Kognition: Reopening America With Intelligence In The Built Environment

As America celebrated this week its 245th year of Independence, New York City is beginning to show signs of liberation from the past year of Covid captivity. Even my landmark office skyscraper, The Empire State Building, recently loosened its pandemic mask and social distancing restrictions. Unfortunately, the bustling of Midtown … Read More

Automate 2019 Startup Showdown Recap

It’s been two years since the last time I judged the Automate Startup Competition. More than any other trade show contest, this event has been an oracle of future success. In following up with the last vintage of participants, all of the previous entrees are still operating and many are … Read More

ProMat Preview: It’s Time To Cut The Cord

Last week’s breaking news story on The Robot Report was unfortunately the demise of Helen Greiner’s company, CyPhy Works (d/b/a Aria Insights). The high-flying startup raised close to $40 million since its creation in 2008, making it the second business founded by an iRobot alum that has shuttered within five months. While it … Read More

Drones Land Back To Earth At Xponential 2017

JD Claridge’s story epitomizes the current state of the drone industry. Claridge, founder of xCraft, is best known for being the first contestant on Shark Tank to receive money from all the Sharks – even Kevin O’Leary! Walking the floor of Xponential 2017, the annual convention of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems Integration (AUVSI), Claridge remarked to … Read More

The Startup Launch Pad Blasts Off At Automate 2017

What does Magic Johnson and a twenty foot robot have in common? You guessed it, Automate 2017. While this might seem like an odd pairing, it accurately reflects the current state of the robotics industry. Already 2017 is on pace to beat last year’s $19 billion investment record, with the recent announcements of Intel’s … Read More