Boston Dynamics, Hyundai to fund new AI Institute with $400M in Cambridge

Waltham robot-dog maker Boston Dynamics Inc. and its relatively new owner, Hyundai Motor Group, plan to invest over $400 million in a Kendall Square institute focusing on robotics, artificial intelligence and intelligent machines research.

The South Korean auto maker said on Friday that Marc Raibert, founder of Boston Dynamics, will lead the organization. The name of the institute, which may be changed at the time of corporate registration, is currently Boston Dynamics AI Institute.

Source: Boston Dynamics, Hyundai to fund new AI Institute with $400M in Cambridge – Boston Business Journal

Amazon to acquire Bedford’s iRobot in $1.7B deal 

The popular cleaning robot Roomba is going to be an Amazon.com Inc (Nasdaq: AMZN) product. The e-commerce-giant announced on Friday it signed an agreement to buy Bedford-based Roomba maker iRobot Corp. (Nasdaq: IRBT) in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $1.7 billion, including iRobot’s net debt.

Source: Amazon to acquire Bedford’s iRobot in $1.7B deal – Boston Business Journal

Bose plans to close Boston Landing office 

Framingham-based Bose Corp. plans to exit the Boston office it opened four years ago, at the Boston Landing campus in Brighton developed by New Balance’s real estate arm. The consumer electronics company has listed nearly 130,000 square feet of space at 80 Guest St. as available for sublease. The 10-story building has over 200,000 square feet of office and lab space.

Source: Bose plans to close Boston Landing office – Boston Business Journal

Pison Technology raises $7M in Series A funding

A tech startup that launched in 2016 is planning to double its headcount in New England after raising new investment funds.MIT spinoff Pison Technology, which has around 40 local employees, closed a $7 million round this month to bring its total funding to $11 million, according to CEO Dexter Ang.A MassChallenge Boston alum, Pison Technology is developing a wrist sensor that enables hands-free control of electronics. The device, which is the size of an Apple Watch, captures neuromuscular signals on the surface of the skin and combines them with machine learning algorithms to interpret how people intend to move their hands, and transmits those signals to a smartphone to control digital devices.Led by Lavrock Ventures, the Series A round saw participation from returning investor In-Q-Tel, a nonprofit investment arm of the CIA, and Bose Venture Capital.

Source: Pison Technology raises $7M in Series A funding, plans to hire in Massachusetts – Boston Business Journal

Apple Maintains Dominance in Global Smartwatch Market 

Impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, global smartwatch shipments in the fourth quarter of 2020 saw a slight year-on-year decrease to book an almost flat 2020, according to the latest Global Smartphone Shipments Tracker from Counterpoint Research.In a year where annual growth inched forward at only 1.5%, Apple maintained its solid number one position and increased its market share by 6 percentage points (pp), helping shift the overall market closer to the premium segment.

Source: Apple Maintains Dominance in Global Smartwatch Market – EE Times Asia

Apple sees strong demand for iPhone 12 Pro

Demand for the iPhone 12 Pro has been so strong delivery lead time from manufacturers has had to be extended. And Apple is set to increase orders for VCSEL chips supporting the iPhone 12 Pro’s LiDAR scanner for immersive augmented reality (AR). The PC market has seen risk sales in the wake of the pandemic, but graphics card vendors may see shipments decline in fourth-quarter 2020, due partly to shortages of Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 30 series. And notebook components shortages continue to trouble Acer, whhich is able fufill only 30% of its orders.

Source: Highlights of the day: Apple sees strong demand for iPhone 12 Pro

iRobot gets temporary extension of Chinese tariff exemption 

Bedford-based iRobot Corp. breathed a sigh of relief this week with the news that China tariffs won’t raise the costs of the company’s signature cleaning robots. At least, not yet.

Source: iRobot gets temporary extension of Chinese tariff exemption – Boston Business Journal

iRobot still hurt by China tariffs

Bedford-based iRobot Corp. is bracing for the likely impact of China tariffs as soon as next month, as President Donald Trump’s trade war with China threatens to raise the costs of the company’s signature cleaning robots.

Source: Roomba-maker iRobot still hurt by China tariffs – Boston Business Journal