Analysis

A detailed look at some of the more notable winners from the RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards.

The Robot Report tracked 36 robotics investments worth at least $581 million in May 2021. There also were three mergers and acquisitions.

Over the past decade, the perception industry has exploded with new companies, new technologies, and the deployments of millions of sensors in industries ranging from the traditional (automobiles) to the cutting-edge (space travel). While incumbents have locked up majority market shares in some segments, other segments have seen the rise of dominant new players that…

The Robot Report tracked 38 robotics investments worth more than $4.8 billion in April 2021. This is quite the rebound from the same time last year when, amidst the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, robotics companies raised about $600 million. This marks a 700-plus percent increase in robotics investments year-over-year. There also were eight…

Interact Analysis released their latest survey report from a recent research project conducted together with the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). A3 commissioned the report to coincide with the 2021 Automate Forward event happening during the week of March 22, 2021. Interact Analysis Research Director and report author Ash Sharma summarized the results in a new…

Editor’s Note: R&D World is a sister publication of The Robot Report. This article is part of R&D World’s annual Global Funding Forecast (Executive Edition). This report has been published annually for more than six decades. The Executive Edition will be published in the April 2020 print issue of R&D World. To purchase the full,…

2020 was a challenging year for the robotics, automation and drone industry, both globally and for companies in Denmark, which is one of the strongest robotics clusters in the world. Nevertheless, robotic and automation companies on Funen increased the number of colleagues abroad by 26% to a total of 1,200 abroad and maintaining the status…

California’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) yesterday released its annual Disengagement Report, which breaks down the number of times a human driver takes over control of an autonomous driving system being tested on the state’s public roads. The DMV released reports for 29 companies for the period from December 2019 to November 2020. Waymo (29,944.69)…

For the first time, yearly orders of robots from non-automotive sectors surpassed automotive robot orders, as sales of robotic units in North America increased 3.5% in 2020 from 2019. This growth was driven by a strong Q4 that was the second-best quarter ever for North American robotic sales with a 63.6% increase over Q4 2019.…

One proven method for illustrating macro trends in the robotics sector, uncovering novel technological innovations, as well as surfacing overlooked business opportunities, is to rigorously analyze sector investment. Investment levels are a key indicator of an active market and the unambiguous affirmation of the commercial viability of individual companies. Both end-user companies and solutions providers…

An MIT study found the high cost of integration, inflexibility, lack of standards and needed improvements to enabling technologies are the main challenges inhibiting further adoption of industrial robots.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has dominated 2020, affecting daily lives and every industry around the world. Early in the year, it aggravated a manufacturing slowdown that was the result of both expected economic cycles and trade tensions between China and the U.S. At the same time, COVID-19 has accelerated demand for robotics in supply chain and…

In 2020, autonomous vehicles left other technology applications in the dust. Other areas of robotics receiving funding or merger and acquisition activity included supply chain automation, surgical robots, and quadrupeds.

While investment in robotics and automation continued apace in November 2020, the total amount was about half of what it was in the same month a year ago.

In the final Robot Report Podcast for 2020, learn about Boston Dynamics’ plans for its legged robots after its acquisition by Hyundai Motor, as well as the DARPA Subterranean Challenge.

Pär-Olof Johannesson, CEO of TerraNet AB, offers his perspective on how the U.S. presidential election will affect the development of autonomous and electric vehicles worldwide, as well as relations with China.

Robotics investments slowed somewhat in October 2020, but transportation, healthcare, and software remained strong.

Walmart has ended its five-year contract for inventory robots from Bossa Nova Robotics, reports The Wall Street Journal. This is a setback for robots in retail, as demand shifts and technologists seek to automate various tasks.

Although industrial automation did not grow as much worldwide in 2019 as in 2018, it still set records, reported the International Federation of Robotics. The IFR also looked at regional growth.

China’s industrial automation and robotics market demonstrates significant strengths in 2020, but immature firms and trade conflicts with the U.S. still pose challenges, writes international consultant Georg Stieler.

The rapid proliferation of cobots have resulted in the emergence of a new class of ‘lean’ integrators adapted to the needs of SMEs who wish to automate.

Exyn Technologies, which provides a full stack of software and drones for GPS-denied environments, shared the results of a feasibility study on the use of UAVs for disinfecting large areas with UV-C light.