The following article by Frank Tobe, editor and publisher of The Robot Report, first appeared on Robohub.org in their special focus series: High-risk / High-reward. Often funding sources – the groups taking the risk – are not the beneficiaries of the rewards of the venture. Intuitive Surgical and Rethink Robotics are two examples. NSF, DARPA and…
Rethink Robotics’ Baxter and Universal Robots UR5 and UR10 Succeeding
By Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher, The Robot Report Low-cost robots are marching into Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Much has been said about the need to augment the skills and increase the productivity of small factory workers by using robotic assistants called co-robots. Europe funded an SME (Small and Medium-sized Enterprise) public-private consortium to…
Updated Robotics Roadmap Presented to US Congress
Henrik Christensen, the KUKA Chair of Robotics at GA Tech and Chairman of the Roadmap project, Rodney Brooks, CEO of Rethink Robotics, Pete Wurman, CTO of Kiva Systems, and Russ Angold, CTO of Ekso Bionics all presented the new Roadmap to a packed gallery of the Robotics Caucus of the US Congress. From left: Pete Wurman,…
CBS News 60 Minutes Provides New Definition of Robots
by Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher, The Robot Report CBS News Reporter Steve Kroft interviews Rodney Brooks at ReThink Robotics.Click on the image above to see the segment. UPDATE March 6: Many reacted to the 60 Minutes segment as it related to the subject of whether robotics takes away or adds jobs. Abstracts and links…
Filling a need… or feeding a diversion
Today’s robotics industry could use some strategic guidance, particularly in the area of healthcare. By Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher, The Robot Report It is clear to me that the next big markets for robotics are: SMEs (robot workers and co-workers in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) Medical and healthcare (nursing assistance, surgeon augmentation, operating room…
Rethink Robotics Launches Baxter the Robot
By Frank Tobe, editor/publisher, The Robot Report Yesterday was the launch of Rethink Robotics’ Baxter shop assistant robot. Many reporters, including myself, saw Baxter at Rethink’s headquarters in Boston in the past two months but were embargoed from writing about it until today, the launch date. Looking at the stories – as they appear all…
Credit Suisse Picks 7 Automation/Robotics Stocks
By Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher, The Robot Report Max Nisen of Business Insider wrote recently of a list of seven stock picks discovered in a Credit Suisse report on long term trends. One of those trends was increasing global automation (particularly in China) and the seven picks relate to companies poised to benefit from…