The merger of three robotics companies is likely to disrupt the market for end-of-arm components used in industrial robots. In a statement on Tuesday, General Electric said it would acquire Boston Dynamics, maker of Atlas and Atlas, as well as Rethink Robotics, which makes its humanoid robot Baxter. Collaborative robots, or cobots, have revolutionised industrial automation but they often need extra tools to perform specialised tasks, a need that companies such as OnRobot seeks to address.
The merger of three robotics companies is likely to disrupt the market for end-of-arm components used in industrial robots. Denmark's On Robot is to merge with US-based Perception Robotics and Hungary's OptoForce to become OnRobot, which will be based in Denmark and managed by former Universal Robots CEO Enrico Krog Iversen. Collaborative robots, or cobots, have revolutionised industrial automation but they often need extra tools to perform specialised tasks, a need that companies such as OnRobot seeks to address.