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. Bloomberg reports that Apple confirmed the purchase but reported that Apple won't discuss their purpose or plans in relation to the acquisition. PrimeSense has been developing depth-sensing…
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. Image processing has been playing a more and more important role turning “blind” machines into “seeing” ones. Even at high speeds and with stringent requirements for accuracy…
8 Robotic Gifts for the Holidays
by Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher, The Robot Report Click on picture or header for further details. Romo App-Controlled Pet for iOS Devices Romo by Romotive, includes face detection, telepresence/remote control and training, at Brookstone, $149.99 WowWee RoboMe Robot Kit for iPhone RoboMe by WowWee has face detection, voice recognition and speech synthesis, at Amazon,…
Mazor Robotics on a roll
Mazor Robotics' stock (NASDAQ:MZOR and TASE:MZOR) has steadily rolled up 260% year-to-date. Earnings report for Q3 shows a 51% increase in revenue over last year. The Israili-based company develops and markets surgical robots and complementary products. They sold 16 Renaissance systems so far in 2013; the Renaissance is a state-of-the-art mechanical guidance system for spinal…
Medical/Surgical Simulation
As the need for training on new-tech devices increases, virtual and physical simulation systems are in demand at medical schools and hospitals worldwide. One novel new robotic invention is Patrick, the robotic prostate exam mannequin. Developed by a MD and a virtual experiences research team, Patrick is being trailed at two hospital teaching centers in…
8 Robotic Gifts for the 2013 Holiday Season
Romotive's Romo App-controlled pet and WowWee's RoboMe robot kit, both for the iPhone; iRobot's new Roomba 880 vacuum cleaning robot; and Modular Robotics' Cubelets Kit, offer interesting choices for adults buying for kids (or themselves). See all 8 here – including details about where to buy and how much it will cost. Two interesting ones…
The Future of Electronics is Mechatronic
The semiconductor industry is the largest consumer of mechatronics technology. This should not come as a surprise to anyone. The amount of slicing, dicing, probing, handling, packaging and inspection that is required to turn sand into a working microelectronic device is amazing. The number of axes of stepping motors, brushless servo motors, linear motors, voice […]
Singular Impressions from IROS 2013 in Tokyo
Two images remain in my mind from IROS 2013 last week in Tokyo. The respect for Professor Emeritus Mori and his charting of the uncanny valley in relation to robotics, and the need for a Watson-type synthesis of all the robotics-related scientific papers produced every year. Let me explain. Uncanny Valley: Almost all of the presentations at…
3D scanners coming down in price
3D Systems new Sense 3D scanner, at $399 including software, is a serious competitor for Makerbot's $1,400 Digitizer scanner. The new Sense scanner is hand held and you have to slowly wave the device at the object being scanned, watch the viewer to insure coverage, and scan until you are happy with the visual effects.…
Hydrogen Power
Industry, or manufacturing, gets little respect in the mainstream of American politics and economics. Yet it is industry that is often the proving ground for new technology. This is because many industrial applications of technology succeed or fail on cost and performance. Rarely does the American government get into the act by putting tax incentives […]
Technology and Responsibility
Sometimes technology is hard to put in proper perspective. Technology as a marketable product has a lot of complex implications. From the research and development that goes in to the manufacture of products based on the new tech. Consider the humble light bulb. By the time Edison made the electric light popular, affordable, etc., it […]
Two Boston Notables Get More Money
Cyphy Works, the UAV developer with the tether solution, raises $7 million from VCs and angel investors. Funds will be used to expand Cyphy Works efforts in surveying and situational awareness for agriculture, mining, construction, oil & gas, insurance and others. CEO Helen Greiner, who was previously the co-founder and President of iRobot, said, “The…
New TV show: Have co-robots gone too far?
In a new TV series on the Fox Channel, set in 2048 and entitled “Almost Human,” every cop is paired with a highly evolved human-like android partner. The show stars Karl Urban and Michael Ealy, is produced by J.J. Abrams (“Person of Interest,†“Star Trek†and “Mission: Impossibleâ€), and begins Sunday evening, November 17th. Which…
iREX Maker/User Summit
In a packed 1,000-seat hall at iREX 2013 in Tokyo, six prominent robot executives from ABB, Fanuc, Yaskawa, KUKA, Kawasaki and Nachi faced off against two really big users. Dr. Chia Day, VP at Foxconn Technology, described in careful detail where robots are needed in their factories, what tasks they need to do, what hurdles…
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. Neat video. NASDAQ:ROBO is a new ETF (exchange traded fund) launched today at a price of $25. First day volume was over 225,000 shares. The…
Control Processor Evolution
Processors, computing power, is getting cheaper. Will Moore’s Law hit the wall of physics during the next couple of years? I would like to think so, at least from the silicon perspective. If we are going to insist on ever smaller, more compact computing, it’s probably going to have to be photon based. But that’s […]
Robotics Expo in Moscow
A 27-photo review of Robotics Expo 2013, held last month in Moscow, shows promise for start-ups throughout Russia. The show was themed around home automation, hospitality/guide/remote presence, personal transport, education/learning toys/hobbyist kits and 3D printing. Links and photos here.
Robotics Expo 2013, Moscow
Written and photographed by Mike McFarlane, RobotGuideEdited by Frank Tobe, The Robot Report The bleak autumn Moscow day didn’t seem to have dampened the enthusiasm of the crowds of people making the journey to the 2013 Moscow Robotics (and advanced technologies) Expo http://robot-ex.ru/en at the Sokolniki Conference Centre. Robots, kids, adults, business people, guest speakers, hobbyists, entrepreneurs,…
Micromo Sponsors Team in DARPA Robotics Challenge
By Michael Jermann, Assistant Editor Micromo is doing its part to help develop robotics technology for disaster relief by sponsoring Carnegie Mellon University’s Tartan Rescue Team. The company is providing funding in the amount of $100,000 and technical support for the teams CMU Highly Intelligent Mobile Platform (CHIMP). The four-limbed, human-sized robot is designed to […]
Beam-ing into RoboBusiness 2013
Two events stood out at RoboBusiness 2013 last week in Santa Clara, CA: Suitable Technologies brought two dozen Beam robots to the show and rented them by the hour to people calling in from around the world AND Unbounded Robotics unveiled their UBR-1 mobile robot. $35,000 for a mobile one-armed robot made by the same…
Robots – Part 3
The subject of robots gets really controversial when we look at the near term prospect of human service robots. The industry has already created technology that allows robots to operate in close proximity to humans. What happens next is anybody’s guess. There has been speculation for some time about the role of robots in human […]
Beaming-in to RoboBusiness 2013
By Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher, The Robot Report Remote visitors drive Beam robots to chat (and share a laugh) with exhibitors. Photos courtesy of Suitable Technologies, Inc. RoboBusiness 2013, held last week at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Silicon Valley, was revitalized from previous RoboBusiness events. Throughout the three day event, it was…