DARPA Atlas robot

Alphabet may ditch Boston Dynamics and its robot dreams

Life
The US Defense Advanced Research Project Agency's upgraded Atlas robot has 75% new parts, better energy efficiency and wireless communication. Source: DARPA

18 March 2016

Frustrated with the slow pace in building a marketable product, Google’s parent company Alphabet is apparently looking to unload robotics pioneer Boston Dynamics, which it acquired little more than two years ago.

Alphabet is cutting its losses and looking to sell its stake, according to a Bloomberg report. The company is known for its four-legged Big Dog (seen below) and a slow-moving humanoid robot called Atlas (pictured) that became a video sensation.

Citing unnamed sources, Bloomberg also reported that Toyota Research Institute, a division of Toyota Motor Corp., and Amazon.com, which uses robots in its warehouses, are potential buyers.

Alphabet did not respond to a request for comment.

Google bought Boston Dynamics with just a few weeks left in 2013 as part of a wide-ranging shopping spree of robotics companies.

 

IDG News Service

 

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