The Robot Report

  • Home
  • News
  • Technologies
    • Batteries / Power Supplies
    • Cameras / Imaging / Vision
    • Controllers
    • End Effectors
    • Microprocessors / SoCs
    • Motion Control
    • Sensors
    • Soft Robotics
    • Software / Simulation
  • Development
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Human Robot Interaction / Haptics
    • Mobility / Navigation
    • Research
  • Robots
    • AGVs
    • AMRs
    • Consumer
    • Collaborative Robots
    • Drones
    • Humanoids
    • Industrial
    • Self-Driving Vehicles
    • Unmanned Maritime Systems
  • Business
    • Financial
      • Investments
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Earnings
    • Markets
      • Agriculture
      • Healthcare
      • Logistics
      • Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Security
    • RBR50
      • RBR50 Winners 2025
      • RBR50 Winners 2024
      • RBR50 Winners 2023
      • RBR50 Winners 2022
      • RBR50 Winners 2021
  • Resources
    • Automated Warehouse Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • eBooks
    • Publications
      • Automated Warehouse
      • Collaborative Robotics Trends
    • Search Robotics Database
    • Videos
    • Webinars / Digital Events
  • Events
    • RoboBusiness
    • Robotics Summit & Expo
    • DeviceTalks
    • R&D 100
    • Robotics Weeks
  • Podcast
    • Episodes
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

Strategic acquisitions and long-term R&D investments abound

By Frank Tobe | October 15, 2015


We have reported 37 equity fundings and 25 acquisitions so far this year. It’s not just the car companies searching for talent and innovation in their new Silicon Valley centers. Israel, Russia, China and big companies like Bosch, SoftBank, Apple and Google are all investing in robotics for various strategic reasons.

Many new robotics companies have been acquired this year and even more have been funded. Drone makers 3D Robotics, DJI Innovations and Yuneec Aviation all received massive amounts of equity funding ($50M, $75M and $60M respectively). But even more money was invested by acquisitions. Adept Technologies was acquired by Japanese OMRON Industrial Automation for $200M, Universal Robots by Teradyne for $350M, VGo by Vecna for an undisclosed amount, Segway by Chinese Ninebot and gomTec by ABB. The rationale behind each purchase was strategic as was the $600M joint venture supporting the roll-out of the Pepper robot in Japan and China by SoftBank, Alibaba and Foxconn.

Additionally, three R&D ventures stand out as particularly far-reaching and interesting:

  1. A new Sino-Israeli Robotics Institute is being developed as the centerpiece of a $2 billion industrial park in the Guangzhou region of China. It will house entities built around the technology developed jointly by Israeli and Chinese researchers at the new institute. “China is a major opportunity for us, and manufacturers there are very motivated to take advantage of our technology. There are many factories that will be interested in the technology developed at the Institute” said Zvi Shiller, chairman of the Israel Robotics Association.
  2. Earlier this year there was another Chinese joint venture with the Russians. The Skolkovo Foundation and Chinese Cybernaut Investment Group inked a deal to establish an R&D business incubator at the Skolkovo Innovation Center in the outskirts of Moscow where it will house at least 15 startups into IT and robotics, space, energy-efficiency tech and new materials which will be developed and marketed in and from China.
  3. Bosch, the Germany-headquartered global conglomerate, began moving into their new $350M research center outside of Stuttgart. The Bosch Group employs 360,000 worldwide and generated sales of $55.6B in 2014 from four business sectors: Mobility Solutions, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology.The new facility consists of 14 multi-story buildings, 11 labs and workshop buildings and two service buildings. Bosch also has a Research and Technology Center in Palo Alto, California but this new center on the outskirts of Stuttgart in Renningen, is near Mercedes and BMW and will house about 1,700 creative minds doing applied industrial research.* “Like a university, our new campus brings together many faculties. Here, we want our researchers to do more than just think about what the future could bring. We want them to be successful entrepreneurs as well. Renningen (and this new campus) is Bosch’s own Stanford and an expression of our faith in Germany as a technology location,” said Dr. Volkmar Denner, chairman of the Bosch board of management.

 

_____

*  I visited two Bosch startups in the Renningen area last year as their new campus was under construction. Wholly-owned by Bosch but entrepreneurial startups dotted the office landscape all over the area. The new campus, and Bosch’s encouragement of interdisciplinary collaboration, were sorely needed and show Bosch’s goal of staying one step ahead of technological breakthroughs while adding some of the benefits of a unique community environment.

About The Author

Frank Tobe

Frank Tobe is the founder of The Robot Report and co-founder of ROBO Global which has developed a tracking index for the robotics industry, the ROBO Global™ Robotics & Automation Index. The index of ~90 companies in 13 sub-sectors tracks and captures the entire economic value of this global opportunity in robotics, automation and enabling technologies.

Tell Us What You Think! Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles Read More >

Levita Magnetics MARS surgical robot
Levita Magnetics MARS surgical robot receives expanded FDA clearance
A Voliro drone inspecting a tube for corrosion under insulation.
Voliro brings in $23M to accelerate inspection drone development
Black-I Robotics wins autonomous mobile robot picking challenge
photo of IDS Imaging's GigE uEye LE series cameras.
IDS Imaging adds Sony Starvis 2 sensors to GigE uEye LE series

RBR50 Innovation Awards

“rr
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, tools and strategies for Robotics Professionals.
The Robot Report Listing Database

Latest Episode of The Robot Report Podcast

Automated Warehouse Research Reports

Sponsored Content

  • Sager Electronics and its partners, logos shown here, will exhibit at the 2025 Robotics Summit & Expo. Sager Electronics to exhibit at the Robotics Summit & Expo
  • The Shift in Robotics: How Visual Perception is Separating Winners from the Pack
  • An AutoStore automated storage and retrieval grid. Webinar to provide automated storage and retrieval adoption advice
  • Smaller, tougher devices for evolving demands
  • Modular motors and gearboxes make product development simple
The Robot Report
  • Automated Warehouse
  • RoboBusiness Event
  • Robotics Summit & Expo
  • About The Robot Report
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search The Robot Report

  • Home
  • News
  • Technologies
    • Batteries / Power Supplies
    • Cameras / Imaging / Vision
    • Controllers
    • End Effectors
    • Microprocessors / SoCs
    • Motion Control
    • Sensors
    • Soft Robotics
    • Software / Simulation
  • Development
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Human Robot Interaction / Haptics
    • Mobility / Navigation
    • Research
  • Robots
    • AGVs
    • AMRs
    • Consumer
    • Collaborative Robots
    • Drones
    • Humanoids
    • Industrial
    • Self-Driving Vehicles
    • Unmanned Maritime Systems
  • Business
    • Financial
      • Investments
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Earnings
    • Markets
      • Agriculture
      • Healthcare
      • Logistics
      • Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Security
    • RBR50
      • RBR50 Winners 2025
      • RBR50 Winners 2024
      • RBR50 Winners 2023
      • RBR50 Winners 2022
      • RBR50 Winners 2021
  • Resources
    • Automated Warehouse Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • eBooks
    • Publications
      • Automated Warehouse
      • Collaborative Robotics Trends
    • Search Robotics Database
    • Videos
    • Webinars / Digital Events
  • Events
    • RoboBusiness
    • Robotics Summit & Expo
    • DeviceTalks
    • R&D 100
    • Robotics Weeks
  • Podcast
    • Episodes
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe