Google Strengthens its Foray into Robotics with New Acquisitions

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Google is exerting focus with its agenda on robotics and its latest acquisition is Boston Dynamics, a company that makes military robots for the U.S stands as a testimony to the fact. This is the eighth robotics company Google has purchased this year in its strategy to support the roadmap led by Andy Rubin, the man behind Google’s Android software. Real androids may soon be on the streets if things stay on track.

The NY Times observed the purchase to be significant and wrote the “company is tight lipped about its specific plans, but the scale of the investment indicates that this is no cute science project.”

  

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One can easily visualize the future with super smart and tough robots fully aware of the data pulled in by the Google universe including data about you and me. Acquiring the capacity to build military robots adds a new dimension to that Google future. It will happen. As Rubin pointed out to NY Times in an interview, “The automated car project was science fiction when it started. Now it is coming within reach.”

Before acquiring the capacity to build military robots, Rubin has already acquired seven other artificial intelligence and start-up companies in US and Japan. The companies include Schaft which is building a humanoid robot; Industrial Perception, a company that develops computer vision systems and robot arms; Meka and Redwood Robotics, both make humanoid robots and robot arms in San Francisco; Bot & Dolly makes robotic camera systems; Autofuss specializes on advertising and design and Holomni makes high-tech wheels.

Google CEO Larry Page is excited about the project stating, “I can’t wait to see the progress.”Possibly the primary use of humanoid and other robotics would be as Larry Page has opined, to free humans wherever possible from drudgery and repetitive tasks. However, NY Times cited a scientist from MIT Center for Digital Business expressing frustration that, “There are still people who walk around in factories and pick things up in distribution centers and work in the back rooms of grocery stores.” Rubin’s robots are going to do these jobs.