The robotics industry kicked off 2023 with a bang. From Boston Dynamics’ exciting videos showcasing the latest abilities of its robots, to the largest consumer electronics event in the world, CES, taking place in Las Vegas, there was no shortage of things to cover this month.
Here are the top 10 most popular stories on The Robot Report in January 2023. Subscribe to The Robot Report Newsletter or listen to The Robot Report Podcast to stay updated on the robotics stories you need to know about.
10. Built Robotics acquires Roin Technologies to accelerate construction robotics roadmap
San Francisco-based Built Robotics has acquired Roin Technologies. Roin is a three-year-old engineering company that has designed and built several robotic concrete finishing solutions, including a shotcrete robot and a concrete trowling robot. Built Robotics CEO and co-founder Noah Ready-Campbell said the acquisition is primarily an acqui-hire that will enable Built to accelerate its current roadmap of automated construction equipment. Read More
9. United Robotics Group acquires mobile robot developer Robotnik
United Robotics Group (URG) has acquired a majority stake in Robotnik Automation, a Valencia, Spain-based provider of technologies in mobile service robotics. Financial details of the acquisition weren’t disclosed. Robotnik has a 20-year track record in developing mobile robots and mobile manipulators. The company has a presence in markets such as Korea, Japan, China, Singapore, the USA, France, Germany and Italy. Read More
8. Orbbec, Microsoft launch 3D vision camera
3D camera manufacturer Orbbec launched its latest product, the Femto Mega, at CES 2023. Femto Mega was built in partnership with Microsoft. The depth camera uses Microsoft’s time-of-flight (ToF) technology for precise scene understanding over a wide 120 degrees field of view and a broad range from 0.25m to 5.5m. Read More
7. 8 notable robotics acquisitions in 2022
This year, we covered nearly 50 mergers and acquisitions worth billions of dollars. The SPAC craze of 2021 seemingly came to a crashing halt, but there was still plenty of M&A activity. This article details the 10 robotics acquisitions, in chronological order, that stood out to us in 2022 and two notable mergers. Take a look back at the notable acquisitions of 2021. Read More
6. What is a Robotic Service Provider?
As the number of applications and the market for robotic solutions grows, robotic service providers (RSP) are emerging as an option for operating commercial robots. So what is a robotic service provider? The answer starts by understanding the difference between the traditional capital equipment selling cycle and the concept of a subscription service selling model. Read More
5. Robots at CES 2023
CES 2023, the largest consumer electronics show in the world, is happening this week in Las Vegas. Thousands of industry folks from around the world are attending the event to see the latest technology. The show features more than 60 robotics technology vendors, with everything from robotic toys to autonomous vehicles. Read More
4. 2023 robotics predictions from industry experts
We already recapped the most memorable and most popular stories of 2022, as well as the major acquisitions. You can find all of The Robot Report‘s 2022 Year in Review coverage here. With 2023 just underway, we asked some of the robotics industry’s leading minds to look to the future. Here’s what they’ll be keeping an eye on in 2023. This article will be updated if additional experts weigh in. Read More
3. Watch Boston Dynamics’ Stretch unload a DHL trailer
Boston Dynamics is officially putting its Stretch robot into the hand of its customers. Its first commercial application is with DHL Supply Chain. DHL Supply Chain was Boston Dynamics’ first Stretch customer back in January 2022, when the company announced a $15 million deal with Boston Dynamics, and now a year later, we have a look at those robots being put to work in DHL warehouses. Read More
2. Editor’s Picks: best robots of CES 2023
The consumer electronics show (CES) is the largest event for consumer product launches in the world. I had the opportunity to attend CES for the first time this year, and it was an overwhelming experience. With over 3,200 vendors, there is so much to see that it would be impossible for one person to see and experience everything. That’s where pre-event research is critical to distill the vendor list down to a manageable size. I wanted to see over 60 robot-related products at CES 2023, and I only had two days to do so. Read More
1. Watch Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid work at a ‘construction site’
Boston Dynamics never disappoints when it releases a video showing new capabilities for its robots. And it just released a video, “Atlas Gets a Grip,” in which the humanoid performs a slew of new moves at a simulated construction site. A “construction worker” atop a scaffold conveniently forgot some tools down on the ground. Instead of hopping down to get the tools himself, Atlas brings the tools to him. And this is where the magic happens. Read More
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