Investment in robots reaches record levels
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A joint UN-industry study says investment in industrial robots has increased by double digits to the highest level ever recorded. The Geneva-based UN Economic Commission
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Japanese companies design 'helper robots' that could assist an aging population.
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Legs or wheels? Entertaining or functional? The robot world has a lot of questions to resolve.
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Well, not the world maybe, but possibly your lawns and kitchens. The use of robots -- especially as domestic help -- is expected to increase sevenfold by 2007, according to the United Nations.
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GENEVA - The use of robots around the home to mow lawns, vacuum floors, pull guard duty and perform other chores is set to surge sevenfold by 2007, says a new survey that credits dropping prices.
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Rapid advances in robot development are leading to a whole new generation of tools and toys.
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There's a lot of money to be made in open source, both as a shareholder and for the company.
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By Benjamin J. Romano, Seattle Times  CORRECTION: Information in this article, originally published December 13, 2006, was corrected December 18, 2006. A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the price of a Pioneer P3DX robot at a Microsoft laboratory.
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Surgical robots' CEO takes us inside this innovative company.
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Myriad Genetics' innovative technology creates an investment opportunity.
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Microsoft is getting more serious about investing in R&amp;D, according to Booz Allen Hamilton&#39;s&#160;annual study&#160;of the world&#39;s largest corporate R&amp;D spenders.Microsoft ranked 7th on the list for 2006, up a notch from 2005. The company devoted $6.58 billion to&#160;R&amp;D&#160;in 2006, up 6.5 percent from the year before and representing 14.9 percent of 2006 sales.Toyota topped the list with $7.7 billion in R&amp;D spending and Merck invested the most in R&amp;D as a percentage of sales among the top 20 companies, at 21.1 percent.Rounding out the list among IT vendors were Siemens, which fell from No. 6 to No. 9, investing in $6.3 billion for 2006; IBM, which fell from 9th to 10th even though its $6.1 billion in&#160;R&amp;D spending&#160;was up 4.5 percent from the year before; Samsung, which stayed in 11th place with $5.9 billion; Intel, which stayed at 12th and spent $5.8 billion on R&amp;D; Matsushita, which fell from 15th to 17th and spent $4.99 billion on R&amp;D in 2006; and Nokia, which fell from 17th to 18th, as its $4.89 billion in R&amp;D spending represented just a 1.9 percent increase from 2005.Overall, R&amp;D spending news was positive, according to Booz Allen, which monitors the 1,000 top corporate R&amp;D spenders worldwide. The dollar increase in R&amp;D investment in 2006 compared with 2005 was twice the increase from 2004 to 2005. North American companies led the way, with spending up 13 percent.R&amp;D spending growth also caught up to sales growth among the top 1,000 companies for the first time in four years.Check out Network World&#39;s&#160;Alpha Doggs blog&#160;for the latest in network research at universities and other labs.Network World is an InfoWorld affiliate.
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Picture the scene: It's the holiday buying season, and ever since summer, consumers have been itching to get their hands on a 6-inch-tall robot with a quirky personality that evolves as its owners interact with it. The creature goes on to sell 50 million units, earning a stunning $1.2 billion.
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New materials and high-tech procedures are driving a surge in hip, knee and even ankle replacements.
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The company's development of a commercial operating system for robots could spur the growth of the robotics industry.
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The use of robots to mow lawns, vacuum floors, and perform other household chores is set to surge sevenfold by 2007, says a United Nations survey, which credits dropping prices for the robot boom.
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The use of robots around the home to mow lawns, vacuum floors, pull guard duty and perform other chores is set to surge sevenfold by 2007, says a new UN survey, which credits dropping prices for the robot boom.
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The company is in a phase of explosive growth, and that costs money.