Robotics & Automation News

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RightHand Robotics raises $66 million in Series C funding

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RightHand Robotics, a startup developing autonomous robotic picking solutions for order fulfillment, has secured $66 million in a Series C financing.

The funding round was led by investors Safar Partners, a technology venture fund; Thomas H. Lee Partners, an investor in automation and supply chain; and SoftBank Vision Fund 2, which is part of the SoftBank Group.

Zebra Technologies, Epson and Global Brain also join this round, along with previous investors GV, F-Prime Capital, Menlo Ventures, Matrix Partners and Tony Fadell’s Future Shape. Previous rounds were led by Menlo Ventures and Playground Global. [Read more…] about RightHand Robotics raises $66 million in Series C funding

Robotic Research raises $228 million in Series A funding round

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Robotic Research, a developer of autonomous mobility and robotics solutions, has raised $228 million in its Series A funding round – the first outside capital the company has raised.

This funding will drive further innovation and expansion of Robotic Research’s commercial division, RR.AI, which is focused on delivering comprehensive autonomous driving solutions for commercial truck, bus, drayage and logistics vehicles.

Investors in the Series A round include SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Enlightenment Capital, Crescent Cove Advisors, Henry Crown and Company, and Luminar Technologies. [Read more…] about Robotic Research raises $228 million in Series A funding round

SoftBank to halt production of Pepper and reduce its robotics business, says Reuters

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SoftBank, the Japanese telecommunications giant which has in the past few years become a huge force in the robotics market, is set to halt production of Pepper, the humanoid robot, according to a report by Reuters. 

The news agency cites sources and documents to say that “production of the humanoid Pepper… was stopped last year”, adding that “it would be costly to restart production”.

Pepper was being manufactured by Foxconn, famous for being Apple’s main manufacturer. [Read more…] about SoftBank to halt production of Pepper and reduce its robotics business, says Reuters

Canon to offer SoftBank’s robotic vacuum cleaner Whiz to offices

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Canon Solutions America has formed a new strategic collaboration with SoftBank Robotics America and will provide the Whiz robotic vacuum cleaner to offices as part of the agreement.

The alliance initiates a new focus on commercializing robotics and integrated automation as part of Canon Solutions America’s larger Workplace Health Solutions portfolio, starting with Whiz, which is described as “the commercial robot vacuum that works to elevate the health and safety of varying work environments”.

The Whiz offering brings together Canon Solutions America’s industry-leading solutions and exceptional professional services with SoftBank Robotics’ global leadership in collaborative robotics, or cobotics, and impactful automation. [Read more…] about Canon to offer SoftBank’s robotic vacuum cleaner Whiz to offices

SoftBank to acquire 40 percent of AutoStore

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SoftBank, the telecommunications giant which has huge investments in the robotics sector, is to acquire a large stake in AutoStore, a robotics and software company that specialises in automated storage and retrieval systems for warehouses.

SoftBank has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 40 percent of AutoStore from funds affiliated with Thomas H. Lee Partners and EQT Private Equity, among other shareholders.

THL will continue to be AutoStore’s majority shareholder and THL, SoftBank and EQT will each have representatives on AutoStore’s board of directors. [Read more…] about SoftBank to acquire 40 percent of AutoStore

Hyundai’s acquisition of Boston Dynamics can reinforce its position in smart mobility, says GlobalData

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Hyundai Motor Group has agreed to acquire approximately 80 percent stake in American engineering and robotics design company Boston Dynamics from SoftBank Group for $1.1bn.

The move can fuel Hyundai’s long-term goal to become a smart mobility solutions provider by leveraging Boston Dynamics’ robots such as bipedal and quadruped equipped with 3D vision, navigation and advanced intelligence, says data and analytics company GlobalData.

Venkata Naveen, senior disruptive tech analyst at GlobalData, says: “Hyundai’s move to acquire major stake in Boston Dynamics polarizes with many automakers competing to add their name to the me-too stack of autonomous carmakers by purchasing self-driving tech startups. [Read more…] about Hyundai’s acquisition of Boston Dynamics can reinforce its position in smart mobility, says GlobalData

Nvidia to acquire Arm for $40 billion

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Nvidia and SoftBank Group have reached a definitive agreement under which Nvidia will acquire Arm Limited from SBG and the SoftBank Vision Fund (together, “SoftBank”) in a transaction valued at $40 billion.

The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to Nvidia’s non-GAAP gross margin and non-GAAP earnings per share.

The combination brings together Nvidia’s leading AI computing platform with Arm’s vast ecosystem to create the premier computing company for the age of artificial intelligence, accelerating innovation while expanding into large, high-growth markets. [Read more…] about Nvidia to acquire Arm for $40 billion

Nvidia reportedly in talks to buy ARM

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Nvidia, one of the largest chipmakers in the world with a leading position in the robotics and autonomous cars market, is in talks to buy ARM, according to a report on the Bloomberg website. 

ARM is a chip designer which was bought in 2016 for $32 billion by SoftBank Group, as reported by the Financial Times.

SoftBank Group is a giant Japanese telecommunications company and is the parent of SoftBank Robotics. [Read more…] about Nvidia reportedly in talks to buy ARM

SoftBank Robotics sells 10,000 units of its commercial vacuum cleaning robot

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SoftBank Robotics says it has sold 10,000 units of its industrial or commercial vacuum cleaning robot, Whiz, making it “the global number-one in autonomous professional cleaning robots by sales”, according to Grand View Research.

SoftBank Robotics says that, as of the end of June 2020, it recorded global cumulative sales of more than 10,000 units of Whiz, which is an AI-enabled vacuum-cleaning robot.

Following SoftBank Robotics’ launch of the humanoid robot Pepper, the company launched Whiz as its second robot in November 2018, and it began providing Whiz commercially from May 2019 in Japan. [Read more…] about SoftBank Robotics sells 10,000 units of its commercial vacuum cleaning robot

SoftBank Robotics launches educational IDE for Pepper robot

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SoftBank Robotics Americas has launched an integrated development environment for its humanoid Pepper robot.

SoftBank calls the IDE “Tethys”, and says it has been created to teach students how to code.

The standalone visual programming software can connect to their humanoid robot, Pepper, to program full functionality of the robot in real time.

SBRA’s first commercially available software tool is the latest milestone in their longstanding education initiative spanning Nao, Pepper, and their partnership with the SoftBank Group. [Read more…] about SoftBank Robotics launches educational IDE for Pepper robot