Qualcomm to buy robotics software firm PickNik

(Sharecast News) - Qualcomm Technologies said on Wednesday that it has agreed to buy robotics software firm PickNik for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition is intended to strengthen Qualcomm's commitment "to fostering an open robotics ecosystem, providing developers with the tools, software, and frameworks needed to move more efficiently from research and experimentation to prototyping, deployment, and production at scale," it said.

PickNik is a long-time steward of MoveIt, an open-source robotics manipulation framework.

Qualcomm said that in addition to remaining open-source, MoveIt is expected to offer streamlined integration with Dragonwing robotics platforms - providing developers with a more streamlined path from AI models such as VLAs and VLMs to planning, manipulation, and real-time control.

Dave Coleman, founder and chief product officer at PickNik, said: "Since our founding, PickNik's mission has been to provide industries with a powerful, open platform that accelerates innovation and development of advanced robotics, well beyond traditional factories.

"Joining Qualcomm Technologies will allow us to accelerate that mission, expand investment in MoveIt as a leading AI training platform for robotics, and deliver even more value to developers while preserving the openness, community collaboration, and cross-platform support that have always been central to our approach."