Heartland Robotics Now Called Rethink Robots - Also Has $30 Million More Funding

 Robotics Industry

Heartland Robotics has changed its name to Rethink Robotics, Inc. and announced new funding for its still-to-be released products. The company started by Rodney Brooks is due to unveil its easy-to-use manufacturing robots before 2013.

Heartland Robotics has announced new funding— $30 million — and changing its name in advance of its first product launch. The Boston company will now be known as Rethink Robotics.

According to Rethink Robotics:

While getting ready to unveil our new robot later this year, we realized that our company name needs to reflect its implications. Just as businesses had to rethink how they used computers when the PC emerged in the 1970's, our new class of mass-produced robot will inspire businesses to:
rethink manufacturing,
rethink automation,
rethink outsourcing,
rethink robotics.

Along with the new name, they've revamped their web site. But it still doesn't include product images or even a vague description of what their first product will be. Founder Rodney Brooks, the former MIT professor who also helped get iRobot off the ground, has only said the company wants to introduce robots to manufacturing environments where they haven't been used previously, and help make American manufacturing more cost-competitive globally.

Sources back then said the company was developing an inexpensive bot that would be easily trained to do repetitive tasks, and would be safe working around humans. Brooks has apparently likened Rethink's product to Apple's iPhone, meaning it'd be intuitive to use, and that the company will try to create a community of developers who'd write software for it.

Rethink is planning to exhibit at next January's Automate trade show in Chicago, but company spokesman Mitch Rosenberg confirms that the product will be unveiled before then.

Press Release 

Heartland Robotics, founded by iRobot co-founder Rodney Brooks to develop a new class of manufacturing robots, today announced that it is changing its name to Rethink Robotics, Inc.  

Rethink Robotics is developing a new generation of robots to improve productivity in manufacturing environments. The robots will be intuitive to use, capable of autonomously sensing and adapting to their environment, versatile, and flexible. They’ll be easy to buy, train, and deploy and will be much less expensive than traditional industrial robots. 

 “Though we changed to a name that better represents the breadth and impact of our vision, we remain solidly committed to the mission reflected in our previous name: keeping manufacturing jobs in America,” said Rethink Robotics president and CEO Scott Eckert. “In fact, the robot we will announce later this year will be sourced and manufactured almost entirely in the USA.”

 Rethink Robotics products will reflect the company’s new vision of a much more broadly adopted automation approach that will do for manufacturing workers what the PC did for office workers—increase their productivity by giving them direct access to technological tools.  

“Just as businesses had to completely rethink ways to use computers when the PC was first introduced, they will want to take advantage of opportunities created by this new class of robot,” said Rod Brooks, chairman, founder, and CTO of Rethink Robotics. “With our robots, businesses will have the opportunity to rethink manufacturing, rethink automation, and rethink outsourcing.” 

SOURCE  Boston.com

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