Tech

2014 CNBC Disruptor 50

Manufacturing Outside the Confines of Factories
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Manufacturing Outside the Confines of Factories
2014 CNBC Disruptor 50

What
Creator of low-cost robotics solutions for the manufacturing sector

Disrupting
Overseas manufacturing hubs, through the introduction of robotics that improve efficiency, increase productivity and reduce the need for offshoring.

Source: Rethink Robotics

Headquarters: Boston, MA.
CEO: Scott Eckert
Year Founded: 2008
Number of Employees: N/A
Funding: $62 million
Key Investors:  Bezos Expeditions, Charles River Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ), Highland Capital Partners, Sigma Partners

Vital Stats

  • The star of Rethink is a robot named Baxter
  • Created by co-founder of iRobot (maker of the Roomba vacuum), Rodney Brooks
  • Brooks starred in 1997 Errol Morris movie "Fast, Cheap and Out of Control." 
  • Launched first "common sense" behavior robot for manufacturing in 2012
  • Just launched its Baxter Research Robot to assist academic and corporate R&D labs
  • Its robots are designed and manufactured in America

On Disruption

Disruption also needs to create totally new industries as well, such as how the advent of the smartphone catalyzed a whole industry around developing mobile apps. With the new Baxter Research SDK, we have created a platform that will allow developers to create totally new applications for robots. The possibilities are limitless.
Scott Eckert
CEO