Insider Brief
Insider Brief
- Qualcomm Technologies agreed to acquire PickNik, the robotics software company behind the open-source MoveIt manipulation framework, with plans to integrate its motion planning, manipulation, perception and kinematics tools more closely with Qualcomm’s Dragonwing robotics platforms.
- MoveIt, MoveIt Pro and future PickNik technologies are expected to gain closer integration with Dragonwing’s AI processing, heterogeneous computing and real-time robotics capabilities, while Qualcomm also plans to bring MoveIt to Arduino hardware beginning with the VENTUNO Q board.
- Qualcomm said MoveIt 1 and MoveIt 2 will remain open source and continue supporting third-party hardware, community-driven development and ROS; terms of the acquisition weren’t disclosed, and the deal remains subject to customary closing conditions.
Qualcomm Technologies has agreed to acquire PickNik, the robotics software company behind the MoveIt manipulation framework, an open-source ROS framework.
According to Qualcomm, it plans to integrate MoveIt, which provides motion planning, manipulation, perception and kinematics tools, more closely with its Dragonwing AI processing, heterogeneous computing, connectivity and real-time robotics capabilities. With the two, developers will have a more direct path from AI models, including vision-language and vision-language-action models, to motion planning, manipulation and real-time robot control.
MoveIt Pro, PickNik’s commercial robotics platform, and future PickNik technologies are also expected to receive closer Dragonwing integration, Qualcomm noted.
Qualcomm also plans to extend MoveIt integration to Arduino hardware, beginning with the VENTUNO Q board. The companies are demonstrating MoveIt Pro running on VENTUNO Q and Dragonwing robotics platforms this week at ROSCon Toronto.
“Robotics is one of the most exciting frontiers of physical AI, and software is the connective tissue that turns great hardware into great robots,” noted Nakul Duggal, EVP and group GM, automotive, industrial and embedded IoT, and robotics at Qualcomm . “PickNik has earned tremendous trust within the global robotics community through its stewardship of MoveIt and its commitment to open-source innovation. Together, we plan to make it easier for developers to build advanced robotic applications on Dragonwing robotics platforms, while continuing to support the openness and collaboration that have made MoveIt successful.”
Keeping MoveIt Open
Qualcomm said it plans to preserve MoveIt’s open-source model following the acquisition. Its plans include:
- Keeping MoveIt 1 and MoveIt 2 open source under their existing licenses.
- Maintaining community-driven development and open resources.
- Continuing support for third-party robotics hardware.
- Allowing developers to use MoveIt across different robots, compute platforms and sensors.
- Continuing support for ROS and Space ROS, a version of ROS designed for critical applications such as space exploration.
Qualcomm and PickNik are both founding members of the Open Source Robotics Alliance.
“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,” added Dave Coleman, PickNik founder and chief product officer. “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.”
Terms of the transaction weren’t disclosed. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions.
