Brian Heater
Hardware Editor
The Latest from Brian Heater
3D printing company Essentium set to go public via SPAC
The world of additive manufacturing is not immune from the SPAC craze. Desktop Metal, Shapeways, Markforged and Velo3D have all either completed or announced plans to go public through the process. Au
Sony’s $9,000 pro drone starts shipping Christmas Eve
You’d be forgiven if the AirPeak S1 slipped your mind. It’s been a long, weird 13 or so months since Sony first teased the pro-level drone. After a November 2020 reveal, the company offered some m
Look, another Nook
Let’s be honest: the e-reader market isn’t what it used to be. Amazon has long dominated the market, and Kobo is still doing its thing — but even then, it always feels like an unexpected sur
Smart mug maker Ember raises $23.5M, as it looks toward medical storage
Back in February, Ember’s new consumer CEO (ex-Dyson) Jim Rowan outlined for TechCrunch the company’s plans to expand beyond the temperature-controlled smart mugs that bear its name. At the time,
Qualcomm’s new mobile flagship, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, arrives on devices this year
It’s that time of year again. Analysts and journalists from across the globe have convened in Hawaii to witness Qualcomm announce its big chip news for the year. Just a few days of sun, surf, Snapdr
Labor board authorizes new Amazon union vote
The director of the National Labor Relation Board’s 10th region has authorized a new union election for workers at Amazon’s Bessemer, Alabama fulfillment center. An NLRB representative has confirm
Eclipse Foods inks deal with Whole Foods for its plant-based ice cream
With demand for plant-based meat alternatives at an all-time high, Eclipse Foods is no doubt hoping to do for ice cream what companies like Impossible and Beyond have managed for the hamburger. Pre-pa
Business, school
Before we get started, two quick notes. We’re launching Actuator as a newsletter in a few short weeks! Make sure you’re in on the ground floor by signing up (for free!) over here. Also, the powers
Hardware design platform nTopology raises $65M
Software for hardware design is all the rage in the VC funding world these days. Following recent rounds from Flux and Bild, nTopology just announced a sizable series D of $65 million. The funding rou
iRobot buys air purifier maker Aeris
A week ago, we were discussing iRobot’s smart home ambitions as they pertain to the company’s work with Amazon. The company has been highlighted these plans bit by bit over the past couple of year
Fieldin buys fellow agtech firm Midnight Robotics
It was going to be a big couple of years for agricultural robotics well before COVID-19 was on our collective radar. Population growth and environmental concerns have been big drivers for those workin
Machina Labs emerges from stealth with $16M raised for on-demand manufacturing robotics
Machina Labs today announced a $14 million Series A for its robotics and AI-based manufacturing. The round, led by Innovation Endeavors and featuring Congruent Ventures and Embark Ventures, brings the
Amazon’s ridiculously large Echo Show 15 arrives December 9
When it was announced back in late-September, Amazon mentioned an end of year release date for the Echo Show 15. Looks like the company will be hitting that window. Heck, you could even say it hit a h
Autonomous tractor maker Monarch raises $61 million
Way back in March, autonomous tractor maker Monarch announced a $20 million Series A. Now, a mere eight months later, the company is tripling the round, with a $61 million Series B. This latest raise
Beginning next year, Apple will send you parts and tools to fix your iPhone and Mac at home
Here’s a pleasant — and frankly unexpected — update from Apple. The company just announced Self Service Repair, a new program designed to let users perform common repairs on devices at h
Nommi announces plans for rollout of its food bowl-making kitchen robot
As restaurants continue to face employment shortages, owners will no doubt look increasingly toward automated solutions. Between that and increased focus on food handling amid a global pandemic, it’
Gift Guide: 8 Great gifts for anyone working from home
Once upon a time, I used to write TechCrunch’s travelers gift guide. It was fun and people liked it. People love travel gadgets! Of course, the events of last year left many of us grounded for an ex
Why MoviePass’ co-founder bought back the brand
News broke yesterday that MoviePass co-founder Stacy Spikes purchased ownership of the beleaguered brand for an undisclosed sum. The transaction follows one of the more spectacular tech flameouts in r
CMU’s new Robotics Institute director on the future of robot research
After two years serving in an interim capacity, Professor Srinivasa Narasimhan will be stepping aside as Carnegie Mellon welcomes the sixth director of its Robotics Institute. A graduate of CMU’s Sc
Home, star, trucker
Once I was recovered from the initial surrealism of Amazon launching its own home robot, I immediately thought about iRobot. The company cornered the home robotics market a decade ago, and while there