Rethink Robotics shuts down (2018)
Rethink, founded by robotics pioneer Rodney Brooks, built the Baxter and Sawyer collaborative robots and raised over $150 million. The machines drew wide attention but sold in modest numbers. The company ran out of money and closed, selling its assets.
Staff were laid off and the brand was acquired by a German automation firm.
It became the cautionary tale of robotics: strong technology and big funding do not guarantee enough buyers to survive.
Neura is also a German-tied, full-stack robot maker betting that capability plus capital will convert into sales. Rethink shows that step is not automatic.
