Rethink Robotics Shuts Down

We followed this effort for some time,  notably the Baxter robot, but it may well depend on how you define collaborative robotics.  Where does the task begin and end?  How do you train humans to be usefully collaborative?   Should you wait for maximum robotic autonomy?    Below the starting excerpt, later in the piece,  founder Rodney Brooks is interviewed, which is insightful.  He suggests much has been learned and sales efforts may have been lacking.

Rethink Robotics, Pioneer of Collaborative Robots, Shuts Down

Rodney Brooks’s startup developed a new class of factory robots that could safely work alongside people. Then came the hardest part: selling them

By Erico Guizzo and Evan Ackerman in IEEE Spectrum

The Bad Boy of Robotics was in high spirits. Rodney Brooks had a lot to show us as we zigzagged through Rethink Robotics’ office in Boston on a June morning in 2012. That was the day Brooks introduced us to Baxter, a robot he said would transform manufacturing and “sell like hotcakes.”

So it was with a bit of sadness that we found out last night that Rethink is shutting down. After a long, 10-year run (the company was founded as Heartland Robotics, remember?) and US $150 million raised from investors, Rethink ran out of steam as sales fell short of the company’s goals. The news of the closing was first reported by the Robot Report yesterday. ... "

Baxter Robotics

Recall reading about Baxter in the past, as a 'User Friendly' robot worker.  Back in a 2012 post. Easier to work with, to train, to learn from example?  See my tags from previous posts.   How successful has the idea been?   Here news from MIT, seems to indicate a more cognitive, voice activated device.

Fundamentals of Workplace Automation

For those of us that are examining what the meaning of AI/cognitive based automation will mean to jobs.  Also, that even high end technical jobs will be redefined and replaced.  Good evidence in examples like IBM Watson.  Good overview of the problem.

Four fundamentals of workplace automation
As the automation of physical and knowledge work advances, many jobs will be redefined rather than eliminated—at least in the short term.

November 2015 | by Michael Chui, James Manyika, and Mehdi Miremadi  from McKinsey

The potential of artificial intelligence and advanced robotics to perform tasks once reserved for humans is no longer reserved for spectacular demonstrations by the likes of IBM’s Watson, Rethink Robotics’ Baxter, DeepMind, or Google’s driverless car. Just head to an airport: automated check-in kiosks now dominate many airlines’ ticketing areas. Pilots actively steer aircraft for just three to seven minutes of many flights, with autopilot guiding the rest of the journey. Passport-control processes at some airports can place more emphasis on scanning document bar codes than on observing incoming passengers.   .... " 

Industry Collaborative Robotics: Rethink's Sawyer

In IEEE Spectrum:  How collaborative?  How autonomous?

Rethink Robotics' Sawyer Goes on Sale, Rodney Brooks Says 'There May Be More Robots'   By Erico Guizzo   ....

" .... Rethink introduced Sawyer, the company’s second robot, earlier this year. Like Baxter, its predecessor, Sawyer can safely operate alongside human workers, who can teach the robot to perform tasks simply by moving its arm though a series of motions. But whereas Baxter has two arms and can help with packaging and material handling tasks, the single-arm Sawyer is designed for tasks that require more precision, including machine tending and circuit board testing. .... " 

GE Lighting example below: 

Baxter Robot for Researchers

Open source software for a standard robot:  " ...  Rethink Robotics, the Boston startup founded by Rodney Brooks, doesn't want to be just a robot maker. The company wants Baxter, its innovative industrial robot, to become a platform that anyone can use to develop new robotics applications. To achieve that, Rethink recently announced a version of Baxter for researchers, who will have access to an open source software development kit to "hack" the robot. ... "

User Friendly Robot Worker

Article in IEEE Spectrum:  On rethinking the factory worker.  Quite a coup if it works. And would be quite a worry to employment if it does.   I still have my doubts that all the contexts of labor can be adapted to.  Still a step forward to be watched.   See also Rethink Robotics.   " ... Baxter, an industrial robot from Rethink Robotics based on the vision of Rodney Brooks—possibly the world’s most celebrated roboticist—makes its debut this month. Brooks, who is also the start-up’s founder, chairman, and CTO, is optimistic that Baxter will unleash a revolution in manufacturing because of the many ways in which it is unlike any other industrial robot. Its two arms, each with seven degrees of freedom, don’t move with superhuman speed and precision. But the machine adapts to changes in its environment, and can be programmed to take on a new task by a person with no robotics experience. And while a traditional two-armed robot, including sensors and programming, will typically set you back hundreds of thousands of dollars, Baxter costs just US $22 000.... "