February was another big month for investments in robotic startup companies. 3D Robotics, Flyability, Fetch Robotics, EHang and many others. Equity and crowd fundings: 3D Robotics raised $50M in a Series C round bringing total investment to date of $85M. Qualcomm was the principle investor in this round and 3DR intends to use the funds to…

The $50 million Series C funding, mainly from Qualcomm, provides the basis for a tacit partnership between Qualcomm and 3D Robotics with a goal of leveraging the pace of innovation in the smartphone industry and extending it to the world of 3DR. The company plans to use the funding to expand their software and hardware…

Early in 2014 Foxconn invested $25 million in Fu Jiang Robot Technology, a Shenzhen robot maker which had a dough-slicing device that was beginning to sell. According to the Want China Times, Foxconn is offering that robot – now called Fu Jiang – to the restaurant industry initially working in concert with a company that runs…

We’re giving away an iRobot Roomba Vacuum Cleaning Robot valued at $599.99. Here’s your chance to get a head start on Spring cleaning.

Multiple DJI Phantom 2+ Vision drones capture spectacular footage of an active lava lake along the Ring of Fire in the Vanuatu Archipelago.

Japanese owners of Sony’s AIBO robot dog hold funeral for the irreparable man’s best friend after last repair shop closes.

A new study finds 66% of American consumers think a drone will deliver a package to them within five years. Only 23% of those surveyed weren’t interested in drone delivery services.

Softbank announced a delay in sales of their Pepper robot from February until sometime during the summer. Aldebaran announced that CEO and Founder Bruno Maisonnier and Jean-Christophe Baillie have left Aldebaran as CEO and CSO respectively. TOP EXECS LEAVE: According to an Aldebaran press release today, Bruno Maisonnier has sold his remaining shares of Aldebaran to Softbank…

The goal of all mechatronics, or motion control applications, is to do work.  Sometimes the nature of the work is complex and the mathematical description of it can involve some exotic math, but at the end of the day, it’s about force exerted over time.  Regardless of how simple or complex, it’s all about the […]

https://www.therobotreport.com/82462-2/

Global robotics installations to increase at a compound annual rate of approximately ten percent.

Disney’s Big Hero 6 has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film. In anticipation of the 87th Academy Awards, we count down our favorite robot movies of all time.

As self-driving car tests begin in the UK, the government is looking to change some of the rules of the road.

​The US Federal Aviation Administration released their proposed rules for small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) for 60-day public review. The proposed rules allow commercial operations for UAS that weight less than 55 pounds, fly lower than 500 feet, remain within sight of the operator, and don’t operate at night. Additionally, the operator must have an…

A roundup of drones safely delivering pizza, beer, dry cleaning and more that should be reason enough to convert the FAA to the dark side.

New laws proposed by the FAA require drones to remain in the operator’s line of sight, which effectively bans drone delivery services like Amazon Prime Air and others.

Technology is everywhere.  Better get used to it.  Especially in the presence of high powered processors under $1 and System-on-Chip solutions that can cost as little as $10.   When tech gets this cheap and powerful, it’s going to enable some unexpected applications. ARM M-zero processors are 32 bit, 120 megahertz chips that are capable of executing […]

More robots are launching on crowdfunding websites such as Kickstarter. We compiled the 10 most successfully funded robots to ever appear on Kickstarter, including drones, robot printers, robot bartenders and more.

The 48th annual World Ag Expo, with over 1,400 exhibitors, finished up in Tulare, California this week with little exposure to robotic game changers. Their Top 10 New Products included just one robotic entry. DairyProQ, the only robotic winner of the 10, by GEA Farm Technologies, a German firm, uses robotic arms to sterilize, stimulate…

A bankruptcy judge cleared the way for Seegrid to exit from Chapter 11 by okaying the reorganization plan and rejecting challenges lodged by the ex-CEO. The reorganization plan includes a debt-for-equity swap with Giant Eagle, Seegrid’s largest lender, share and stakeholder who agreed to a delayed maturation date for tens of millions of dollars in…

NoFlyZone.org is a new organization that allows you to register your address online to create a no-fly zone over your property. This is an effort between a number of drone manufacturers.

Anki Overdrive debuts new cars, a new app, new gameplay features and a new modular track system that lets users create custom racetracks.

A roundup of robot vacuum cleaner fails, including one falling down the stairs, killing a Christmas tree, and smearing dog poop everywhere.