing probe asking surgeons at numerous hospitals to identify complications with the da Vinci machines.

A conversation with Henri Seydoux

... Armed with €40 million for acquisitions, Parrot S.A. founder, Chairman and CEO Henri Seydoux said that the success of the AR.Drone and AR.Drone 2 proves that there is a large consumer market for the entertainment side of aerial drones.
... Now he and Parrot are going after the professional side: providing mapping and georgraphical information for surveying, construction, mining, agriculture, forestry, environmental observation and protection, and town planning using aerial drones and sophisticated cameras and software.
... Read the details here.

Online job postings for robotic positions up 10% compared to the same 90-day period in 2012

... More than 14,000 jobs were advertised online requiring knowledge or use of robotics in the U.S., according to WANTED Analytics™, a source of real-time business intelligence.
... The most commonly advertised job titles requiring use or knowledge of robotics: Maintenance Technician, Controls Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer, Senior Mechanical Engineer, Physician Urology, Registered Nurse, Electrical Engineer, Software Engineer and Urologist.

Blimp-in-a-box contract causes acquisition

... Global Telesat Corp (think Globalstar, inmarsat and Iridium), and Lighter Than Air Systems, were awarded a DoD contract to provide the Army with two Blimp-in-a-Box systems.
... In order to fulfill that contract and to benefit from future collaborations of a similar nature, Lighter Than Air Systems agreed to be acquired in an almost all-stock transaction worth about $1 million by World Surveillance Group.
... All three companies are Florida-based defense contractors.
... Blimp-in-a-box is designed to provide real-time day/night high definition footage for ISR, IED detection, border security and other governmental and civilian uses. The system is packaged in a crate, mounted to a trailer, and can be rapidly deployed within minutes by a two man crew.

Updated Robotics Roadmap Presented to US Congress

... The Roadmap’s pdf is a must-read, full of real information, and can be downloaded here.
... Six sectors were reviewed: (1) Manufacturing, (2) Medical Robots, (3) Healthcare Robotics, (4) Service Robots (both professional and domestic), (5) Space and (6) Defense were all discussed.
... Congress was asked to invest in core science challenges stimulating development and solutions across all six sectors - challenges like robust 3D perception, planning and navigation, dexterous manipulation, intuitive HRI, and safe robot behavior.

Which companies provide robotic systems to the military?

... As awareness of the use of robotic drones on borders and by police departments across America is rising, a debate is taking place as to their value, potential misuse and future.
... My friends at Robohub are running a week-long series of focused stories on the subject and, in an attempt to add to the conversation, The Robot Report has provided a list of 29 of the publicly-traded companies worldwide that produce these types of robotic devices along with a sobering quote from President Dwight Eisenhower.
... As we sit today on the cusp of allowing potential spy drones into our civilian airspace—along with all the good that commercial aerial robots can also provide—it seems that we will have to live with some misuse. In 2009 Hong Kong police arrested burglars who were casing prospective condos by sending camera-studded aerial drones up to the windows for a look-see.

Management Shakeup at Adept Technology

... Rob Cain replaces John Dulchinos as CEO of Adept Technology. Cain has worked with Adept for the past few months as an advisor and representative of Hale Capital Partners and crafted a restructuring plan approved by the company and it’s financial partners.
... Adept reported poor sales and lower than expected gross margins for the first two quarters of fiscal 2013. This after suffering a net loss and reduced margins for FY 2012.
... Adept’s stock took a hit last November when it became known that the company would initiate a restructuring plan and a second recent hit upon notice of the change in leadership.

Oshkosh and Lockheed Capitalizing On Demand For Military AGVs

... The Oshkosh TerraMax UGV (right) is capable of tele-operations, being a leader or follower, and fully autonomous operation. The Marine Corps are evaluating it as part of their Cargo UGV initiative.
... Lockheed Martin’s SMSSs (squad mission support systems) (left) are rolling off the line for deployment in Afghanistan after winning the Army Project Workhorse competition. The SMSS has the capability to be remotely operated via satellite link. It can also carry 1,100 pounds of cargo and serve as a remote surveillance unit.

Is this the cheapest floor robot?

... O-Duster is an O-Cedar product from Channell Chemical Company, a division of the Freudenberg Group, a German conglomerate.
... The O-Duster has an auto-navigation feature and mops an area similar to the way other robotic vacuums do.
... The O-Duster will be available at U.S. retailers including HEB, Publix, ShopRite, Target, Wal-Mart and Winn Dixie for $39.99. Electrostatic pad refills are available in packs of 20 for $8.99.

Automate and ProMat in Freezing Chicago: A Recap

... Automate 2013 held last week in Chicago seemed all about integrating vision capabilities into robotic tasks. The epitome of this was the Industrial Perception robot quickly choosing and grabbing randomly sized and stacked boxes from the back of a truck.
... The new collaborative cage-free robots from Rethink Robotics and Universal Robots drew large crowds.
... Another crowd-pleaser was Adept’s new mobility platform, Lynx, which doesn’t require floor or ceiling markings for it to safely guide itself from place to place.
... The vendors at ProMat don’t call their robots robots; they referred to them as being automatic or autonomous material handling devices and systems.
... Read more.

Intuitive Surgical’s stock jumps 11% in two days; iRobot is up 9% in a single day

... 4th quarter earnings were 23% higher than last year’s Q4 and income rose 16%. That’s 15 straight quarters beating analysts expectations. 2012 revenue was $2.178 billion. Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) expects revenue growth to be 16%-19% for 2013.
... iRobot (NASDAQ:IRBT) didn’t report earnings or expectations. It announced that it’s autonomous platform used by InTouch Health in their new RP-VITA remote presence robot had received FDA approval to move from point to point within a hospital. This form of autonomous movement is a big thing because it doesn’t require floor markings and certifies that iRobot’s mobility and sensoring technologies are safe in the hospital environment.

GA Tech’s Henrik Christensen Gives Keynote Speech at Automate 2013

... In keynote, Dr. Henrik Christensen, Director of Robotics, GA Tech, described the technologies, advancements and myriad evidences of dramatic movement in robotics.
... The Roadmap for U.S. Robotics is being revised to reflect these changes and advancements—and will be presented to Congress in March.
... Christensen cited as a significant evidence that Foxconn, Apple and Lennovo are all building new factories—in America!
... Chicago is having a severe chill but Automate and ProMat are well-attended and lively.
... Details and highlights will follow after show closes.

Leap Motion gets $30 million for new Kinect-like device

... Hot new Leap Motion Kinect-like product gets another $30 million (bringing the total to $44 million).
... Leap Motion controller senses individual hand and finger movements so you can interact directly with your computer.
... Device covers range of 8 cubic feet of 3D interaction space.
... Sales price of $70. Available in the spring.
... Bye bye mice.

Big 4 Robotic Stocks Outperform Dow Jones

... All the projections suggested that industrial robot stocks would perform well this year (and for the foreseeable future), and they did.
... KUKA’s stock did particular well on expectations that their extensive movement into the Chinese marketplace (with new offices and factories in China) would yield significant rewards.
... Click to enlarge.

Lots of robots at CES, January 10-13 in Las Vegas

... Many new vendors selling robotic consumer products at this year’s show. Robstep showing off their Segway-like devices; iRobot with their floor and pool cleaner bots and AVA platform; lots of toys; even IEEE and their new iPad app about robots have a booth.
... ECOVACS’ Winbot window cleaning robot (shown above) is getting a lot of pre-press hoopla.
... 3D printer companies 3D Systems, Affinia and MakerBot all have booths.
... Most of the car companies will be showing and telling about their new autonomous technologies, eg, Mercedes will be displaying their new robotic steering assist option for their 2014 S-Class cars.
... Click here to see the complete exhibitor list.

SwRI and ROS-Industrial making progress on 5th anniversary of ROS

... In 2011, Motoman USA partnered with SwRI (Southwest Research Institute) to enable ROS software to be available to Motoman users. “The next step for industrial robotics is to be more sensor aware; to be able to accomodate the many new capabilities showing up in the service sector. It’s clear that ROS is able to handle all of these,” said Erik Nieves, Technology Director for Yaskawa America’s Motoman Robotics Division.
... From that venture came the SwRI-led ROS-Industrial Consortium (2012), dedicated to providing a common interoperable software language for existing industrial hardware. Last month, Fraunhofer IPA became the ROS-I organizer for the EU.
... ROS-I enables workcell visualization and simulation capabilities, and material handling in dynamic environments with on-the-fly object ID and grasp planning. It allows 2D-vision and 3D-point cloud perception systems.
... “It’s an exciting time in industrial robotics,” said SwRI senior research engineer Shaun Edwards. “After the economic downturn, the U.S. is now seeing a new government focus on manufacturing, a surge of venture capital spending in this area, and a trend toward returning manufacturing to homeland countries due to rising labor costs in other countries.”
... This is also the 5th anniversary of ROS. There are many hundreds of robots running ROS. More than 90 types and 28 robots come with supported installation instructions.

Iceland’s Össur wins PopSci Best of What’s New award for Symbionic Leg

... Iceland’s Össur, a company which develops, manufactures and sells non-invasive orthopaedic and bionic prosthetics, received a Popular Science Magazine’s 2012 “Best of What’s New” award for Össur’s new Symbionic Leg.
... The world’s first complete bionic leg, Össur’s Symbionic Leg combines a bionic microprocessor knee and a powered bionic ankle with proactive powered ankle flexion into a single, integrated unit. Its on-board Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems and sophisticated motion sensors enable the leg to quickly learn its user’s walking style and make real-time adjustments according to changes in speed, stride or surface.
... Two other robotic winners from the PopSci “Best of What’s New”: Boston Dynamics’ Sand Flea, an 11# camera-toting robot that drives like an RC car but can jump 26’ in the air, and Lockheed Martin/Kaman’s K-Max autonomous cargo helicopter which has been carrying up to 3-ton loads as far as 250 miles for the last year in Afghanistan.

OmniGuide in the news

... Cambridge, MA-based OmniGuide recently got $35 million non-dilutive financing from OrbiMed Advisors enabling company to grow toward profitability over the next several years.
... OmniGuide’s new BeamPath laser system used in novel robot-assisted minimally invasive laser surgery for fibroids at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital. Operation was broadcast live to an international audience of over 1,000 specialists attending the annual ASRM (American Society for Reproductive Medicine) meeting in San Diego.

New Russian entrant into creepiest robot face contest

... Neurobotics, a Russian brain research organization, has just released videos of their new human-like woman robotic head. Click to see their video.
... Hanson Robotics, whose Einstein head is shown above, Kokoro, a Japanese robot manufacturer, and Japanese professor Hiroshi Ishiguro are all known for their realistic android heads - all of which have given the creeps to many and helped coin the term “uncanny valley.”

Fly and film in HD

... Parrot (PARRO on the Euronext Paris exchange), a French company famous for its audio and wireless devices for phones and cars, unveiled their first AR.Drone at CES in 2010 to huge crowds (I was there). The updated AR.Drone 2 was previewed at CES 2012 and is now available for sale. The big difference is the addition of a HD wide angle video camera.
... AR.Drone sales now represent over 10% of Parrot’s overall revenue. This novel quadcopter, which can be flown from an iPad, iPhone or other smart phone, is opening new retail markets for Parrot products.  More than 300,000 AR.Drones have been sold thus far.
... Their aftermarket sales and support - including tutorials - is a valuable and smart business add-on to expand sales and keep users happy.
... Parrot recently purchased two companies to complement their AR.Drone project and perhaps enter the UAS market with more serious products: senseFly and Pix4D.

NAO, WALL-E, PackBot and BigDog inducted into Robot Hall of Fame

... Aldebaran Robotics’ NAO humanoid robot won in the Education & Consumer category.
... WALL-E, the star of the 2008 Disney/Pixar movie of the same name, won in the Entertainment category.
... iRobot‘s PackBot robot won in the Industrial & Service category.
... Boston Dynamics’ BigDog won the Research category.
... All were selected by popular vote to represent contemporary robotics and all were inducted at a show last night at the Robot Hall of Fame Museum in Pittsburgh.

New Commercial Aerial Drone Introduced

... senseFly, a Swiss start-up, launched their new eBee aerial photography drone with funding from a recent equity investment by Parrot (of AR.Drone quadcopter fame). With it’s 3’ wingspan the eBee can fly for 45 minutes in up to 25 mph winds.
... Two kinds of software drive the eBee: one to create a flight path and the other to turn the 2D geotagged images into 3d maps and reports.
... Two videos explain the process.

Fast Food: Another Robotic Frontier

... A machine that makes a 10.5” pizza from scratch in 2.5 minutes is beginning to appear in malls, student unions and other public places in Europe.
... A cupcake ATM machine created long lines at a Beverly Hills cupcake store and will soon be showing up in Chicago and New York too.
... And robotic arms are dispensing frozen yogurt and ice cream and sprinkling them with various toppings.
... All have simple-to-use order entry and payment screens and all let the user see what’s going on inside the machine.
... Read the details and get the company names here.

Y-T-D Robo-Stox™ Not In Sync With Sales

... The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) said that 2011 was the most successful year for both industrial and service robot company sales:
    ... Industrial robot sales were up 38% from 2010; 166,000 robots were sold of which 34% went to the automotive sector.
    ... Service robot sales were up 9% from 2010 and reflected 16,408 units of which 32% went to the defense sector.
    ... Personal and domestic robot sales were up 15% over 2010 and reflected 2.5 million units, $636 million in sales, mostly in toys and robot vacuums.
... Nevertheless, publicly-traded robotics stocks seem to be mirroring the Dow Jones Industrial Average instead of the more technically savvy NASDAQ. Japanese and Korean stocks are still suffering from the effects of the earthquake, tsunami, nuclear meltdown and reduced power.
... Click graph to enlarge country-by-country results.

Remote Presence Products Proliferating

... Y-Combinator’s Spring 2012 success story Double Robotics, which has already sold 600 units in pre-orders, just received another $250,000 from the new Grishin Robotics Robotic Investment Fund, a fund whose strategy is to invest in consumer-oriented products at the scale-up stage of their development.
... Double Robotics’ mobile iPad stand sells for $2,499 and utilizes the cameras, speakers and mic from an iPad as well as many of the sensors on their mobile pole with an iPad on top. It is driven from the user’s laptop, wherever they may be.
... An even less expensive device (somewhere less than $300), cuter for sure, getting $93,000 in production funding from a Kickstarter presentation, is Botiful, a social presence device. 300 pre-sold devices are in production. Plans for scaling up for further sales are still in the planning phase.
... UPDATE: 9/25: Today’s launch of Willow Garage spin-off Suitable Technologies and their new $16,000 Beam mobile remote presence device adds a new and well-funded product into the marketplace. Originally called Texai when Willow Garage produced them, they are now improved in many ways, including having their own docking station and having 4 wireless radios (and proprietary software) to handle transitions between wifi access points.
... The big news with the Beam launch is that Scott Hassan, the private and somewhat aloof founder of Willow Garage, will be the day-to-day CEO of Suitable Technologies.

Buyer Beware

... This paid-for ad appeared in the Huffington Post.
... Investing in robotic stocks is complicated and some stocks aren’t worth that investment. I wrote about that, and about Quantum International, in a recent post.
Read that article.

7 Automation/Robotics Stocks To Profit From Global Automation

... Credit Suisse recently chose 7 stocks to profit from the trend toward global automation. All 7 stocks are evaluated with a brief description, their reason for selecting the stock for the list, and opinions as to the companies: Siemens AG, Rockwell Automation, Delta Electronics, Keyence, Mitsubishi Electric and TECO.
... The opinions expressed are based on an in-depth overview of what is happening in factory automation, industrial robotics and other types of robotics invoved in the production, movement and handling of products over the next few years.
... Interesting overview, company profiles, alternate company suggestions and projections.
... Read the article.

A Factory of Robots to Make Uniforms

... There was an uproar when it became known that China is producing the uniforms and flags for the American Olympic team for this year’s London Olympics.
... The Pentagon is worried about the same situation regarding our military’s uniforms and has contracted SoftWear Automation to build a complete robotic production facility to cut, assemble and sew uniforms.
... A retired GA Tech professor published a paper on the subject - describing a fully automated work cell with vision controlled cutters and sewing machines.
... Details here.

Join the Wild Ride

… Job Opening at ReThink Robotics “for a developer relations engineer—a person to lead development of a ROS-based SDK for a new low cost manipulator that will be readily available for researchers and educators, and to interact with researchers worldwide to make sure the SDK is useful for them,” says CTO and founder Rodney Brooks.
… Imagine a ROS-based software developer kit (SDK) to make apps for ReThink robots. Then imagine that you can put your app online and sell it to companies around the world with a similar need - just like the app store for your iPhone and iPad.
… Here’s the link where you can apply. Good luck!

Robots and Ethical Choices

... The Economist in recent weeks has printed a series of articles about robots but this video about robo-ethics is particularly clear and worth a few minutes of your time.
... Or read the book by George Bekey and Patrick Lim, “Robot Ethics: The Ethical and Social Implications of Robotics (Intelligent Robotics and Autonomous Agents series)” from The MIT Press.

6,000 Job Ads for Robotics In May

... During May 2012, 6,000 job ads for robotics were posted - a 29% year-over-year growth and twice the volume of similar ads in May 2010, reported Wanted Analytics, a Canadian research firm providing “business intelligence for the talent marketplace.”
... 33% of the job postings were for healthcare practitioners with a robotics skill set and Phoenix, Detroit, New York City, Sacramento and Chicago had the highest number of want ads.
... Good info in want ads: Lenovo in Shenzhen wants a PhD Roboticist to lead movement to vision and interactive intelligence based on cloud computing.

Heartland Robotics Gets $30 million, a New Name and Provides an Outline of Their New Product

... Rethink Robotics (formerly Heartland Robotics) announced that it has secured $30 million in Series C funding to launch the company’s new robot product, begin development of new product lines and expand sales, marketing and services operations.
... This latest round of funding brings the total raised by Heartland/Rethink to $62 million.
... Descriptors for their new product includes the following: “can perform simple tasks in a manufacturing environment, increasing the productivity of the people around them who are doing the more highly skilled and value-added work.” And, “can be taken out of the box, taught a task by an untrained factory worker, and be productive in a few hours, eliminating the need for systems integration. They are safe to interact with people at close range and are easy to train and retrain on the fly.”

Some robotic stocks are defying the down markets

... Stocks of industrial robot makers Adept, Denso, Yushin and Fanuc are doing well year-to-date as are service robot makers Swisslog, Technip, Sohgo Alsok, Thermo Fisher, Perkin Elmer and Accuray.
... Ancillary businesses to the robotics industry bucking the trend include IsraVision, Jenoptik, Harmonic Drive (JP), Keyence and Cimetrix.
... Surprisingly, defense conglomerates with a robotics component like Qinetiq, Dassault, Exponent, EADS, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Teledyne and Textron are also outperforming the year-to-date markets.

First Kiva Systems and now Intelligrated! Who’s Next?

... What is it about automated robotic warehousing? Amazon just acquired Kiva Systems for $775 million and now Permira, a European private equity firm, announced that it was acquiring Intelligrated for an amount in excess of $500 million! The deal is expected to close after the summer.
... Intelligrated designs, manufactures, and/or integrates and installs complete material handling solutions for warehouses, distribution centers and consumer product manufacturing operations and includes a line of palletizing robots along with more conventional conveyor systems.

Teledyne Technologies Acquires BlueView

... BlueView Technologies, a provider of underwater vision systems for many underwater robotics providers, announced that it would be acquired by Teledyne effective in July.
... BlueView delivers instrumentation for underwater vision, monitoring, survey, detection and navigation and has pioneered new technologies in compact forward-looking imaging sonar, microbathymetry systems and 3D scanning sonar.
... Teledyne RD Instruments, itself a subsidiary of Teledyne Technologies, will be the acquiring agent.
... Sale prices was not announced.

Wackiness and STEM-stimulation at MakerFaire

... MakerFaire 2012 was a glorious success. A fire-breathing dragon; the audience pedal-powering the electronics for a concert; a dozen R2-D2s; lectures on everything from laser cutting to DARPA’s new STEM outreach program; 3D printers; turkey legs and corn-on-the-cob; and people dressed for the occasion. Click to see 44 pics.
... MakerFaire, besides being fun and wacky, is a mecca for hands-on, interactive demos of STEM-stimulating software and devices. Topobo (center pic) is the perfect example. A snap-together robotic toy with the ability to record and playback physical motion, invented at the MIT Media Lab, had kids, parents and teachers enthralled.
... Don’t pass up the next MakerFaire—in New York, September 29-30. It’s an inspiring experience.

New spin-off from SRI: Grabit gaining traction

... Grabit’s electroadhesion gripping products provide a technique for holding or grasping objects without the need of bulky, energy-intensive clamping or vacuum suction devices.
... Grabit’s “grippers” are actually flexible soft pads which, at the flick of a switch, will cling or stick to things to which it comes in contact.  Electroadhesion is like a magnet that forms an attraction to almost any material.
... At a recent forum at SRI, Charlie Duncheon, the new CEO, evangelized about Grabit’s reinventing of the way robots grasp objects.

Recon Robotics: In the news with sales and acquisitions

... Last month Recon acquired Xollai LLC, a systems engineering firm with a broad base of intellectual property in automated guidance technology, optics-based autonomous control systems, and image processing and recognition.
... This month Recon received an order for Scout XT robots for the Washington, DC area for 13 different urban area police, sheriff and security agencies.

2012 Robotics H.S. Championships Energize Thousands

... 30,000+ fans, family, educators and industry leaders attended the 2012 FIRST Championship held in Atlanta, Georgia. More than 600 teams from 32 countries competed in the three levels of FIRST competitions.
... One week earlier, in Anaheim, California, the 2012 VEX Robotics World Championship boasted similar-sized crowds and included top teams from over 230 VEX Robotics Competition tournaments which happened in cities around the world from May 2011 to March 2012.
... Both events concluded months of design, construction, software development and competitions leading to the championship contests in Atlanta and Anaheim, all the while providing sports excitement with the rigors of science and technology.

iRobot stock plunges again on Q1 earnings report… but then rebounds

... Click to enlarge.
... After suffering a 33% price drop early February upon announcing that future governmental sales would be down because of DoD cutbacks and delays, iRobot drops another 6.5% when actual Q1 earnings were reported.
... Quarterly earnings were 2 cents per share versus $0.27 last year Q1; the company said earnings would grow to 5 to thirteen cents in the next three months.
... To bolster consumer sales, iRobot just launched a new ad program for their home products with the tagline, “iRobot. Do you?”

GM Robo-Glove to help workers relieve hand stress

... One of the features of the GM/NASA co-development of Robonaut 2, the robotic assistant now residing in the space station, was the grasping capabilities of its hands.
... GM has now translated those robotic features to help factory workers reduce gripping and squeezing muscle tension with the use of a robotic glove called Robo-Glove.
... Says GM’s Marty Linn, “We don’t know yet what the best applications will be… our approach is to try it out on a bunch of tasks and let the operators, who are the real experts, tell us whether it helps or not.”

Military Ground Robotics Displayed in San Diego

... Robots of all types were displayed at the Ground Robotics Capabilities Conference and Exhibition held in San Diego and sponsored by the National Defense Industrial Association and the DoD.
... Hits were Recon Robotics’ Scout XT, iRobot‘s FirstLook throwable robot, and HDT‘s MK2 robotic arm.
... In recent weeks Recon Robotics received Marine and Army orders for 1,100 of their Scout XT robots ($13.9 million) and iRobot received a DoD order for 105 of their FirstLook robots ($1.5 million).

LIDAR finds a lost city in Cambodia

... Using LIDAR technology to create terrain maps, archaeologists have uncovered a whole city in Cambodia by discovering unexplained “bumps”.
... Instead of using maps and sifting through slowly unfolding digs, with this new tech researchers can see whole cities at a time and determine where best to begin.
... In Cambodia, where unexploded land mines from previous wars remain, LIDAR mapping is particularly helpful.
... Interesting video.

Use of da Vinci surgical robots discussed on NBC’s Rock Center with Brian Williams

... NBC’s Rock Center focused on the case of a da Vinci surgical robot used to do a hysterectomy where dangerous complications ensued. A suit is in progress.
... The ACOG (American Congress of Gynocologists) suggests that doctors help patients separate marketing hype from reality regarding hysterectomies.
... NBC’s bottom line: “Hospitals have a responsibility to set the bar higher than they have. This is really exciting technology. But great technology does not make great surgeons; great surgeons make the technology even better.”
... Watch the NBC video.
… Read about a just-concluded trial where Intuitive Surgical was found not guilty here.

$201 million in venture funding in 2012; up from $194 in 2011

... Roboticist and entrepreneur Travis Deyle keeps tract of venture funding during the year and has provided not just a list, but a profile of the companies receiving the money.
... Report doesn’t include big-buck acquisitions of Kiva for $775 million, Evolution Robotics for $74 million, Aldebaran for $100 million, and smaller than a million fundings.
... 2012 funding list.
... 2011 funding list.

New robot cars and AI app shown at Apple Developer’s Conference

... First thing shown at Apple Developer’s Conference was Anki’s new AnkiDrive app and cars.
... Three self-driving cars steered themselves around a track. The cars sense their surroundings and adjust their speeds based on the same processes our brains perform while driving.
... “We are bringing video games to life on the floor of your livingroom,” CEO Boris Sofman said during his presentation.
... $50 million funding from 3 VCs led by Andreessen, Horowitz.
... Watch the teaser video.

An inspiring story by an aspiring roboticist

... Forsyth Central High School student Brandon Gross writes about his school, his city (Cumming, GA) and Forsyth County involvement in competitive robotics as a method to teach and learn about engineering, math, science and technology.
... The underlying issues are the use of robotics to stimulate STEM training in middle and high schools and the need for mentoring and local business participation, all of which are described in this interesting and inspiring article.

Tibion Bionic Leg Wins IERA Award

... The Tibion Bionic Leg won the 2013 IERA (Invention and Entrepreneurship Award in Robotics and Automation) Prize at the recent ICRA Conference in Karlsruhe, Germany.
... The device is not a prosthesis (artificial limb), or a device a patient wears indefinitely. It is a robotic aid worn during therapy sessions over weeks or months, until the patient recovers their gait so they can walk without it.
... Previous winners of the IERA award include the Kiva robot, the exoskeleton HAL by Cyberdyne, the Aldebaran NAO robot and the UR5 and UR10 robots from Universal Robots.
... Tibion was recently acquired by AlterG, a rehab products company.

Jury finds Intuitive Surgical’s training practices NOT at fault

... Jurors reached a 10-2 verdict after a 5-week trial. Intuitive Surgical owes no damages based on claims by the family that Intuitive had inadequately trained the doctor who performed the operation.
... The win may reduce the steam in the kettle of the pending class action suits about false claims by the company regarding their financial performance.
... In after hours trading, and then during the trading day, as news of the verdict came out, the stock (NASDAQ:ISRG) rose to $501, a 5% gain.
... For further details, see the Bloomberg story,  watch the video from the local TV station and read the review by Everything-Robotic.

SWIVL finds it’s niche

... IndieGoGo-funded swiveling personal camera and follow-me device has sold 10,000 units thus far; 1,250 to schools and universities.
... Now they are scaling up with upgraded capabilities and a new round of funding including $500,000 from Grishin Robotics.
... New SWIVL can handle iPads and tablets, cloud services and SDKs from Apple and Android.
... Educators and business people are finding it helpful for capturing classroom and meeting content.

Are Accelerators the new Incubators and Angel Investors?

... Tech startups can lead to big business. Last year Y Combinator reported their top 21 projects were worth $4.7 billion! Just last week Airware, a Y Combinator startup, received the biggest round of funding in YC history ($10.7 million).
... Y Combinator is certainly the most well known and the most visual leader in the new accelerator model of startup funding, i.e., invest a small amount of money in a large number of startups. The startups move close by for a few months during which the cadre works intensively with the startup team to get them into the best possible shape for investors.
... Last year Forbes produced a Top 10 Startup Incubators and Accelerators List.
... This year Robohub contributor Andra Keay produced a robotics-friendly list.

Airware Gets $10.7M from Andreessen Horowitz and Google Ventures to Build Autopilot Systems for UASs

... Airware, a Newport Beach, CA start-up offering autopilots for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) enabling UAS manufacturers to rapidly develop diverse and price competitive solutions while maintaining their intellectual property.
... Airware made it into Y Combinator’s Winter 2013 class. The company’s $10.4M Series A funding from Andreessen Horowitz and Google Ventures is the biggest post-Demo Day round in YC history.
... Airware will be competing with 3D Robotics’ PX4FMU, an open source high-performance autopilot targeted towards high-end research, amateur and industry needs. PX4FMU is for fixed wing, multi rotors, helicopters, cars, boats and any other robotic platform that can move, and Dreamhammer’s Ballista control system, a commercial version of their drone control software already used by the military.

ROS Industrial celebrates one-year anniversary

... ROS-I is developing and promoting a manufacturer-independent open-source library of drivers and the transfer of established components from research to industry - not just h/w interfaces and MS, IOS and Android support, but legal and standardization issues as well.
... Interchangeability of h/w components through standardized interfaces and intelligent software components for flexible production are the benefits.
... With centers covering The Americas (located at SwRI in Texas) and for Europe (located at Fraunhofer IPA in Germany), ROS-I is looking for a partner to cover Asia.
... A one-year video montage shows some industrial robotics applications made possible by ROS-I. One can see ROS-I controlling robots by ABB, KUKA, Fanuc, Adept, Universal Robots, and Yaskawa-Motoman.

13 robotic innovations among 2013 Edison Award winners

... The Edison Awards, created by the American Marketing Association in 1987 but now a self-sustaining non-profit, jury-selects and annually awards for innovation and innovators in technology.
... 2013’s winners include 13 robotic companies and 4 more that came from the fields of automation or sensing. Rethink Robotics’ Baxter, iRobot’s Looj and Liquid Robotics’ Wave Glider all won gold medals in their respective categories.
... All 17 companies are profiled here.

KUKA acquires US integrator and toolmaker

... For an amount “in the low double digit million Euro range,” KUKA has acquired the engineering services, toolmaking and integration divisions of US-based Utica Enterprises. 300 people are involved in the acquisition.
... “With this acquisition KUKA Systems is leveraging its technologies. Our customers will benefit from an expanded manufacturing footprint, talent pool and knowledge base with greater economies of scale” said Lawrence Drake, CEO of KUKA Systems North America, a wholly-owned subsidiary of KUKA AG, one of the world’s leading suppliers of robotics and plant and systems engineering.

Robo-Stox™ Y-T-D country-by-country results confusing

... Japan robotics companies are rebounding quite well, helped by recovery from the twin disasters of 2012 and the value of the yen going down.
... Israel service robot companies, particularly medical and defense related, are also doing well.
... US and EU companies are doing about as well as the DJIA and NASDAQ indices.

Rethink Robotics and Aldebaran both launch robots for research, teaching and custom development

... Rethink Robotics just launched a version of their Baxter robot armed with a new SDK providing educators and researchers with almost limitless capabilities at an affordable cost. Using ROS and the new SDK, educators and researchers have the ability to share innovations and build on each other’s work and know-how. Read their press release.
... Aldebaran Robotics’ launched their ASK NAO (Autism Solution for Kids) initiative for use in special education and for children with autism. More humanoid than Baxter, NAO is kid-sized, the new program provides educators with planning, monitoring and analyzing interactions to help set up lessons with NAO. Read the press release.
... Although Baxter and NAO have different capabilities, the ability for researchers and educators to easily program applications - and share those apps with others - is hoped by both companies (Aldebaran and Rethink) to accelerate new capabilities and apps for commercial use.

iRobot stock jumps 14% on Q1 earnings and 2013 projections

... iRobot’s stock (ISRG:NASDAQ) jumped 14% today on yesterday’s earnings report which exceeded analysts’ expectations for both the quarterly earnings and the annual projections.
... “We kicked off 2013 with an outstanding quarter,” said Colin Angle, chairman and chief executive of iRobot in a statement. “The results and outlook for our home Robot business are excellent.”
... Domestic home robot revenue grew 44% in Q1 representing 14% year-over-year increase. International home robot revenue was $61.3 million (66% of total for quarter).
... “The DoD announced a $14.4 million order for FirstLook robots during the quarter which gives us confidence in achieving our full year expectations.”

New Report Shows That Robots CREATE Jobs

... At an International Federation of Robotics (IFR) CEO Round Table held at Automate 2013, in Chicago, IFR executives presented a recap of a new research report on the positive impact of industrial robots on employment.
... The report, prepared by British market research company Metra Martech, updates a 2011 report on the same subject with three conclusions:
    1. Only robots can produce precision and consistency standards at an affordable cost demanded by the global economy.
    2. Although the recession has temporarily reduced attention to unsatisfactory work conditions, enhancing work conditions is a driving force for using robots.
    3. Robots are a critical factor in re-balancing of world manufacturing economies by reducing the threat by low labor cost countries (off-shoring).
... Based on IFR data through 2011, the report projects potential job creation by robotics between 2012 and 2020 to be 1.9 to 3.5 million jobs. This is the sum of new robotic products (.55 to 1.4 million), current industry expansion (.45 to .70) and downstream jobs (.90 to 1.4).
... The report also projects an additional 2-3 million jobs from downstream activities.

UPDATED 4-9-2013

... The updated report, which can be downloaded here, is sufficiently transparent such that one can readily accept their position regarding projecting 2-3.5 million new jobs from 2012 to 2020.
... But the report is seriously unsubstantiated in the effects of offsets for jobs displaced and in the multiplier effect of downstream jobs. Details of the review can be read here.

Year-to-date Robo-Stox™ Results

... The robotics industry as a whole appears to have fully recovered from the stock market crash in 2008 and, in most cases, has returned to or surpassed their highs of 2007.
... Some of the country-by-country results are slightly skewed because of dramatic stock increases by a few performers in volatile sectors: Mazor Surgical (MZOR:IL), MDA (MDA:TSO) and the 3D printer manufacturers 3D Systems (DDD:NYSE) and Stratasys (SSYS:NASDAQ) are cases in point.
... Although the industrial robotics sector is still down from 2007/2008, the big four are doing quite well—click here to see the chart.

Quadcopters Advertising New Star Trek Movie

... A squadron of 30 LED-studded Ascending Technologies quadcopters hovered above Potters Fields Park near London’s Tower Bridge and, in conjunction with Earth Hour, formed a three-dimensional Star Trek logo in the night sky - a treat slash advertisement from Paramount, the producer of the new movie “Star Trek - Into Darkness” which will be released in May.
... Similar in theatrics to the Kmel Robotics and Saatchi & Saatchi show last year at the Cannes Film Festival, the Ars Electronica Futurelab Paramount swarming quadcopter light shows in London and Linz, Austria took to the outdoors, away from overhead control sensors, and into the wild beyond to produce a wildly interesting and colorful flight show.
... Videos of the Cannes show are here; videos from London and Linz are here.

Liquid Robotics Gets $45 Million To Continue Double-Digit Growth

... Liquid Robotics today is a far cry from it’s initial goal of recording whale songs. Today that function and those recordings are the domain of the Jupiter Foundation and Liquid is focusing on making wave gliders for industry, government and science.
... Liquid Robotics just received a $45 million “E” round of funding and adds Riverwood Capital (of GoPro fame) to their stable of VCs. Total funding since 2005 is $85 million.
... 200+ Liquid Robotics Wave Gliders are at work on the seas in one of three areas of oceanography: (1) monitoring oil and gas operations, (2) assisting naval ops with classified activities, and (3) providing scientific, weather and other oceanographic data for commercial and scientific purposes.
... Liquid plans to expand their marketing and sales staff and to double their fleet by the end of 2013, hence the need for the additional capital. “Approximately half of the fleet is involved with the Schlumberger oil and gas joint venture,” said Steven Springsteel, Liquid’s new COO/CFO. Springsteel also said that the vast majority of Liquid’s activities are profit-making and profitable.
... Springsteel commented that the new funds will be used to grow the business to a sustainable profitability without having to go public.

Foxconn Foxbot Update

... Ilian Bonev, a robotics prof at the ÉTS in Quebec, blogged “The truth about Foxconns Foxbot industrial robots,” and included a 2008 Foxbot brochure which shows the specs for their entire robotics product line. Also included is a video showing a row of Foxbots handling, grinding and sanding what appears to be iPad back covers.
... Click to see the Foxbot brochure.
... Prof. Bonev thinks that with their present line-up of Foxbots, Foxconn won’t be able to meet Chairman Gou’s timetable to deploy 1 million robots by 2015 and in fact were only able to produce and install 15-30,000 Foxbots in 2012.
... The WSJ also reported on Foxconn’s lack of robot deployment progress in an article entitled: “Hon Hai Hits Obstacles in Push to Use Robots”.
… But, according to Liu Kun, a spokesman for Foxconn, “We have canceled hiring entry level workers, a decision that is partly associated with our efforts in production automation.” This is what Foxconn Chairman Gou said would happen when he began the massive robot deployment program in Foxconn factories.

Eight robotic toys and gadgets hitting the market this year

... Eight new gadgets, gimmicks and toys will hit the market this year.
... Shown above is the new Grillbot; others include a little robot to clean your iPhone or iPad screen; WowWee’s new robot that can replace it’s head with your iPhone and you can remotely operate it; the new sleekly styled Romo; a new updated version of Lego’s Mindstorm kit which takes advantage of new sensors, cameras and capabilities; and a few more.
... Read the article..

Robot Vision Systems Providers Doing Well

... In a recent $4,650 research report by Market & Market, a TX-based research firm, they projected that machine vision systems and components will grow at an annual rate of 8%+ for 2013 to 2018. They attribute this growth to increased processing power, reduced costs and growth in robotics and automation thereby increasing the scope and need of machine vision technology in a wider range of production applications.
... Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX), one of the largest providers in the machine vision industry, just set new records for 2012 revenue. Net profits were 21%!

Grishin Fund Invests In Hardware Incubator

... Grishin Robotics continues it’s formulaic long-term investment strategy in robotics by partnering into the start-up mechanism. In this case its a new hardware incubator called Bolt located in Boston and connected with local robotics angel investors Colin Angle, Mick Mountz, Brad Feld, Semyon Dukach, and many other VCs.
... Bolt, a Boston-based hardware incubator (and not to be confused with Bolt Technology of CT), plans to help robotic and other connected device hardware startups with seed capital, an extensive mentorship program, and access to manufacturing DFM and DFA expertise as well as a shop full of metalworking, electronics, model-making and other prototyping equipment.
... Boston already has 5 Hackerspaces, and 10+ incubators but none as robotically focused as the new Bolt. We wish them well!

Willow Garage Changes Direction

... Willow Garage announced today that they are changing direction and deciding to focus on additional commercial opportunities that can become self-supporting.
... The generous funding from founder Scott Hassan will stop within 3 months and WG employes have been notified.
... PR2 robots around the world will continue to be supported as will ROS and its libraries through the Open Source OpenCV Foundation.
... Details can be found here.

Open Source Vet Simulation Center

... Dental students have robotic simulators, med students and surgeons have theirs too, and now Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine has one. They have a simulation center with two fully equipped exam rooms, two rooms for live video-feed observation and debriefing, and two robotic pets - a dog and a cat.
... Cornell’s Dr. Dan Fletcher says, “Through the use of these new facilities we can enhance CPR scenarios and can simulate a slew of other conditions.”
... Using open source hardware and software, Fletcher and his team developed their system and share it with other universities and veterinary centers.
... Click photo to enlarge.

GE and Verizon Advertise using robots

... Verizon TV advertisements feature VGo Communications mobile telepresence robots streaming large amounts of data through their 4G LTE network. One ad shows a young home-bound student remotely attending and participating in a class; the other shows how kids, far away from the ocean, participated in a field trip to an ocean aquarium.
... GE’s TV ads feature a variety of brilliant machines (robots and smart jet engines) for transforming the way we work.
... Both ads are positive, favorable, and stimulate the public’s imagination about the value of robots in everyday life.
... Click to see videos of the ads.

CBS News’ 60 Minutes Provides New Definition of Robots

... UPDATED 3/6/2013 to reflect 5 critiques and objections to the CBS segment on robotics.
... CBS New 60 Minutes did a segment on robots, robotics and jobs Sunday evening.
... They coined a new definition of robotics: “The broad universal definition is a machine that can perform the job of a human. The machine can be mobile or stationary, hardware or software.”
... They also presented the viewpoints of MIT professors Brynjolfsson and McAfee whose book “Race Against the Machine” was referenced in the report.
... CBS 60 Minutes also provided interviews with Adept CEO John Dulchinos and ReThink Robotics CEO Rodney Brooks along with plenty of interesting video showing Tessla Motors robots, Adepts, ReThink Robotics, VGo Communications, Aethon’s tugs and InTouch Health and iRobot’s RP-VITA remote presence robot.

$100 million P-P-P suggestion for healthcare robotics

... Op-ed piece suggesting $100 million be invested in developing eldercare robot similar to the robot in the movie “Robot & Frank.”
... EU is already funding a similar project called Companionable with their robot named Hector.
... If America doesn’t lead in robotics, they will continue to be a buyer of robots made in Germany and Japan.
... America launched the industrial robotics industry but all but one of the major robot manufacturers are offshore. $100 million invested in a public-private-partnership to develop, design, engineer, manufacture and market home health and elder care robots could change that dynamic.
... Read more.

2012: Filling a need or feeding a diversion?

... 2012 has been a year of really great inventions, silly ones, temporary solutions (like the new tethered drone from CyPhy Works), and diversions. All happening seemingly simultaneously, without moderation, guidance and little direction. And most are transitional (or at least incremental) with better solutions in the labs or courtrooms waiting for breakthroughs.
... But there are also toys and other robotic items that have withered because the developer didn’t want to be diverted into a business when all he/she wanted was to build something fresh and fun. Many of the tele-presence devices getting crowd-funding in recent months are fun-tech gimmick products with no long-term business plan or even interest in having one.
... One could make a case that with strategic guidance and management, robotic development could happen quicker. That we could truly fill a need instead of feeding a diversion. Read more....

More $$ for surgical snake

... Medrobotics, previously CardioRobotics, just completed a $32 million series D round of financing to help finalize commercializing the first surgical snake robot, co-invented by Howie Choset, a CMU professor.
... The Flex Robotic System will enable hospitals and surgeons to expand their offering of single-site access, visualization and treatment options.
... With this round of funding, Medrobotics has raised more than $60 million since its inception.

2012 Holiday Selection of Robotic Gifts and Books

... For gifts and toys, click here.
... For robotics-related books, click here.

Robots and reshoring in the US

... In an opinion piece in the NY Times, Paul Krugman cites a report about the growing evidence of “reshoring” of manufacturing. The principle reasons are rising wages in Asia; lower energy costs in the US; higher transportation costs; and robots. The report concludes that since labor costs don’t matter that much since most of the costly components are already robot-produced in the US, you might as well locate where the markets and infrastructure are.
... Krugman calls this “capital-biased technological change” which shifts income away from workers to the owners of capital and that media and academic literature have incorrectly been focusing on skill bias and have overlooked this situation.
... Besides the article, what is interesting to me are the eloquence and clarity of the readers who commented. It seems that people involved in technology already know these facts - they are acknowledged at work for their skills when their software will be used to replace x many workers. They see it in action.
... I urge you to read at least a few. You’ll be talking to your friends about the subject for the rest of the week.

Researching Robotics Is Getting Easier

... New app “IEEE Spectrum ROBOTS,” not only provides news but has an extensive detailed section for current-day robots of all types: from exoskeletons to remote presence; from military transport to Google self-driving car; from Keepon and Paro to Asimo. For each there are specs, factoids, builder name and cost and interesting graphics and videos. There is also a substantial LEARN section with videos and text by notable and inspirational roboticists.
... The news section is analogous to the NY Times: thorough and in-depth reporting on a wide range of topics—in this case the multiple sciences of robotics—by technical authorities in the field or on the IEEE Spectrum staff. The news section joins many other magazine tablet-style news apps such as ScoopIt, Zite and Trapit and news portal sites such as Robohub and The Robot Report.
... All in all - and particularly for the non-news sections - the new app it is a worthy addition to the field of robotics.
... An even newer site of interest is “Robot Radar” - which provides critical analysis on robotics technology articles published and distributed by the popular press.
... Robot Radar‘s list of contributors is a who’s who of robotics in the US and UK and includes Alan Winfield, UWE, Henrik Christensen, GA Tech, Kerstin Dautenhahn, U of Hertfordshire, Benjamin Kuipers, U of MI, Illah Nourbakhsh, CMU, Maja Mataric, USC, Matt Mason, CMU, and Noel Sharkey, U of Sheffield.

Progress report on eldercare robots

... Nine years ago robotics pioneer Joseph Engelberger described an eldercare assistive robot that would work in a home at a cost of $1.25 per hour. It would fetch things, remind and provide medications, provide security and communication and many other services and tasks.
... Nine years later there is no such robot. Why is that? And what is the present state of the technology?
... Read the details here.
... Or read the article in IEEE Spectrum.

Furby’s are back - this time with an iPhone app and translator

... Hasbro has enhanced their successful Furby toy from years past with a combination of interactive programming and robotic engineering. The updated Furby includes a free Furby app to virtually feed Furby and translate Furbish into English.
... Watch the video.

Accuray launches new TomoHDA and gets FDA okay for CyberKnife M6

... New TomoTherapy System enables faster planning and more focused delivery often resulting in half beam-on time than previously.
... CyberKnife M6 (shown above) is a 3D image-guided and robotically controlled beam and patient positioning radiology delivery system.
... Accuray stock (ARAY:NASDAQ) is up 64% year-to-date from $2.72 to $6.95.

Hansen Medical stock (HNSN:NASDAQ) jumps 22%

... Intuitive Surgical updated their co-exclusive rights to certain of Hansen Medical‘s patent portfolio for a fee of $20 million. Intuitive also purchased $10 million of Hansen Medical’s stock.
... The deal extends a 2005 agreement and adds Hansen patents filed subsequent to that date.
... Hansen Medical provides a line of intravascular robotics products; Intuitive Surgical produces the da Vinci Surgical System.
... Hansen Medical’s stock has been on a steady slide since its 2012 high of $3.90 in early February.

Battered iRobot stock takes another hit

... Although iRobot reported that its 3rd quarter profits rose 8% and the company saw revenue growth within its consumer products, the stocks dropped 19% as it warned that it’s revenue outlook had deteriorated 5% further than previously reported.
... Also announced was the closing of the Durham, NC facility - its maritime operation where iRobot produced its Seaglider robot - a military research project - and the layoff of all its 80 employees at that facility.
... iRobot has been on a year-long plan to shore up its military products and research group, grow its consumer products (which included the acquisition of competitor (Evolution Robotics) and diversify into new B2B (business-to-business) markets (eg, the product launch with partner InTouch Health), and the use of their AVA platform robot for other vertical markets.
... iRobot suffered a 33% drop in its stock in February and then another 6% in late April. iRobot stock is down 39% year-to-date at its current $18.32 per share price.

Man-to-goods vs. Goods-to-man in Warehouse Automation

... Kiva Systems’ innovative goods-to-man warehouse fulfillment methodology is impacting vendors servicing distribution centers.
... Read a profile of three approaches to transitioning from man-to-goods methods to newer practices involving automation and robotics.
... Three really interesting videos help clarify the complexity.

Is Baxter the Biggest Story in Robotics?

... Is all the news coverage because it’s a good product and the market is ripe to buy that product? Let’s hope this is so.
... Every major newspaper, magazine and online service aired the launch and described Baxter, the shop-assistant robot.
... For my personal observations about my trip to Boston to see Baxter, and also a list of links to news sources about Baxter, click here.
... Perhaps research labs will be the early adopter because it’s the cheapest two-armed system available ($22,000).

A Frank Review of the movie ‘Robot & Frank’

... I hate to break this to you but the robot wasn’t a robot after all. It may have looked like Asimo, but it was really Rachael Ma dressed up in a robot costume; the robot’s voice wasn’t AI interaction but an actor reading lines to sound a little inhuman.
... But the movie itself was a charming story that touched on two ethical issues involved with healthcare in the future: concern over a robot providing assistance and life coaching for a person with serious aging and/or psychological issues and over the issue of whether or how a robot might assist in illegal activities.
... The acting by Frank Langella was wonderfully convincing.
... The movie ended with cameo videos of current-day assistance robots as they attempt to achieve that which the movie projects.
... Read the full review here.

Industrial Robot Sales and Companies Doing Well

... 2011 sales of industrial robots—166,000 units; $8.5 billion in sales—are up 38% from 2010 and expected to reach 181,000 robots for 2012. According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), an industry organization that collects data from almost all robot suppliers, that number will reach 200,000 by 2015.
... The Big Four of industrial robot manufacturers—Fanuc, ABB, Kuka and Yaskawa Motoman—are all publicly traded stocks—and all have recovered from the economic setback of 2008-09. In Japan’s case, from the twin disasters of 2011 as well. Each has a presence and market share in China which, according to the IFR, “will become the biggest robot market in the world regarding annual supply.” Click chart above to enlarge.
... Not all publicly traded robotic stocks have done as well as the Big Four as can be seen by The Robot Report’s Robo-Stox™ year-to-date country-by country chart. This is partly due to the various setbacks from the Japanese tsunami and earthquake that happened in March, 2011.

AUVSI Las Vegas Show: Focus Broadens Beyond the Military

... AUVSI, the unmanned vehicle association, has mostly focused on aerial vehicles for the military; underwater and on-the-ground products and services played a lessor role.
... But this year the show reflected a change toward transitioning into the civilian sector led by underwater and on-the-ground providers because aerial drones cannot, at present be legally used in civilian airspace.
... Hence interest was high for the keynote speeches by the heads of the FAA and the agency at the International Civil Aviation Organization involved with changing the rules, regulations, licensing and facilities to enable the Congressionally-mandated change by September, 2015.
... Read the details including a long list of transitioning companies and their products.

Robotic Start-up Companies - A Glimpse At Our Robotic Future

... Thank you for helping by adding 40 new robotic start-up companies to our list
... But don’t stop now. Please add to our list of global robotic start-up companies by sending information to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Thank you.
... Click to see 159 global robotic start-up companies (name, city, website link).
... PS: In addition to the 159 start-ups shown on this map, there are 850+ industrial and service robot vendors - established companies - plus 250 research labs and 650 ancillary businesses in our directories. See left column, at the top.

Look what the’ve cobbled together now

... Look what the folks at Robotic Solutions have cobbled together. No, it’s not a 3D printer.
... It’s the opposite. A robotic milling machine housed in a glass cage.
... A few of the first units have been shipped to a facility in Texas to work hand in hand with local craft stores to handle their custom material trimming, and wood engraving businesses.

2011 Was A Good Year for Korean Robotics

... According to Chosun Media, Korea produced $1.87 billion of industrial robots in 2011 and exported $453 million. The remainder was for domestic use.
... Year-over-year production was up 20% and exports were up 120%. Japan received 74% of 2011’s exports while China and the EU got the rest.
... As part of a government-stimulated program, Korea plans to increase robot production to $20 billion by 2018.

To Open Source or Not

... Article by The Robot Report in AUVSI’s Mission Critical quarterly magazine on the arguments for and against open sourcing in robotics.
... Whole issue is about commercial robots and includes an article about investing in robotic stocks.
... Previous issue is about robots in agriculture—also a good read.

Liquid Robotics Joint Ventures with Oil & Gas Technology Provider Schlumberger

… New company, Liquid Robotics Oil & Gas, will be headquartered in Houston,TX and will initially provide Wave Glider platforms for surveillance; seep/spill detection; and communications gateway services.
… Wave Gliders can operate offshore for up to a year without requiring a crew, fuel or a dedicated support vessel.
… “By teaming with Schlumberger, we can greatly accelerate the availability and worldwide deployment of innovative oil and gas solutions,” said Bill Vass, Liquid Robotics’ CEO. “We are extremely excited about the new capabilities the unique Wave Glider platform will bring to offshore exploration and production—particularly in the areas of seismic, subsea and environmental monitoring,” said Ashok Belani, Schlumberger‘s CTO.

Robot lawnmowers still a work in progress

... Too expensive for most home use, not professional enough for industrial use, robotic lawnmowers have yet to become as commonplace as Roombas. But a new crop of consumer manufacturers is quietly making inroads by providing more bang for the buck.
... John Deere’s all-weather Tango E5, $2,500, can mow an area up to 20,000 sq ft, can program areas to be left alone, and, when it’s battery runs low, can go to it’s recharging station for a quick refill and then resume its work. It requires boundary wires and cut grass is left as mulch instead of removed. Not yet available in the US.
... Bosch’s new Indego 10, $2,100, can handle 10,000 sq ft. Unlike the Tango E5, the Indego mows in sequential rows, like a farmer does row crops. Only available in Scandinavia at present but is planned to be launched globally in 2013.
... Friendly Robotics and their line of Robomowers, $2,000, and Husqvarna and their Automower line, $2,200, have been around for a few years but never hit consumer traction outside of Europe (Husqvarna has sold over 100,000 of their Automowers), partly because of their high price, mulching clumps, inability to handle high grass, need for staked border wires, and their random navigation methodologies.