Soft Robotics Research Grows, but Developers Must Advance Field, Says UC Santa Barbara Professor
May 7, 2021
While there has been much academic interest in soft robotics lately, research should advance the field, say three authors of a new paper on the technology.
ViaBot Launches Maintenance Robots as a Service With $6.1M in Funding
May 7, 2021
ViaBot, whose RUNO robots are already providing autonomous sweeping and security services for Cushman & Wakefield, publicly launched and announced funding.
Chinese Mobile Robot Startup Youibot Raises $15.5M, Led by SoftBank Ventures Asia
May 7, 2021
Youibot, whose "end-to-end" set of mobile robots and software offerings serve the manufacturing, power, and logistics industries, plans to continue global growth.
AutoX Marks 100 Days of Fully Autonomous RoboTaxi Service in Shenzhen, China
May 6, 2021
AutoX said it is only the second company to get permission for such driverless vehicle rides, and it has received favorable feedback so far.
FANUC America Adds 10 Model Variations to LR Mate Tabletop Robot Series
May 6, 2021
FANUC Americas has updated its LR Mate tabletop robot line with 10 model variations, including for cleanroom and food-safe environments.
Einride Raises $110M Series B Toward the Autonomous Freight of the Future
May 6, 2021
Einride said its electric, autonomous Pods are safer, more environmentally sustainable, and more cost-efficient than conventional trucks. The company plans to expand its deployments in Europe and the U.S.
First-Quarter 2021 Robot Sales Increase 20% Over Q1 2020, Reports A3
May 6, 2021
The Association for Advancing Automation said that non-automotive purchases of robots in Q1 2021 were the second-best ever.
Harmonic Bionics Raises $7M Series A for Upper-Extremity Exoskeleton
May 5, 2021
Harmonic Bionics, whose Harmony SHR wearable device is designed for rehabilitating people with upper-extremity impairments, has raised money to commercialize the exoskeleton.
MassRobotics and MassTLC to Host Virtual Robotics and AI Career Fair
May 5, 2021
To address the need for diverse job seekers to find fulfilling tech careers and for robotics companies to grow, MassTLC and MassRobotics are hosting a career fair on May 19.
AeroVironment Completes Acquisition of Unmanned Ground Vehicle Provider Telerob
May 5, 2021
Transaction combines providers of unmanned aircraft and ground vehicles for integrated defense and homeland security missions in air, near-space, ground, and maritime domains.
NextShift Robotics Acquired by Warehouse Management as a Service Provider JASCI Software
May 4, 2021
NextShift Robotics, which makes autonomous mobile robots, has been acquired by warehouse management provider JASCI Software and will be renamed JASCI Robotics.
Symbio Robotics Deploys Robot AI at Ford Livonia Transmission Plant
May 4, 2021
Symbio Robotics provides AI to help robots at Ford learn how to install heavy and complex torque converters, learning and adapting so it can continuously increase efficiency.
Precision AI Raises $20M for Drone-Based Computer Vision for Sustainable Agriculture
May 4, 2021
Precision.AI Inc. provides fully autonomous spraying and crop-protection systems for farms of all sizes and equipment manufacturers.
Kroger Partners With Drone Express on Grocery Drone Delivery Pilot
May 3, 2021
Kroger said it will offer bundles of related grocery products, such as for child care or a picnic, through a drone delivery service it is piloting with Drone Express.
Autonomous Welding Vendor Path Robotics Raises $56M in Series B Funding
May 3, 2021
To address a growing shortage of skilled labor, Path Robotics has raised money for its offering, which it said is the first turnkey system to automate welding.
Top 10 Robotics Transactions of April 2021
May 3, 2021
Even not including the largest deals in AI and autonomous vehicles from April 2021, the month still featured multimillion-dollar transactions in exoskeletons, delivery robots, and surgical systems.
Ingenuity Helicopter Marks Fourth Mars Flight as NASA Prepares for New Demonstration Phase
May 2, 2021
As a bonus to its existing record-setting flights on Mars, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter could undertake more missions, as NASA JPL takes advantage of the Perseverance Rover schedule.
10 Autonomous Approaches to Disinfection During the COVID-19 Pandemic
May 1, 2021
Robots can relieve humans from dull, dirty, and dangerous work, but for the past year, extra attention has focused on safe disinfection.
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Deployed by Scripps Find Thousands of Barrels of Toxic Waste Near Los Angeles
April 30, 2021
A REMUS 6000 and a Bluefin underwater robot conducted a survey off the coast of Los Angeles and identified more than 100,000 debris objects, including barrels of DDT.
Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories and MIT Work to Bridge Gap Between Robot Vision, Touch
April 30, 2021
MERL and MIT researchers are working to apply machine learning, collaborative robots, sensors, and vision to help robots more dexterously manipulate items such as food.
