The Misty as a Concierge open-source application template from Misty Robotics is intended to make it easy for developers to create skills for a variety of settings.
Misty II platform robot gets .NET SDK from Misty Robotics
Misty Robotics has added tools to make it easier for developers to create skills for the Misty II platform for new robot applications.
Miko 2 educational robot coming to North America
Miko.ai, which has been selling social robots in Asia for four years, said its Miko 2, which includes telepresence features, will be available in North America in December.
Robot Block Party in Boston kicks off Massachusetts STEM Week
MassRobotics hosted its third annual Robot Block Party in Boston, showcasing local robotics companies and giving people of all ages a chance to see robots up close.
Modular Robotics acquires Dexter Industries to boost STEM offerings
Modular Robotics, makers of Cubelets robot blocks, has acquired Dexter Industries, creators of GoPiGo and GiggleBot. The two companies said they “have united with plans to continue creating robotic teaching tools that inspire students to explore STEM, computational thinking, and other big ideas.” Collectively, Cubelets, GoPiGo, and GiggleBot are used in more than 15,000 educational…
Sphero buys littleBits to take the lead in STEAM education
Sphero is acquiring littleBits, which makes modular electronics, and other technology companies as its seeks leadership in STEAM education.
iRobot acquires Root Robotics to boost STEM offerings
iRobot, best known for its robotic vacuum cleaners, has added to its educational product line with its acquisition of Root Robotics.
XPRIZE releases fiction anthology to inspire engineers for World Oceans Day
Robotics developers and the general public can find inspiration for exploring the oceans in a new fiction anthology from XPRIZE entitled Current Futures: A Sci-Fi Ocean Anthology.
Misty Robotics chooses Microsoft’s .NET Core for its robot developer platform
Misty’s platform pick enables developers to build compatible personal robots for businesses and homes.
Robotics Summit & Expo 2019 offers discounts to association members
Members of NGOs, charities, and other organizations can get discounted or free tickets to the Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston, where they can learn from leading roboticists.
Makeblock raises $44M Series C funding
Robotics kit maker Makeblock has closed $44 million (approx. RMB 300 million) in Series C funding. The latest valuation for the Shenzhen-based company is approximately $367 million. Makeblock raises a $30 million Series B in March of 2017 and has raised nearly $80 million total over seven funding rounds, according to Crunchbase. The latest funding round was led by…
Allied Electronics sponsoring Colorado State team in NASA Robotic Mining Competition
Allied Electronics is sponsoring the team from Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins, Colorado, in the 2018 NASA Robotic Mining Competition (RMC). VP of eCommerce and Marketing Dan Stewart and Director of Brand and Supplier Marketing Elisa Weber traveled to Fort Collins to deliver RS Pro, and other products distributed by Allied, for use…
HRG releases robotics tutorial app to prepare operator workforce
China is the largest robotics market in the world right now after selling 87,000 units in 2016, according to the International Federation of Robotics. And as a result, the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology expects China will need 200,000 skilled workers by 2020 to operate the growing number of robots. To help meet…
Googly-eyed educational robot launches own Kickstarter
The six-legged educational robot Vorpal Combat Hexapod from Vorpal Robotics used one of its appendages to launch its own Kickstarter campaign. “We gave the honor to the oldest surviving prototype hexapod,” founder and product developer Steve Pendergrast said in a press release. “Its name is Scrum. Every Vorpal Combat Hexapod has an individual name.” The campaign…
Texas Instruments releases rover ‘bot to engage students
To get middle school and high school students more interested and engaged with STEM topics like coding and robotics, Texas Instruments developed its TI-Innovator Rover bot. By writing programs on their TI graphing calculators, students can make their rovers move, crash, dance or even draw when a pen is attached. “We created Rover to demystify…
Canada college introduces Fanuc robots into lab
Canada’s Hamilton Mohawk College introduced six industrial robots into its robotics lab, becoming the first Canadian school to host robots in a classroom without protective barriers. The $3 million robotics lab is equipped with robots costing $25,000 apiece and more from Japanese company Fanuc. It allows students to practice working with the collaborative machines. “They…
FIRST Tech Challenge reveals season adventure theme
This year’s FIRST Tech Challenge for students in grades 7 to 12 grade will see participation among 60,000 students on 6,000 teams in 25 countries. Founded in 1989, FIRST builds student interest in science, technology, engineering and math through a series of robotics competitions for K-12 students. “The true value of FIRST Tech Challenge is…
Beijing ROS-AI developer Roobo raises $53 million
Beijing-based AI solutions developer Roobo raised $53 million in a Series B funding round led by Seven Seas Partners, a Chinese VC. This is in addition to the $100 million raised last year. The managing partner of Seven Seas, Jeff Xiong Minghua, who was Tencent’s CTO for eight years, will become Roobo’s new CEO.