Robots in virtually every field are being funded left and right

While robotics industry is still in its infancy, the field remains a highly promising growth market. Applications funded by private equity and others that have had significant breadth support this. For example, two of the most recently announced investments included $11.2 million for Virtual Incision, a company that develops robotic-assisted surgical devices, and $11 million for Jibo, a company that has developed an in-home robot designed to be a home assistant and even a companion.

Jibo in particular has had success in funding. The company began its life as a highly successful crowdfunded project and has now received more than $36 million in investments from a variety of companies. This does not include the $3.7 million it raised during its crowdfunding run. Acer, Dentsu Ventures, KDDI, LG and others have all invested in the company. It has announced that production of its social robot is expected to begin in Fall 2015 through Spring 2016 just for its crowdfunding backers and pre-orders.

Virtual Incision has had a lower profile, but the fact that the company had received funds in a field as heavily regulated as the medical field is a statement in and of itself. The company is currently in development to build a small, self-contained robot to conduct laparoscopic surgery. Where typical surgeries of the type can involve an 8- to 12in incision and long recovery time, the company hopes to use its robot to allow for such surgeries to have a very small incision, lowering trauma and recovery time. In all, the company has received $25.7 million in investments in five rounds.

These two companies may not have much in common – one designed to enter the human body to repair it and another to read stories to the kids – but their funding success indicate that the robotics industry holds a lot of promise in a variety of use cases.