Between big events like the Robotics Summit & Expo and Automate, acquisition news, and big funding announcements, there was no shortage of exciting robotics news to cover in May.
Here are the top 10 most popular stories on The Robot Report in May 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. Vorwerk Group closing robot vacuum maker Neato Robotics
The Vorwek Group announced in a press release late last week that it will be shutting down Neato Robotics, a robotic vacuum manufacturer that has been part of Vorwek Group since 2017. Vorwek Group decided to close Neato after “lots of restructuring efforts,” according to reporting from TechHive. Read More
9. Figure raises $70M to commercialize humanoids
Figure, a Calif.-based company building general-purpose humanoids, has closed $70 million in Series A funding. The company, founded by Brett Adcock, will use the funding to develop its Figure 01 humanoid, build out its AI data pipeline for autonomous operations and drive toward commercialization. Read More
8. Intrinsic Flowstate aims to change robotic software development
Intrinsic unveiled a new robotic software development solution today with the goal of making it easier to develop applications for robots. The Intrinsic Flowstate software adds a layer of abstraction to traditional robotic software tools with the goal of reducing the development skillset required while making it easier than ever before to program a robot in simulation. Read More
7. Skyline Robotics awarded the first patent for its robotic window-cleaning system
Skyline Robotics, developers of OZMO, the world’s first high-rise window-cleaning robot, today announced the company has received its first patent for its robotic window-cleaning system. The patent, awarded by Singapore, includes the design of the system as well as how the system operates. Read More
6. DEEP Robotics launches Lite3 quadruped robot with advanced front flipping mobility
DEEP Robotics Co., a global pioneer in the development and industrial application of quadrupedal robots, has announced the launch in Europe of the newest version of its dexterous intelligent robot dog, Lite3, which combines advanced mobility and open modular structure to serve education, research and innovative entertainment. Read More
5. Sanctuary AI unveils general-purpose humanoid robot
The newly unveiled Sanctuary AI Pheonix humanoid robot is the sixth generation of solutions from Sanctuary AI. The company was formed in 2018 with the mission to develop a general-purpose humanoid robot, in a form factor similar to an average-sized human. The company started with the development of the hand and iterated the platform to include arms head and torso. Read More
4. Open Robotics releases ROS 2 Iron Irwini
Open Robotics today, on World Turtle Day, announced the ninth release of ROS 2 called Iron Irwini. Open Robotics said this was a notable release of the Robot Operating System (ROS) for both its size and the amount of support it received from the ROS community: 239-plus contributors providing code changes, documentation, and testing. Read More
3. Viam robot operating system is now generally available
Viam is a software tool for developing robotic software with all of the cloud services necessary to build quickly and begin prototyping your robotic solution. The company is providing roboticists with a robust software development tool that is built for the rigors of real-world applications. Read More
2. Blue Origin earns NASA lunar development contract
NASA has awarded Blue Origin, the sub-orbital spaceflight company founded by Jeff Bezos, with a NextSTEP-2 Appendix P Sustaining Lunar Development (SLD) contract. Under the contract, the company will develop a human landing system for NASA’s Artemis V mission to the Moon. Read More
1. Ocado acquiring 6 River Systems from Shopify
Ocado Group is acquiring autonomous mobile robot maker 6 River Systems from Shopify. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. 6 River Systems develops the Chuck autonomous mobile robot (AMRs) for the logistics and non-grocery retail sectors. Read More
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