robots
RoboGrocery combines computer vision with a soft robotic gripper to bag a wide range of different items.
TechCrunch Minute: New Atlas robot stuns experts in first reveal from Boston Dynamics
This week Boston Dynamics retired its well-known Atlas robot that was powered by hydraulics. Then today it unveiled its new Atlas robot, which is powered by electricity. The change might…
NASA’s robotic, self-assembling structures could be the next phase of space construction
Bad news if you want to move to the moon or Mars: housing is a little hard to come by. Fortunately, NASA (as always) is thinking ahead, and has just…
BotBuilt wants to lower the cost of homebuilding with robots
Homes aren’t getting cheaper — or necessarily easier to secure. This year, the median household income for home buyers jumped to $107,000 from $88,000 last year, according to the National…
Thread, which develops a platform to autonomously inspect utility assets, raises $15M
Thread (not to be confused with Threads), a startup developing a robotics platform to collect inspection data for utilities, today announced that it raised $15 million in a Series A…
This week in robotics: Chinese startups net a series of fundraising successes
Before we dive into this week’s biggest news within the robotics space, there’s an announcement of our own to highlight. We’ll be hosting a number of robotics industry experts at…
Having worked in the food industry for several years, Shirley Chen saw firsthand the challenges of managing staffing and training for restaurant expansion. So when she met her future co-founders,…
Neura Robotics, a German startup that since 2019 has been building cognitive robots — machines that possess memory, the ability to operate across a complex and changing mix of variables,…
In the crowded enterprise robotics space, the ability to secure key clients is a crucial differentiator for companies. In the case of Hong Kong–based Rice Robotics, the important order has…
Featured Article
The $2,899 EcoFlow Blade robotic mower disappoints with shoddy hardware and software
When the EcoFlow Blade works, the results are fantastic. My yard looks great, and I didn’t have to spend an hour on a tractor. The Blade is quiet and capable. It’s also cheaply built, suffers from terrible software and the installation is far from advertised. I’ve been using the Blade…
San Francisco has hit pause on a policy that would allow police officers to use “killer robots” in certain situations that pose a threat to human life. The controversial plans…
Avidbots, maker of autonomous industrial cleaning robots, nabs $70M
Avidbots, a Canadian robotics manufacturer that develops autonomous cleaning robots, has raised $70 million in a Series C round of funding. Founded out of Kitchener, Ontario, in 2014, Avidbots has…
These autonomous, wireless robots could dance on a human hair
The competition to create ever smaller, ever better robots is a fierce one, and Cornell University is out front now with a set of bots small enough to sit on…
Mobot secures capital to grow its fleet of robots that bug-test mobile apps
Mobile apps have to be bug-tested across countless devices to ensure they work as intended. Users don’t look kindly on poor experiences — 88% say they’ll abandon apps based on…
Look what’s happening tomorrow at TC Sessions: Robotics
Who’s ready for robots? Tomorrow, July 21, is the big day when the global community of people who live, breathe and build robots gather to talk about the latest developments…
Five reasons to attend TC Sessions: Robotics this Thursday
We’re just a few days away from kicking off TC Sessions: Robotics on July 21. This online event will draw roboticists from around the world, and it’s your opportunity to…
Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. Alex and Grace are back…
Ford is now using robots to operate 3D printers without human help
Ford’s Advanced Manufacturing Center has developed an interface that allows machines from different suppliers to speak to each other in the same language and operate parts of the production line…
Yukai Engineering’s cute stuffed animal robot will nibble on your finger
Yukai Engineering, the maker of the Qoobo robotic cat tail pillow, has revealed a soft robot that nibbles on a user’s fingertip. They hopes the “somewhat pleasing sensation” will brighten…
Robots and AI assist in designing and building Swiss university’s ‘hanging gardens’
Architecture and construction have always been, rather quietly, at the bleeding edge of tech and materials trends. It’s no surprise, then, especially at a renowned technical university like ETH Zurich,…
Machina Labs emerges from stealth with $16M raised for on-demand manufacturing robotics
Machina Labs today announced a $14 million Series A for its robotics and AI-based manufacturing. The round, led by Innovation Endeavors and featuring Congruent Ventures and Embark Ventures, brings the…
Facebook researchers build better skin and fingertips for softer, more sensitive robots
According to Facebook AI Research, the next generation of robots should be much better at feeling — not emotions, of course, but using the sense of touch. And to advance…
‘Flying’ microchips could ride the wind to track air pollution
Researchers have created a winged microchip around the size of a sand grain that may be the smallest flying device yet made. They’re designed to be carried around by the…
Simbe’s robots will be deployed across midwestern grocery chain, Schnucks
St. Louis-based grocery chain Schnucks (one of those “With a name like Smucker’s, it has to be good” situations, one imagines) announced this week that it will be deploying technology…
Bedrock modernizes seafloor mapping with autonomous sub and cloud-based data
The push for renewable energy has brought offshore wind power to the forefront of many an energy company’s agenda, and that means taking a very close look at the ocean…
Stumble-proof robot adapts to challenging terrain in real time
Robots have a hard time improvising, and encountering an unusual surface or obstacle usually means an abrupt stop or hard fall. But researchers have created a new model for robotic…
Expenses startup Pleo preps $100M Series C funding, launches new bill payments service
Late-stage fintech startup Pleo, which offers expense management tools and “smart” company Mastercards, says it plans to raise a Series C round of funding this summer. It’s also launching a…
Agility, the Oregon State University spin-off behind Digit and Cassie, announced this morning that it has raised $20 million in funding. The latest round, led by DCVC and Playground Global,…
SoftBank will bring Bear’s serving robots to Japan, amid restaurant labor shortages
SoftBank has been quite bullish on Bear Robotics this year, beginning with leadership in a $32 million Series A back in January. It’s easy to see why the investment firm…
Festo’s latest biomimetic robots are a flying feathered bird and ball-bottomed helper arm
You could be excused for thinking that German robotics company Festo does nothing but put together fabulous prototype robots built to resemble kangaroos, jellyfish, and other living things. They do…
