Prioria Robotics reported today that it has been awarded several contracts totaling $4.5 million by the U.S. Army Rapid Equipping Force. The company also noted that as part of the multi-system order, its Maveric unmanned aircraft system completed certification by the Army Test and Evaluation Command. “The U.S. Army has shifted its focus to smaller,

In another first for robot-kind, a UR5 robot arm from Universal Robots will ring the NASDAQ closing bell on Tuesday to mark the launch of the Robo-Stox Global Robotics and Automation Index exchange-traded fund. It’s the first time a non-human has been given the task. Of course, these days “ringing” the closing bell actually means

The Federal Aviation Administration today released its first annual “roadmap” outlining efforts to integrate unmanned aircraft systems into the nation’s airspace. The document is available for download here: Integration of Civil Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in the National Airspace System (NAS) Roadmap The FAA says its main goal for integration is to establish requirements that

Rethink Robotics reported today that it has signed an exclusive partnership with Nihon Binary to distribute the Baxter Research Robot in Japan. The Baxter Research Robot, which launched in April, is a version of Rethink’s innovative Baxter platform designed specifically for corporate and academic robotics research. Previously it was only available in the U.S. and Europe.

By its nature, robotics is a discipline that crosses academic boundaries; it can involve engineering, computer science, aeronautics, biology and more. Recognizing this, Georgia Tech has created a new interdisciplinary organization called the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines, which is designed to coordinate the university’s various colleges, departments and labs to promote advancement in

Romotive Inc., the company behind the iPhone-powered Romo personal robot, has inked a deal to exclusively sell their robots at Brookstone stores through the end of 2013. This is the first major distribution deal for Romotive, which was founded back in 2011 and initially gained attention through a pair of highly successful Kickstarter campaigns. The

The commercial marketplace for unmanned aircraft systems remains relatively untapped in the U.S., and at this point the holdup is more regulatory than technological. However, as the Congressional deadline for integrating UAS into the National Airspace System approaches, companies are betting that will change very quickly. One such company — Modern Technology Solutions Inc., which

CyPhy Works today reported the close of a $7 million financing round, which it will use to expand its surveying- and situational awareness-focused unmanned aerial vehicles into various commercial sectors. The round was led by Lux Capital and featured participation from General Catalyst Partners, Felicis Ventures and several undisclosed angel investors. CyPhy (pronounced “Sci-Fi”) Works is

AeroVironment reported today that it has been awarded a $2.3 million contract to help develop a new type of unmanned aircraft system for DARPA. The company will work as the prime contractor with DARPA on the Tactically Exploited Reconnaissance Node (TERN) Program to develop a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAS designed to operate from small ships

NASA’s Curiosity rover has to be very, very careful when driving around Mars because if it gets stuck in a ditch, no friendly drivers will be passing by to tow it out. That’s essentially what happened to Curiosity’s predecessor Spirit, which NASA was forced to give up on in 2011. So it’s interesting to hear