Engineering and robotics firm Boston Dynamics has become the eighth robotics company to be acquired by Google in the past six months.
The company was founded in 1992 and builds mainly animal-themed, walking robots. The best known of these is BigDog a quadruped all-terrain robot built for the Pentagon with DARPA funding. It has also created Cheetah, which boasts a top speed of over 28 mph and is the fastest legged robot, and bipedal search and rescue robot Atlas.
According to the New York Times (NYT), the company will honour its existing military contracts post acquisition, including a $10.8 million agreement to supply Atlas robots to participate in the DARPA Robotics Challenge. However, Google will not move to become a military contractor in its own right, a spokesperson cited by the NYT said.
Little is known about Google's robotics plans, other than the fact the unit is being overseen by Andy Rubin, who spearheaded the development of the company's Android mobile operating system.
While Boston Dynamics is an established and relatively well-known organisation, the other seven robotics acquisitions made by Google have been start-ups.
Humanoid robot makers Meka Robotics and Redwood Robotics, robotic camera systems maker Bot & Dolly, and its sister company ad house Autofuss have all been acquired by Google.
Meanwhile, machine vision and robotic arm pioneer Industrial Perception, and robotic wheel maker Holomni, all based in Silicon Valley, were also snaffled by the web giant during 2013 along with Japanese start-up Schaft.
A Google spokeswoman confirmed the acquisition had taken place, but declined to comment further on the takeover or Rubin's project as a whole.
-
RSAC Conference 2025: The front line of cyber innovationITPro Podcast Ransomware, quantum computing, and an unsurprising focus on AI were highlights of this year's event
-
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei thinks we're burying our heads in the sand on AI job lossesNews With AI set to hit entry-level jobs especially, some industry execs say clear warning signs are being ignored
-
‘Not if, but when’: Where are the autonomous robots?In-depth Robots are already common in manufacturing, but where are the autonomous robots of the future and what form will they take?
-
The Forrester Wave™: Robotic Process Automation ServicesWhitepaper The 15 providers that matter most and how they stack up
-
MOV.AI’s robotics engine platform aids AMR productionNews New platform automates autonomous mobile robot development with visual IDE, open API framework, 3D physics simulator, and more
-
ANYbotics taps Velodyne to enhance autonomous robots’ navigationNews ANYbotics will incorporate Velodyne’s Puck Lidar sensors into its mobile robots
-
Infostretch and Automation Anywhere join forces to deliver hyperautomationNews New deal will help organizations establish RPA centers of excellence
-
Telepresence medical robot market set to reach $159.5 million by 2028News Increasing adoption of robots in health care settings and product innovations are contributing to the market's growth
-
Boston Dynamics announces commercial sales of Spot RobotNews Boston Dynamics launches its first online sales offering with Spot Robot
-
Changing the Games: Why Tokyo 2020 will be the most technologically advanced Olympics yetIn-depth Japan is hoping to amaze athletes and fans alike at the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics, with a host of cutting-edge innovations. Can it deliver on its promise?
