Qualcomm Acquires PickNik Robotics, Will Maintain MoveIt as Open-Source
Qualcomm has announced the acquisition of PickNik Robotics, the company behind the widely-used MoveIt open-source robotics manipulation framework. The deal is expected to strengthen Qualcomm's position in the robotics market by combining PickNik's expertise in robotic manipulation with Qualcomm's existing embedded computing and connectivity platforms.
MoveIt has become a standard tool in both academic and industrial robotics, providing a flexible framework for tasks such as motion planning, collision checking, and manipulator control. Under the acquisition, Qualcomm has committed to keeping MoveIt open-source, preserving the collaborative development model that has driven its adoption.
The integration plans include combining MoveIt with Qualcomm's Dragonwing brand and Arduino ecosystem, potentially enabling faster deployment of robotic manipulation capabilities on resource-constrained edge devices. This could expand access to advanced robotics development tools for a broader range of hardware platforms and use cases.