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Before we dive into this week\u2019s biggest news within the robotics space, there\u2019s an announcement of our own to highlight.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll be hosting a number of robotics industry experts at our very first Hardware Stage<\/a> at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023<\/a>. The stage kicks off on day three of Disrupt on September 21, and features speakers from Alphabet\u2019s Intrinsic, Open Robotics, Agility Robotics and Farm-ng, with more reveals yet to come.<\/p>\n Resident robotics expert Brian Heater is taking the lead on the Hardware Stage, and you can keep tabs on future updates, and his continued coverage of the space, by subscribing to the Actuator newsletter right here<\/a>.<\/p>\n With that self-promotion out of the way, let\u2019s dive in.<\/p>\n Chain restaurants value consistency and efficiency, two things that lend themselves well to automation. Shenzhen-based startup Botinkit has brought its cooking robots beyond China\u2019s borders to Japan and the U.S., and now will use the $13 million it raised in a Series A<\/a> to bring its culinary creators to Europe and the Middle East.<\/p>\n Beyond cutting back on the loss of ingredients and energy usage during the cooking process, Botinkit sees another benefit to its robots.<\/p>\n \u201cCuisine used to be restricted by time and geographical boundaries. However, with the digitization of cooking, a range of new possibilities arise, including remote cooking. Suppose I\u2019m in Shenzhen and you\u2019re in the U.S., I can use our software and hardware system to \u2018cook\u2019 for you remotely,\u201d co-founder Shirley Chen told TechCrunch earlier this week.<\/p>\n Workers in SoftBank\u2019s new Tokyo headquarters have been using delivery robots with wide, adorable eyes to ferry 7-Eleven orders between the stores and drop-off locations. The cartoonish couriers, made by Hong Kong-based Rice Robotics, can run for 12 hours and just take an hour to recharge between onigiri and UCC coffee runs.<\/p>\n And SoftBank announced this week it would be contributing toward Rice\u2019s $7 million pre-Series A<\/a> funding round, which will be put toward a continued expansion within Japan, the company\u2019s No. 1 source of revenue.<\/p>\n Warehouse logistics and inventory management have been discussed<\/a> in past editions<\/a>, and for good reason \u2014 it\u2019s a huge industry ripe with opportunity for robotics and automation. And ForwardX, based in Beijing, has been collecting a significant amount of investment since launching in 2016.<\/p>\n The company, which has already dispatched 3,000 robots across a client list that includes IKEA, UNIQLO, Walmart and Mitsubishi, just announced a $30 million fundraise<\/a> that brings its Series C to $61 million and its total funding to $140 million.<\/p>\n Joanne Pransky, who recently passed away<\/a> following decades of work within the robotics industry, left an indelible mark on the space as she sought to spur an understanding of the human side of our relationships with robots.<\/p>\n The nonprofit Women in Robotics is looking to honor her legacy by helping the next wave of women and non-binary students with a scholarship that takes her namesake. Anyone can help contribute to the fund right here via Bold.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a pioneer in the field of social robotics and the sales and marketing of robots and robotics journals, Joanne was very often the only woman in the room,\u201d Women in Robotics president Andra Keay told TechCrunch<\/a>. And with the help of the Joanne Pransky Celebration of Women in Robotics scholarship, that will be a thing of the past.<\/p>\n Want the top robotics news in your inbox each week? Sign up for Actuator here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\nCooking robot company Botinkit raises $13M<\/h2>\n
SoftBank invests in Rice Robotics\u2019 deliveries<\/h2>\n
ForwardX\u2019s robotics efforts hit $140M in fundraising<\/h2>\n
Women in Robotics launches a scholarship in honor of Joanne Pransky<\/h2>\n