Martial Hebert, a leading researcher in computer vision and robotics, has been named dean of Carnegie Mellon University’s world-renowned School of Computer Science (SCS), effective August 15. Hebert, director of the Robotics Institute in SCS since 2014, will lead a school with more than 270 faculty members and approximately 2,300 students. He has been a…
Corindus Vascular Robotics to be acquired by Siemens Medical Solutions for $1.1B
Corindus Vascular Robotics, whose CorPath GRX has FDA approval for percutaneous coronary and vascular procedures, will be acquired by Siemens Healthineers.
Preferred Networks, Toyota agree to jointly develop service robots
Using Toyota’s Human Support Robot as a base, the two companies will accelerate development by sharing their respective technologies.
Scale AI raises $100M Series C for annotation services to train AI
Scale AI has raised Series C funding for its annotation services, which can help train machine learning for its customers. They include leader companies working on self-driving cars, robots, and other systems.
Robotics investments recap: July 2019
In July 2019, investments in robotics, autonomous vehicles, and drones increased, despite a decline in the number of transactions.
DENSO creates grant to support charities focused on diversity
DENSO, the world’s second largest mobility supplier, announced today the creation of a $50,000 grant it will award to a U.S.-based public charity focused on supporting diversity in technology. The grant supports DENSO’s commitment to support diversity, which helps drive innovation in mobility and advanced technology fields. Starting today, DENSO is seeking proposals that touch…
TIAGo++ robot from PAL Robotics ready for two-armed tasks
PAL Robotics’ TIAGo++ has two arms with seven degrees of freedom. It was designed in response to feedback from universities and industry.
OpenAI partners with Microsoft on $1B expansion of Azure for AI
Microsoft is investing $1 billion in OpenAI to build out Microsoft Azure to support artificial general intelligence.
Top 10 ROS-based robotics companies in 2019
Not only is the Robot Operating System the standard for research, but it is also increasingly the foundation for commercial robots. Here are 10 ROS-based companies, plus some honorable mentions.
Electronic skin could give robots an exceptional sense of touch
Robots and prosthetic devices may soon have a sense of touch equivalent to, or better than, the human skin with the Asynchronous Coded Electronic Skin (ACES), an artificial nervous system developed by researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS). The new electronic skin system has ultra-high responsiveness and robustness to damage, and can be…
Berlin and the European Regional Development Fund award 3YOURMIND with funding to improve Machine Learning in their software suite
The investment bank of Berlin awarded 3YOURMIND with €1.3 million in Pro FIT funding, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Since 2014, 3YOURMIND software has been optimizing the industrial 3D printing (additive manufacturing) value chain for leading manufacturers in the US and Europe. This funding will be used to extend machine learning applications […]
Atos and Siemens reinforce their strategic cooperation
Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, and Siemens, a global engineering leader, announced the reinforcement of their strategic co-operation, with plans to accelerate their joint business until 2020 through an ambitious joint go-to-market plan and the strengthening of their joint innovation and investment program. The program has been increased by €100 million, totaling €330…
Markforged opens new R&D center in Massachusetts
Markforged, a provider of metal and carbon fiber 3D printers, announced a new office in Kendall Square to support the rapid expansion of its software and AI teams. Located in CIC Cambridge at 245 Main Street, the 2,000 sqft office is the new central hub for developing Markforged’s artificial intelligence software for adaptive manufacturing, Blacksmith, […]
COAST Autonomous to deploy first self-driving vehicles at rail yard
State-of-the-art facility operated by Harbor Rail Services in Kinney County, Texas, will become the first US rail yard to deploy self-driving vehicles.
Reader survey seeks input for The Robot Report
The Robot Report is asking you, our readers, to respond to a quick survey about your interests. This will guide our online and print coverage, as well as our growing events.
CloudMinds files for $500M IPO for cloud-based service robots
CloudMinds, which has developed a cloud-based infrastructure for making service robots smarter, filed for a $500 million IPO.
MIT robot performs Bottle Cap Challenge
You’ve probably already seen, or even participated in, the Bottle Cap Challenge. It’s the viral challenge of the week where people try to unscrew a bottle cap with a 360-degree kick. MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) didn’t want to be left out. So it got in on the fun using its RoboRaise…
Automated system from MIT generates robotic actuators for novel tasks
When designing actuators involves too many variables for humans to test by hand, this system can step in.
Robotics investments recap: June 2019
Reported robotics investments in June 2019 focused on transportation, AI and software, manufacturing, and healthcare.
Top 10 robotics stories during first half of 2019
We’re more than halfway through 2019, and there’s been a lot to talk about. Here are The Robot Report‘s picks for the top 10 robotics stories during the first half of 2019. Please share your thoughts below via the survey or the comments section. 1. Consumer robotics company Anki shuts down The struggles of consumer…
Cowen, MassRobotics collaborating on robotics & AI research
Cowen Inc. and MassRobotics today announced a collaboration to bring together their extensive market knowledge to advance research into the emerging robotics and artificial intelligence industry. Based in the Boston area, MassRobotics is a global hub for robotics, and the collective work of a group of engineers, rocket scientists, and entrepreneurs focused on the needs…
July 2019 Issue: Wheel bearings move telescope to new heights
Creating a “wayback machine” for IT security any people are familiar with the “wayback machine,” the useful internet archive at web.archive.org. But until now, there’s been no similar type of system for cyber security professionals. An attack may happen today and not manifest itself for months or years … by then, it’s impossible to do…
Rutgers develops system to optimize automated packing
Rutgers computer scientists used artificial intelligence to control a robotic arm that provides a more efficient way to pack boxes, saving businesses time and money. “We can achieve low-cost, automated solutions that are easily deployable. The key is to make minimal but effective hardware choices and focus on robust algorithms and software,” said the study’s…
AMP Robotics announces largest deployment of AI-guided recycling robots
Single Stream Recyclers is deploying 14 AI-guided robots at its facility in Sarasota, Fla., making it the largest installation of such recycling robots.
TRI tackles manipulation research for reliable, robust human-assist robots
Toyota Research Institute’s VP of robotics research explains how TRI is working on algorithmic techniques and simulation to improve manipulation for human-assist robots, eventually in the home.