Rethink Robotics has a role in the industry as a true innovator in cobot advancements and workplace safety. With robots like Baxter and Sawyer, the industry was waiting for the company's next move, on the edge to see what they came up with next.
Unfortunately, Rethink Robotics hit a snag, well a few snags, that led to its downfall.
With sales expectations that fell short, an acquisition that fell through at the last minute, some quality issues with its Sawyer robot that some say had limited application abilities, and the kicker of them all—the idea that the tech used in the robots was in too early of a stage, making commercial deployment challenging.
My how times have changed in the past few years when it comes to robots.
In 2018, just 10 years after coming onto the scene, the Boston-based company ceased all of its operations and sold off all of its assets, patents, technology, and intellectual property to a former distributor. HAHN Robotics, a German automation specialist, acquired Rethink's patents, trademarks, and Intera 5 software platform. HAHN Robotics lists the Sawyer as a product on its website and is the exclusive distributor for the cobot. Hunan CoThink Robotics Technology Company acquired about 100 Baxter robots and the rights to sell them in North America.
But now, news just broke that Rethink Robotics is back with a major company relaunch and rebranding, which will take place at IMTS 2024.
At the show, Rethink Robotics will unveil a range of new robot solutions that "have been significantly upgraded with improved design, as well as more reliable and robust hardware, resulting in increased precision, speed, and reliability, making them far more capable for industrial applications," according to the company.
In addition to an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) and mobile manipulator (MMR) platform, Rethink Robotics will debut a family of collaborative robots (cobots) designed to handle a range of payloads from 13 to 66 lb. (6 to 30 kg). Rethink has made sure that each product is designed to be better, faster, and stronger than was previously possible across every technical performance indicator.
Now we just have to wait for September 9th to get here to see what's in store.