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Celebrating Robotics Week and Recent Industry Developments

Happy Robotics Week to all who observe it. Many of us find ourselves separated from family this year, meaning traditional celebrations like a robotics tree or robot-themed gifts are less accessible. However, the National Robotics Week organization is hosting numerous virtual events throughout 50 states, continuing through April 11th.

Financial News in the Robotics Sector

Recent weeks have also brought noteworthy financial updates. Sarcos Robotics recently entered the realm of robotic SPACs, a trend that has seen increasing activity within the startup landscape. Robotics firms, however, have been comparatively slower to adopt this blank-check reverse merger approach. Berkshire-Grey stands out as a prominent example of a company that has pursued this strategy.

Sarcos specializes in the creation of robotics and robotic exoskeletons, often resembling designs from science fiction films. The company has secured substantial funding, including a $40 million investment in September. It gained wider recognition through its collaboration with Delta Airlines, which intends to utilize Sarcos’ technology to assist employees with heavy lifting tasks.

Funding Rounds and Warehouse Automation

Rapid Robotics, based in San Francisco, announced a $12 million Series A funding round. This brings the company’s total funding to $17.5 million, following a successful seed round. Their core focus is on delivering a streamlined, plug-and-play robotics solution for manufacturing, effectively reducing the complexities of automation for various industries.

SoftBank, maintaining a strong positive outlook on the robotics industry, recently acquired a 40% stake in AutoStore for $2.8 billion. This valuation places the Norwegian company at $7.7 billion. AutoStore leverages robotics to optimize warehouse storage, achieving consolidation to approximately 25% of traditional space requirements.

The company boasts a significant operational scale, with 20,000 robots currently deployed across around 600 locations. Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank, commented on the acquisition’s potential.

Innovative Research from MIT

Beyond investment news, exciting research has emerged from MIT. Researchers at MIT, alongside colleagues from Harvard and Georgia Tech, have demonstrated a robot capable of sensing hidden objects using radio waves. This technology, known as RF-Grasp, enables the robot to identify and manipulate items that are obscured or outside its direct visual range.

Fadel Adib, an Associate Professor at MIT, characterizes this capability as “superhuman perception.”