Meka Robotics was a San Francisco–based company that made
robotic
Robotics is the interdisciplinary study and practice of the design, construction, operation, and use of robots.
Within mechanical engineering, robotics is the design and construction of the physical structures of robots, while in computer s ...
systems.
History
Founded in 2006 by Aaron Edsinger and Jeff Weber, it was originally a spin-off of the
MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) is a research institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) formed by the 2003 merger of the Laboratory for Computer Science (LCS) and the Artificial Intelligence Lab ...
before the founders relocated to San Francisco.
In 2007, the company provided a forearm and hand for
MIT Media Lab
The MIT Media Lab is a research laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, growing out of MIT's Architecture Machine Group in the MIT School of Architecture and Planning, School of Architecture. Its research does not restrict to fi ...
's new robot, Nexi.
In 2008, the company teamed with the Socially Intelligent Machines Lab at the
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public university, public research university and Institute of technology (United States), institute of technology in Atlanta, ...
to develop Simon, an upper torso humanoid platform for human robot interaction.
In 2012, the company teamed with the Human Centered Robotics Group at the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...
to develop HUME, a "bipedal robot for human-centered hyper-agility."
In 2012, the company entered into a
joint venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...
with
Willow Garage
Willow Garage was a robotics research lab and technology incubator devoted to developing hardware and open source software for personal robotics applications. The company was best known for its open source software suite Robot Operating Syste ...
and
SRI International
SRI International (SRI) is a nonprofit organization, nonprofit scientific research, scientific research institute and organization headquartered in Menlo Park, California, United States. It was established in 1946 by trustees of Stanford Univer ...
to found Redwood Robotics, a company specializing in robotic arms.
On December 5, 2013,
Google X acquired Meka Robotics.
Products
* M1 Mobile Manipulator
* S2 Humanoid Head
See also
*
Domo (robot)
Domo is an experimental robot made by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology designed to interact with humans. The brainchild of Jeff Weber and Aaron Edsinger, cofounders of Meka Robotics, its name comes from the Japanese language, Japanese ph ...
References
External links
*
Defunct robotics companies of the United States
Manufacturing companies based in San Francisco
Technology companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area
2006 establishments in California
Google acquisitions
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