Google is making moves to acquire robotics firms to
develop higher capabilities and products. Their purchase of Boston Dynamics and
seven other companies indicate that they have made their way into the military
market (1).
The program is part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency that seeks
to create a new generation of robots. Combining the knowledge of multiple
agencies through acquisition raises Google’s stature in this field.
The goal for the time being is to develop robots
that mimic things in nature. It is likely that someday they will try and put
different capabilities into the same robot. At present some of the interesting
stuff includes a 28 mph running cheetah, SquishBot which changes shape to
get in tight areas, and Petman which mimics human abilities (2).
Each of these robots takes significant research, designing, and software.
Google has
developed the Android service, plenty of applications, and has satellites that
map the world. They are in a unique position to incorporate the knowledge and
abilities of other companies to create new functional uses (3).
As a strategy it is likely that Google will obtain additional military contracts
and use their wide breadth of knowledge to converge to fast developing new
civilian and military products.
There are other applications outside of military
that delve into supply chain management, search and rescue, industrial
automation, and space flight. Such robots have high capabilities and are not
subject to environmental constraints that humans are. As these robots develop
we are likely to officially enter the second industrial revolution as this
technology becomes sold to other industries.
