This week in robotics: Amazon’s iRobot deal hits an EU snag as new funding keeps hot drone summer rolling
Jul 15, 2023 - techcrunch.com
This week saw significant investments in the robotics industry, with several companies securing funding for their projects. However, Amazon's proposed $1.7 billion acquisition of iRobot is under extensive review by the European Union. Swiss startup Verity, which has a deal with Ikea to use its drones in 16 warehouses in Europe, announced a new round of funding to scale up its operations. Pano AI, a company developing cameras for automatic wildfire detection, secured a $17 million extension to its $20 million Series A. Simbe, a company that uses robots to monitor in-store inventory, announced a $28 million Series B funding round following a deal with BJ Wholesale Club.
Bedrock, a company that uses autonomous underwater vehicles for surveying, inspection, and monitoring of underwater projects, announced $25.5 million in new funding to expand its mission. The company's new focus is on proving the commercial viability of selling the data collected by their autonomous explorers.
Key takeaways:
Amazon's potential $1.7 billion acquisition of iRobot is under extensive review by the European Union, despite having been approved by the U.K.'s antitrust regulators.
Swiss startup Verity has secured a new round of funding following its $32 million Series B in March, with plans to scale up to meet the demand for supply chain automation.
Pano AI, a company developing cameras for automatic wildfire detection, has announced a $17 million extension to its $20 million Series A.
Bedrock, a company focusing on autonomous underwater vehicles for surveying, inspection and monitoring of underwater projects, has secured $25.5 million in new funding.
