Google’s parent company Alphabet has announced a new company called Intrinsic that will focus on building software for industrial robots.
Intrinsic is working to unlock the creative and economic potential of industrial robotics for millions more businesses, entrepreneurs and developers.
“We are developing software tools designed to make industrial robots (which are used to make everything from solar panels to cars) easier to use, less costly and more flexible so that more people can use them to make new products, businesses and services,” Wendy Tan-White, CEO, said in a statement.
“By unlocking access to these incredible productivity tools, we hope to support a shift towards a more sustainable and equitable way of making things,” it added.
Currently, just 10 countries manufacture 70 per cent of the world’s goods.
This means most things are made far away from their end consumers, which drives global transport emissions and many countries and businesses miss out on economic opportunities.
According to The Verge, robotics has been an obsession at Google for years, but the company’s efforts have been unfocused and have yet to produce any commercial hits.
In 2013, Google went on a shopping spree for robots, buying seven companies in roughly six months, including Schaft (a Japanese firm known for bipedal bots), Bot & Dolly (makers of very cool viral videos), and Boston Dynamics (which needs no introduction).
The effort was named “Replicant” and headed by Andy Rubin, an executive who co-founded the Android mobile operating system.
Over the years, though, no news emerged from Replicant, and Google either sold off or shut down most of its acquisitions.
