Robots are taking over the world. OK, not really. Not yet. But they are becoming increasingly prevalent in almost every industry, from healthcare and manufacturing to defense and education.
At robotics companies across America, the co-mingling of engineering and science is producing some truly innovative products — things that do what humans have typically done, only better. Whether it’s welding, teaching, assembling cars or performing surgery, these inventions are changing the way we live and work.
The following companies are contributing to the robotics revolution.
Robotics Companies to Know
- ABB
- NVIDIA
- Anduril
- Boston Dynamics
- Diligent Robotics
- Intuitive
- Starship Technologies
- Nuro
- iRobot
- Vecna Robotics
Robotics Companies and Startups to Know
Location: Los Angeles, California
Machina Labs combines robotics and artificial intelligence expertise to develop manufacturing solutions. The company says its Robotic Craftsman platform is able to precisely handle various manufacturing processes like trimming and work with different kinds of materials. Machina Labs’ technology has applications for multiple industries, including aerospace, automotive and consumer products.
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
MORSE Corp’s team of hardware and software experts work on technologies like robotic systems for national security projects. The company relies on “a user-centered development process,” offering capabilities that extend to areas like hardware prototyping, testing and evaluation and developing artificial intelligence solutions.
Location: Seattle, Washington
Carbon Robotics creates agricultural robots powered by artificial intelligence technology, specializing in weed control. Its flagship product, the LaserWeeder, employs computer vision, robotics tech and AI deep learning to provide a 100 percent chemical-free weed control process. This tool aims to enhance crop growth and yield while eliminating the harmful effects of pesticides on food products and the environment.
Location: Gardena, California
GrayMatter Robotics’ smart robot assistants make repetitive manufacturing tasks like sanding, blasting and polishing easier. Combining off-the-shelf robots with AI software, the company offers what it calls Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS), specifically for high-mix applications. Integrating AI into these manufacturing production processes improves working conditions, increases productivity and reduces scrap, repair and rework costs.
Location: Vats, Norway
AutoStore builds robots and other technologies for industries like retail, healthcare and third-party logistics. The Red Line is AutoStore’s group of four energy efficient warehouse robots that are independently controlled and support order fulfillment processes. AutoStore’s Black Line warehouse robots run on lithium ion batteries and can remain in operation 24/7.
Location: Longmont, Colorado
Scythe Robotics builds autonomous robots for landscaping. Its all-electric mowers are equipped with AI, cameras, sensors and other technology that enables them to automatically adjust to an environment as they cut grass without the need for a human operator in the driver’s seat. As they progress through a job, the machines are able to accommodate changes in grass thickness to prevent clogs while also identifying and navigating around obstacles.
Location: Fully Remote
ABB’s portfolio of robotics products serves several industries, including healthcare, logistics, metal fabrication, construction and fabrication. Among those products are autonomous mobile robots and RobotStudio, which is an “offline programming and simulation tool for robotic applications.”
Location: Waltham, Massachusetts
Boston Dynamics makes robots that have human- and animal-like dexterity. The company’s robot Spot is able to move through difficult terrain and carry up to almost 31 pounds to support automation and safety in industrial inspections. There’s also Stretch, built to take on case handling and truck unloading for warehouse operations.
Location: Sanata Clara, California
NVIDIA’s Isaac robotics platform supports the development and deployment of robots for various industries. It can be used for creating virtual environments for testing robots and managing fleets of robots. NVIDIA’s artificial intelligence technologies, like the Jetson Orin AI computer, are capable of powering autonomous machines.
Location: Norfolk, Virginia
SVT Robotics touts its SOFTBOT Platform as a solution for efficiently deploying robots, automation and IoT devices. The company says the platform can reduce operations costs as well as speed up onboarding time.
Location: Southfield, Michigan
Comau offers more than three dozen industrial robots with payload capacities ranging from 3 to 650 kilograms. The company’s Aura collaborative robot can be mounted upside down, has an intuitive interface for programming and is equipped with sensors to avoid collisions. Comau also produces the MATE-EXT exoskeleton, which provides shoulder and arm support to improve user’s quality of life while performing strenuous, repetitive tasks.
Location: Costa Mesa, California
Anduril builds hardware and software products designed to solve the biggest security challenges of America and its allies. From Lattice, an AI-backed platform that integrates real-time data from Anduril and third-party systems into a single dashboard, to sentry towers and intelligent air support devices, Anduril presents mission-effective technology that deploys in hours, not years.
Location: Golden, Colorado
Outrider produces autonomous yard operations vehicles that improve safety and reduce emissions. Outrider also creates site infrastructure and management systems to optimize operations, with vehicles capable of tractor-to-trailer coupling and maneuvering between dock doors, parking spaces and over-the-road pickup locations.
Location: San Francisco, California
Hoping to address the manufacturing labor crisis, Rapid Robotics is developing robots that can be deployed for simple tasks within hours. The company strives for low-cost efficiency with its setup time, allowing manufacturers to spend less on other automated solutions. Additionally, the robots themselves are ordered through a subscription program.
Location: Austin, Texas
Founded at the Human Centered Robotics Lab at the University of Texas at Austin, Apptronik builds “human-centered robotic systems” designed to work with and alongside human counterparts. The company has a lineup of different bots that specialize in a range of functions — for instance, one is an upper-body humanoid bot that works with its hands, and another has facial features and is used for social connection.
Location: Longmont, Colorado
HoneyBee Robotics’ technology has been used in multiple NASA space missions (Mars visits included) since 1983. It’s also a big player in the defense, mining and oil and gas industries, making intelligent excavation systems and autonomous drills and sampling systems, among other innovations.
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
From the Piaggio Group that brought you the Vespa scooter comes Piaggio Fast Forward, a robotics company dedicated to creating lightweight mobility solutions for people and goods. The company’s flagship robot, gita, is a mobile carrier that follows people around and carries up to 40 pounds. Gita can be used to carry everything from heavy books between classes to groceries.
Location: Louisville, Colorado
AMP (Autonomous Manipulation and Perception) makes a robotic system called Cortex, which can be used in a variety of environments, such as mixed waste, construction, demolition and more. It uses AI to quickly and efficiently pluck recyclable materials off a conveyor belt.
Location: San Francisco, California
Ouster is a pioneer of the autonomous revolution, producing and manufacturing 3D lidar sensor technology that allows machines to perceive their surroundings. The company works with engineers leading the way in robotics, autonomous vehicles, mapping technology, security systems and additional areas of technological development. Its partners have included Honeywell, Kudan and Mechaspin.
Location: Austin, Texas
Diligent’s AI-enabled robots work with people in everyday environments. The company’s autonomous Moxi robot can be left alone to perform time-consuming logistical hospital tasks like setting up patient rooms and restocking supply rooms. Capable of navigating hallways and other tight spaces, Moxi is imbued with social intelligence that’s conveyed through its head movements.
Location: Reston, Virginia
General Dynamics Mission Systems’ Bluefin division makes unmanned and autonomous underwater vehicles for clients in the defense, commercial and scientific sectors. Offerings include more than 70 different sensors on 100-plus vehicles.
Location: Sunnyvale, California
Intuitive’s robots are used for minimally invasive surgery. Equipped with advanced vision technologies, energy systems, stapling and instruments, the continually upgraded da Vinci platform has been used for millions of surgeries since the late 1990s. The newer Ion platform is used for minimally invasive peripheral lung biopsies.
Location: San Francisco, California
Starship Technologies’ self-driving robots can make deliveries over short distances. After placing an order, a customer can track the robots’ journey through a mobile app. Weighing less than 100 pounds, the devices move at a walking pace and can navigate around people and other obstacles. The items being delivered remain in a locked cargo bay until the customer uses the app to open the compartment and retrieve the delivery.
Location: Mountain View, California
Nuro drives robotics technology to the forefront of everyday life, developing technology that helps people make more efficient use of resources, time and attention. The company’s flagship product is a line of fully autonomous vehicles made to transport goods quickly, safely and affordably, bolstered by a flexible interior design to handle errands ranging from picking up dry cleaning to delivering groceries.
Location: Bedford, Massachusetts
Founded in 1990, iRobot makes a variety of smart vacuuming, floor-scrubbing and mopping devices. Products include the Roomba and Braava. The company is also involved in providing STEM education for children.
Location: Bochum, Germany
Rethink Robotics, part of the HAHN Group, manufactures collaborative robots, known as cobots, that perform functions for several industries. Their functions include: “pick-and-place,” the process of moving parts to and from various locations; co-packaging and end-of-line packaging; CNC machine tending; plastic injection and blow molding.
Location: Somerville, Massachusetts
RightHand Robotics develops adaptable robotic technology that reduces the challenges in traditional e-commerce order fulfillment. The company’s robots perform tasks like selecting and sorting handheld items to reduce the amount of time an order takes to fulfill, earning RightHand Robotics’s bots the nickname “pickers.”
Location: Waltham, Massachusetts
Used in manufacturing, warehousing and fulfillment, Vecna’s autonomous robots transport, lift and convey all types of materials in human-centric environments. They help warehouse and distribution operators move products quickly with minimal handling. The company says its platforms “dramatically increase cart pick rates by optimizing picks and automating horizontal transport, significantly reducing walking distances.”
