10 Notable Robotics Acquisitions in 2021

In 2021, there were more than 50 mergers, acquisitions and deals worth billions of dollars. Here are 10 robotics acquisitions that attracted the most attention. 

Hyundai Acquires Boston Dynamics

Although the deal was first reported in late 2020, it was not completed until June 2021. It is hard to look back on the past year in robotics without thinking about how it began. Hyundai paid $880 million for 80% of Boston Dynamics, a company that changed hands repeatedly over the past decade. 

Google bought it in 2013, then sold it to SoftBank in 2017. SoftBank kept a 20% stake in the company after the sale. Boston Dynamics often draws attention for how it has pushed the boundaries of the robotics industry, from the Spot robot dog to Atlas.

However, a question arose about how commercially viable the company is. Six months before the acquisition was announced, Spot became commercially available. During that time, Boston Dynamics sold about 400 robots.

Teledyne Acquires FLIR

Just a few days into 2021, Teledyne announced it would acquire FLIR for $8 billion in a cash and stock deal, giving the company the opportunity to expand its product portfolio.

Although the two companies offered similar products, such as sensor systems, cameras and unmanned systems, they had little real overlap. The sensors were built on different semiconductor technologies for different wavelengths. Teledyne built unmanned systems for marine drones, while FLIR makes them for aerial drones and ground vehicles. The combined company has an advantage in unmanned vehicles because it can produce sensors and cameras for its systems in-house.

Vicarious Surgical's SPAC Deal

Special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) deals appeared to be a separate trend in 2021, as several robotics companies went public through SPACs during the year. Vicarious stands out among them for its presence in surgical robotics.

Vicarious is one of the top ten companies that are major players in robotic surgery. In a $1.1 billion deal, Vicarious merged with Hong Kong-based D8 Holdings. Other important players in the field, such as former Medtronic CEO Omar Ishrak, former Verb Surgical CEO and Volcano Corp. co-founder Scott Huennekens, and former iRhythm COO Karim Karti, are heading their own SPACs.

Ondas Acquires American Robotics

In early 2021, American Robotics announced that it became the first company the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved for drone flights beyond visual line of sight without a human operator on the ground. This approval may have drawn Ondas's attention.

In 2017, American Robotics became the first resident of MassRobotics, a Boston-based nonprofit that serves as a hub for robotics and connected device innovation. Its fully automated Scout commercial drone system is designed for data collection in industrial, agricultural and government applications. The acquisition is a good sign for the drone industry as a whole.

Zebra Technologies Acquires Fetch Robotics

In July 2021, four major acquisitions that made this list took place. For example, Zebra Technologies acquired Fetch Robotics. The $290 million acquisition makes Zebra a full-service supplier of warehouse technology. Fetch Robotics develops autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), which were missing from Zebra's offering. In 2021, AMRs grew significantly, especially in terms of acquisitions.

Aurora's SPAC Deal

Aurora went public through a SPAC deal with Reinvent Technology Partners Y. The combined company, Aurora Innovation Inc, was valued at $13 billion after the merger.

Aurora develops Level 4 autonomous driving systems for robotaxis and semi-trucks. Aurora continues the SPAC trend, as well as the trend of autonomous vehicle companies such as Embark, Plus and TuSimple going public. Before this event, Aurora acquired Uber's self-driving unit.

Novanta Acquires ATI Industrial Automation

Novanta acquired ATI Industrial Automation for $172 million less than a week after the company acquired Schneider Electric Motion USA for $115 million. The acquisition expands Novanta's presence in the robotics industry, grows its customer base and strengthens its intellectual property portfolio.

ATI develops tools such as robotic tool changers, force/torque sensors and collision sensors for industrial, collaborative and medical robotics applications. Novanta is a provider of technology solutions for manufacturers of medical and advanced equipment.

ABB Acquires ASTI Mobile Robots

Similar to Zebra Technology's acquisition of Fetch Robotics, this $190 million acquisition is an example of an established robotics company adding AMRs to its portfolio. ABB already made industrial and collaborative robots, but at the time was one of the largest robotics suppliers without AMRs. ABB is the fourth-largest robotics supplier in the world.

The acquisition gives ASTI the opportunity to expand its customer base from 20 to more than 50 companies. Before the acquisition, ASTI earned $50 million a year and grew 30% annually.

Locus Robotics Acquires Waypoint Robotics

Unlike ABB or Zebra Technology, Locus Robotics was already an AMR manufacturer when it acquired Waypoint Robotics. However, Waypoint's AMRs were capable of carrying heavier payloads than Locus's. Waypoint's super-heavy payload capabilities open a new market for Locus.

This was not the only factor behind the acquisition. Jason Walker, CEO and co-founder of Waypoint Robotics, expressed concern that Waypoint could be pushed out of the market by larger AMR manufacturers. The acquisition gives Waypoint more legitimacy in the industry, as Walker said customers were concerned about working with a smaller AMR maker.

iRobot Acquires Aeris Cleantec AG

iRobot is best known for its Roomba robotic vacuum cleaners for the home. However, according to iRobot Chairman and CEO Colin Angle, this acquisition is the least robotic thing the company has ever done. iRobot paid $72 million for the Switzerland-based air purification company.

Although this acquisition supports iRobot's focus on the smart home, and the company plans to add new features and capabilities to Aeris products, the company appears to be moving away from the home robotics it became known for. This is iRobot's first acquisition of a non-robotics product, but not its first non-robotics product.