The robotics division of ABB contributed to the company’s growth in the third quarter, with manufacturing demand still strong worldwide. The industrial automation provider has also growth through recent acquisitions, most notably B&R.
Enaex launches Robominer
Sigdo Koppers Group subsidiary Enaex said this week it launched the Robominer teleoperated robot designed for mine safety and exploration. The Robominer platform, developed in collaboration with SRI International, is designed with an intent to improve miner safety and increase access to minerals which are difficult or expensive to reach with human workers. “SRI is…
Caterpillar announces upgrades to autonomous mining truck
Caterpillar Inc. recently revealed the newest capabilities and improvements to its Komatsu 930E autonomous mining truck, developed with Torc Robotics, the latest move in the company’s efforts to develop autonomous mining vehicles. “We want to do all we can to help our customers get the most out of their existing equipment assets,” Caterpillar Mining Technology…
SRI, Chilean mine operator Enaex launch RoboMiner
Chilean mining company Enaex Group launched the first versions of its RoboMiner and Mine-iTruck, developed to protect human employees of the mining industry. “These projects were specially created to continue enhancing the mining operation and its resources, but taking care of our greatest value, which are the people,” Enaex CEO Juan Andrés Errázuriz said in…
Avitas uses AI to make industrial inspections quicker, safer
General Electric subsidiary Avitas Systems is using artificial intelligence technology from AI company Nvidia to automate industrial inspections, reducing costs, turnaround time and risk. Using a team of drones, crawlers or wheeled robots and autonomous underwater vehicles, Avitas performs inspections at sites in the energy, transportation and oil and gas sectors, such as power plants,…
Blue River Technology sells to Deere for $305 million
Blue River Technology has been acquired by John Deere* for $305 million. The acquisition of the Silicon Valley artificial intelligence and farm equipment making startup by farming’s largest equipment manufacturer (Deere), is a great success story with a bit of a twist.
Robotics industry growing faster than expected
Two reputable research resources are reporting that the robotics industry is growing more rapidly than expected. BCG (Boston Consulting Group) is conservatively projecting that the market will reach $87 billion by 2025; Tractica, incorporating the robotic and AI elements of the emerging self-driving industry, is forecasting the market will reach $237 billion by 2022. Both research firms…
Notes and pics from Xponential in Dallas, Innorobo in Paris and ICRA in Singapore
Conferences and trade shows, held in interesting locations around the world, can be entertaining, informative and an opportunity to explore new places, meet new people and renew acquaintances. Three recent examples: Xponential, the mostly defense-related unmanned land, sea and air show, held in Dallas; Innorobo, focused on service robotics, in Paris; and ICRA, the IEEE's premier robotics…
Intel Drones Light Up Xponential, Show Industry Shift
Commercial uses of UAVs and other autonomous systems will generate a lot of data, noted Intel executives at AUVSI Xponential. Intel drones are part of the company’s efforts to provide end-to-end solutions for industrial applications.
FDA deals setback to Globus Medical’s ExcelsiusGPS robot-assisted surgery platform
Globus Medical (NYSE:GMED) said yesterday that the FDA won’t accept the 510(k) clearance bid for its ExcelsiusGPS robot-assisted surgery platform, likely delaying its launch until the 3rd quarter. Globus said in a regulatory filing that the federal safety watchdog told it that the company hadn’t “sufficiently addressed the FDA’s questions” about its original clearance application. Audubon, Pa.-based Globus…
5 Autonomous Systems Takeaways From Xponential Day 1
Unmanned systems are all the rage at this week’s AUVSI Xponential in Dallas. From our first impressions, the markets for drones and related technologies are healthy, based on business and technology developments.
Cyber attacks on robots a real threat — New report shows ease of hacking
Today’s automation connectivity support IIoT and Industry 4.0. setups, but the threat of cyber attacks on robots is very real. In fact, robots are just as exposed to corporate networks and the internet as other setups in industrial plants and applications — leaving them and their environments vulnerable. Now a new report from Trend Micro […]
April 2017 fundings, acquisitions, IPOs and failures
April 2017 had 17 robotics-related companies get funding totaling over $390 million – a fourth solid month for 2017 – $1.05 billion year-to-date. Acquisitions also continued to be substantial with ABB's $2 billion acquisition of Bernecker & Rainer, plus Baidu, iRobot and Cognex each making strategic acquistions. Fundings Mobvoi, a Chinese voice recognition startup, signed a strategic partnership to…
BluHaptics Raises $1.36M for Subsea Robotics Software
BluHaptics raised $1.5 million in Series A funding for its software to improve controls for undersea robotics. The startup impressed investors with its team and strong end-user interest.
2016 funding and acquisitions updates
Although the original articles (2016 was best year ever for funding robotics startup companies) and (Over $19 billion paid to acquire 50 robotic companies) have been updated to reflect the omissions of 2016 fundings and acquisitions, listed below is a recap of those updated transactions: Fundings: $100 million for China-based RooBo – A China-based service robot maker…
MassRobotics Opens Boston Startups Space
Boston startups focusing on robotics, drones, self-driving cars, and AI can rent part of MassRobotics’ new Shared Robotics Innovation Space, which provides infrastructure and tech and business support.
Over $19 billion paid to acquire 50 robotics companies in 2016
2016 was a banner year for acquisitions of companies involved in robotics and automation: 50 sold; 11 for amounts over $500 million; five were over a billion. 30 of the 50 companies disclosed transaction amounts which totaled up to a colossal $18.867 billion! UPDATED 1-31-17: Our December story about the acquisition of Liquid Robotics by Boeing didn’t have any financial details but a flurry…
2016 best year ever for funding robotics startup companies
It was a busy and abundant year for seed, crowd, series A,B,C,D and VC funding of robotics-related startups. 128 companies got funded, some multiple times. $1.95 billion, 50% more than 2015 which was also a phenomenal year with over $1.32 billion funded. UPDATED 1/30/17: Added $100 million in China-based RooBo, $50 million for Israeli Roboteam, $9.5 million for Matternet, $2…
How Well Did Our 2016 Robots and Markets Predictions Do?
At the beginning of this year, we made five predictions for 2016 robots and industry, including about drone autonomy, AI applications, and the so-called robot apocalypse. How did we fare?
Innovative robot services from ULC avoid breaking ground
Robot services such as infrastructure inspection and maintenance can not only save money, but it can also save lives. See how ULC Robotics’ Cisbot is used to make gas main work safer and cheaper for utilities.
Top 5 Ways President Trump Could Change U.S. Robotics
In this editorial, we look at how President-elect Donald Trump will affect the U.S. robotics industry through federal spending priorities, regulations, and tax and trade policies.
October fundings, acquisitions, IPOs and failures
October fundings for robotics-related startups totaled $291.75 million bringing the year-to-date funding figure very close to $1.5 billion. For acquisitions, three of the six companies acquired reported that $390.5 million traded hands. All in all another strong month for robotics. UPDATED 11/2/2016: Supporting the “another strong month for robotics” statement is an announcement from the RIA…