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 Los Angeles firm’s total funding to $16.3 million to date. The news also finds the company effectively coming out of stealth, following pilots with NASA […]

人の後ろをついてくる「追従型ロボット」が、農場や店舗で活躍し始めている

人間の後を追ってついてくる追従型ロボットが、農場や店舗などで活用され始めた。農作物や荷物を運べるこうしたロボットはコンピューターヴィジョンやAIによって実用レヴェルに進化したが、さらに活用の場を広げるには乗り越えるべき課題もある。
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日本発の「宇宙向け汎用ロボット」が、国際宇宙ステーションでの実証実験に成功したことの大きな意味

宇宙ロボットスタートアップのGITAIが、国際宇宙ステーション（ISS）での汎⽤ロボットの技術実証実験を成功させた。汎用のロボットアームによる宇宙での作業が可能であることを実証した今回の実験の先には、ISS船外での作業という次なるステップ、そして月面基地やスペースコロニーの建設といったニーズも視野に入る。
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CMU’s new Robotics Institute director on the future of robot research

After two years serving in an interim capacity, Professor Srinivasa Narasimhan will be stepping aside as Carnegie Mellon welcomes the sixth director of its Robotics Institute. A graduate of CMU’s School of Computer Science in 2005, Matthew Johnson-Roberson arrives at the school after stints as an associate professor of engineering at University of Michigan’s Department […]

Teaching robots to socialize

Politeness doesn’t really amount to much when you’re programmed to get from point A to point B. But if robots are going to play an increased role in human society, questions arise around how precisely they’ll get along with the rest of us. “Robots will live in our world soon enough and they really need […]

MIT’s CSAIL self-driving water taxis launched in the Amsterdam canals

Granted, there aren’t many cities where self-driving water taxis are a viable option, but Amsterdam may just be one of those places. This week, scientists from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and the Senseable City Laboratory launched the first self-navigating, fully autonomous robot boats. They call ’em Roboats (geddit?), and they made […]

Gitai successfully demos autonomous robot inside the International Space Station

Tokyo space startup Gitai Japan successfully conducted a technology demonstration of its autonomous robotic arm inside the International Space Station last week, a key milestone as the company prepares to provide robotics as a service in space. The S1 robotic arm performed two tasks: operating cables and switches, and assembling structures and panels. These tasks […]

Top highlights from Xpeng’s 2021 Tech Day

Chinese smart electric vehicle startup Xpeng has announced a series of innovations that direct the company towards crafting the mobility ecosystem of the future.  “Our exploration of more efficient, safer, carbon-neutral mobility solutions goes far beyond just smart EVs, and is the cornerstone of our long-term competitive advantages,” said He Xiaopeng, chairman and CEO of […]