Raytheon nabs $318M contract for deploying airport screening equipment 

Raytheon Intelligence & Space, a Raytheon Technologies (RTX +0.4%) business, plans to expand the deployment of checked baggage screening equipment to all federally managed airports nationwide under a five-year, $318M contract with the Transportation Security Administration.

Source: (NYSE:RTX) | Seeking Alpha

Boston Dynamics unveils a new robot designed to move boxes in warehouses 

Boston Dynamics is best known for its robot dog Spot, a machine designed to work in a range of environments, from offshore oil rigs to deep underground mines. But in recent years, the company has increasingly focused attention on the logistics space, and today is unveiling a new robot with just one application in mind: moving boxes in warehouses.

Source: Boston Dynamics unveils Stretch: a new robot designed to move boxes in warehouses – The Verge

Hyundai Closes Deal on Robot Maker Boston Dynamics

Last week, Massachusetts-based robot maker Boston Dynamics announced that it was becoming part of the South Korean Hyundai family, subject to all the usual regulatory requirements and formal approval inherent in international acquisitions. The huge $1.1 billion deal will see Hyundai Motor Group take an 80% stake in the company, with SoftBank controlling the leftover 20%. It’s the latest in a series of notable sales by the Japanese multinational conglomerate holding company SoftBank. In September, SoftBank made the news when it announced the sale of Arm Holdings to NVIDIA for $40 billion.

Source: In Yet Another Acquisition for Boston Dynamics, Hyundai Closes Deal on Robot Maker – News

SoftBank Is in Talks to Sell Robot Maker Boston Dynamics to Hyundai

SoftBank Group Corp. is in talks to sell robot maker Boston Dynamics Inc. to Hyundai Motor Co., people familiar with the matter said.Proposed terms of the deal would give the South Korean automaker control of the robotics company in a transaction valued at as much as $1 billion, said one of the people, all of whom asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. The terms have yet to be finalized, and the deal could fall apart, said the people.

Source: SoftBank Is in Talks to Sell Robot Maker Boston Dynamics to Hyundai

Berkshire Grey raises $263 million for industrial robots 

Industrial robots and warehouse automation are lucrative intermingling markets, as evidenced by Berkshire Grey. The Lexington, Massachusetts-based company, which combines AI and robotics to automate omnichannel fulfillment for retailers, ecommerce, and logistics enterprises, today announced that it has secured a mammoth $263 million in series B funding led by SoftBank. Khosla Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, and Canaan participated in the round. CEO Tom Wagner says the fresh capital will fuel the startup’s global expansion, acquisitions, and team growth.

Source: Berkshire Grey raises $263 million for industrial robots | VentureBeat

Gartner: IoT 2-5 Years From Transformational Impact 

The Gartner, Inc. 2020 Hype Cycle for Supply Chain Strategy shows that the Internet of Things (IoT) has reached the bottom of the Trough of Disillusionment. The market will begin to climb out of this trough, as the technology advances and practitioners succeed in defining the best opportunities for the unique measurement and tracking capabilities of IoT.

Source: Gartner: IoT 2-5 Years From Transformational Impact – EPS News

Desktop Metal to go public via reverse merger with a SPAC

Burlington-based Desktop Metal Inc. is the latest Massachusetts company to go public this year thanks to an accelerated procedure called a reverse merger.Not including more than a dozen life sciences IPOs this year, Desktop Metal is the fourth Massachusetts company to go public this year. Non-biotech companies that went public this year include daily fantasy sports betting company DraftKings Inc. (Nasdaq: DKNG) which also went public via a reverse merger, Duck Creek Technologies (Nasdaq: DCT) and Amwell.The 3-D printing company announced Wednesday it will become a publicly traded company through a merger deal with a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC. In a release, Desktop Metal said early Wednesday it had signed a merger agreement with Trine Acquisition Corp. (NYS

Source: Desktop Metal to go public via reverse merger with a SPAC – Boston Business Journal

Locus Robotics raises $40 million to take its warehouse robots global 

Warehouse robotics startup Locus Robotics today announced it has raised $40 million, the bulk of which will be put toward accelerating R&D and the company’s expansion into new markets, including in the EU, where it opened a new headquarters. CEO Rich Faulk says Locus also intends to launch strategic reseller partnerships throughout 2020, following a year in which its number of customer deployments passed 50.

Source: Locus Robotics raises $40 million to take its warehouse robots global | VentureBeat

Robotics companies take precautions to reopen offices ahead of the tech industry 

Tom Ryden, executive director of nonprofit MassRobotics, did something last week that’s rare for tech workers these days: he picked up a call not from his living room or home desk, but from his office in the Seaport.

Source: Massachusetts robotics companies take precautions to reopen offices ahead of the tech industry – Boston Business Journal