Google has invested in robotics company Savioke, which plans to produce develop robotic technology in human environments such as nursing homes and hospitals.
The investnemt is made by Google's funding arm, Google Ventures, and is part of a US$2 million seed financing package
led by Morado Venture Partners and AME Cloud Ventures.
Savioke said it would use the funding to further develop its inaugural robot, focusing on the services industry.
"We are passionate about delivering easy-to-use yet sophisticated robots that can help people. Our goal is to improve the lives of people by developing and deploying robotic technology in service environments," said Steve Cousins, CEO of Savioke.
"As the lines continue to blur between industrial and personal robotics industries, Google Ventures is thrilled to be working with an exceptional group of people at Savioke. Steve and his team already have had a lot to do with moving the robotics industry forward. The next act promises to be even more revolutionary," said Andy Wheeler, General Partner at Google Ventures.
Savioke was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA. The Savioke team includes a wide variety of experts in the field of robotics, business, and design, including robot hardware and software. The company's robot will utilize and build upon ROS, an open source robot operating system.
With former Android chief Andy Rubin leading its interest in robotics, the search engine has been on a shopping spree for robot companies lately. Google has acquired such firms as Japan-based Schaft, which developed a full-size bipedal humanoid robot. Google's robot crown, however, is Boston Dynamics, a military contractor known for creating both humanoid machines.