Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 42.78
Alphabet's robotic subsidiary Intrinsic Innovation LLC has laid off 40 employees, which makes up about 20% of its workforce. The Information broke the news and was backed up by multiple sources including TechCrunch, which received a statement from the company. “Intrinsic’s leadership has made the difficult decision to let go a number of our team members,” a spokesperson told TechCrunch. “We have communicated the news directly with them. We fully acknowledge how hard this will be and are offering as much proactive support as possible.” Alphabet's X Development LLC innovation unit launched Intrinsic in 2021. The Google Inc. parent company…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 27.34
…that it is spinning out of X Development LLC, Alphabet Inc.'s “moonshot factory.” “For the last several years, my team and I have been working to see if it’s possible to teach robots to perform useful tasks in the messy, unstructured spaces of our everyday lives,” said Hans-Peter Brøndmo, general manager of The Everyday Robot Project at X, in a blog post. “We imagine a world where robots work alongside us, making everyday tasks — like sorting trash, wiping tables in cafes, or tidying chairs in meeting rooms — easier.” “In a more distant future, we imagine our robots helping…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 25.28
…Development LLC, the innovation unit of Google Inc. parent Alphabet Inc., today announced that it has launched Intrinsic, a robotics software and artificial intelligence company. Intrinsic said it is developing software to give industrial robots the ability to sense, learn, and adapt to their environments so they can work in a wider range of applications. “Intrinsic is working to unlock the creative and economic potential of industrial robotics for millions more businesses, entrepreneurs, and developers,” said Wendy Tan-White, CEO of Intrinsic. “We’re developing software tools designed to make industrial robots—which are used to make everything from solar panels to cars—easier…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 18.62
…project that “graduated” into full company status under the Alphabet umbrella this past July, is taking flight in Europe. Wing announced that it will start a new pilot in Finland beginning in the spring of 2019 in Helsinki, delivering goods and packages of up to 1.5 kilograms (about 3.3 pounds) within a distance of up to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). Deliveries will be available for free as part of the trial, although the company intends to charge for them if a full commercial service launches. The company has spent the past 18 months trailing the customer experience of drone delivery…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 15.72
…airlines and “last-mile” trucking companies, the innovation is gaining traction with shippers serving small regional markets. Google’s parent company Alphabet, for example, has the FAA’s blessing to begin food delivery in Virginia using the same drone technology it now uses in food logistics in Australia. Amazon introduced its Prime Air delivery drone last June, with the intent to deliver food from the Amazon platform. Finally, Uber Eats is testing the first ever commercial application of drone food delivery in high-density urban areas. The initial customer tests will showcase what the future of food logistics may look like for millions of…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 14.19
…to expand ROS tools Intrinsic came out of X, Alphabet’s moonshot factory, and is now independently run under the Mountain View, Calif-based company. It primarily creates software for developers of industrial automation. Intrinsic has already been using ROS to help build its tools, Tan White noted. “Our team is eager to welcome and work with our new colleagues, expand our use and integration of ROS tools, and build the Intrinsic platform,” she said. “As we work together to support and serve developers, we see immense value in creating a software platform that expands access to intelligent robotics in a way…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 14.07
…were capable of handling items and learn on the go. In related cleaning robot news, Wired recently reported that Alphabet would be shutting down Everyday Robots, an X moonshot lab robotics startup. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company made the decision to cut costs.
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 13.95
…autonomous vehicles. Waymo, the self-driving unit of Google’s parent Alphabet, had a similar revelation this summer. That’s when it announced a pivot from developing its own self-driving cars to developing self-driving technology for cars mass produced by others. That resulted in the demise of the company’s Firefly self-driving car (no steering wheel, no peddles) - probably the first retirement from the autonomous vehicle race. In other words, we have to be aware of the difference between possibility and probability and pervasive. That’s true for individual suppliers in particular as well as autonomous vehicles in general. As to the latter, we…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 13.91
…in a shared vehicle world, or will be displaced by rivals more adept at digital technology strategy, such as Alphabet Inc’s Google or ride-sharing services Uber Technologies Inc. GM is using profits from selling large sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks to buy hedges against that risk. Source: Reuters Related: Making the Leap to Uber Trucking Download the Report: The Future Isn’t What It Used To Be
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 13.38
…local delivery service of Mountain View, Calif.-based Waymo LLC. Founded in 2009 as the Google Self-Driving Car Project, the Alphabet Inc. company claimed that it has autonomously driven tens of millions of miles on public roads in more than 13 U.S. states and tens of billions of miles in simulation. It raised $2.5 billion in June 2021. In addition to Waymo Via, Waymo said Waymo Driver powers its Waymo One autonomous ride-hailing service. Waymo Via is also testing autonomous freight in Texas with J.B. Hunt and UPS. Other autonomous trucking developers testing in Texas include Aurora and Uber Freight, TuSimple,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 13.31
…and buses. Last week, another self-driving truck startup was at the center of a lawsuit filed by Google parent Alphabet Inc, whose Waymo self-driving car unit accused ride services startup Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] and its autonomous trucking subsidiary Otto of trade theft. Uber acquired Otto, founded by two former Google executives, last summer. Related: Self-Driving Technology for Commercial Trucking Download the Paper: Technological Disruption and Innovation in Last-Mile Delivery
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 13.29
As reported by Bloomberg, an offshoot of Alphabet Inc.’s Google has become the first drone operator to receive government approval as an airline, an important step that gives it the legal authority to begin dropping products to actual customers. The subsidiary, Wing Aviation LLC, now has the same certifications that smaller airlines receive from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Transportation. It plans to begin routine deliveries of small consumer items in two rural communities in Virginia within months, the company said. From Bloomberg: Google Spinoff’s Drone Delivery Business First to Get FAA Approval Recode reports that…