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Business & Tech

Ex-Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt Starts New ‘Bot Company,’ Gets Handed $150 Million Despite Having No Products

Proving again that tech executives can always fail upwards, the CEO that ran self-driving car company Cruise into a ditch, Kyle Vogt, has just been handed $150 million for his new venture called the Bot Company that claims it will eventually develop robots to do household chores.

Business & Tech

State Commission Votes to Approve Autonomous Taxi Expansion In San Francisco In Historic Vote

The California Public Utilities Commission voted 3-1 on Thursday night, after over seven hours of public comment, to approve the expansion of robotaxi service in San Francisco to 24 hours — and approved both Cruise and Waymo to take paid fares at all hours.

Supervisors Approve SFPD Use of Killer Robots — What Could Go Wrong?

The SF Police Department got Board of Supervisors approval to use robots as a “deadly force option” against suspects Tuesday night. But at least the robots will only have bombs instead of firearms?

Oakland Police Mull Acquiring Robots Armed With Shotguns

The shotgun-toting robots prefer to be called “percussion actuated nonelectric disruptors,” and the Oakland Police Department wants some, though is currently offering a compromise measure where they’d only be armed with pepper spray.

SF Restaurants, Food & Drink

Salad-Making Robot Makes Debut In Palo Alto

#SallyTheSaladRobot is at @wework in #sf tonight for @inteahouse's pitch event! #WhenWeWorkMetSally #MakingFoodFun A post shared by Chowbotics (@chowbotics) on Jun 8, 2017 at 5:50pm PDT Sally, the salad-making robot, may soon

SF Restaurants, Food & Drink

Robot Barista At Metreon Charges For Healthcare

So this is funny: There's a robot-manned coffee bar thing at the Metreon called Cafe X, and even it wants you to chip for its healthcare. Local blogger Mr. Eric Sir alerts us

SF Restaurants, Food & Drink

Cocktail-Concocting Robots Sought For Nightclub Competition

It seems like these days, you can find robots anywhere: Talking to your children, pissing off Supervisor Normal Yee as they attempt to deliver your dinner, and acting as a butler at your

SF Supe Seeks Ban On Robot Delivery Services

Starship just completed its first official and completely autonomous delivery to a wonderful lady in Richmond district of San Francisco A post shared by Starship Technologies (@starshiprobots) on Sep 20, 2016 at 2:

SF Restaurants, Food & Drink

Delivery Robot Named Carry Spotted 'Learning The Sidewalks' Of The Mission

Spotted on 19th Street: A delivery robot named "Carry" https://t.co/l8mXp2GqCH pic.twitter.com/EC1HGZUCuk— Mission Local (@MLNow) February 22, 2017 That R2D2-ish delivery robot on wheels that we first told

Alphabet-Owned Boston Dynamics Unveils New 'Nightmare Inducing' Wheeled Robot

In leaked video from a private presentation to investors by Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert, we see their latest war machine incredible mobile AI creation, Handle. Raibert himself says that it looks to

Arts & Entertainment

Apocalypse Now, Please: Two Google Home Devices Have An Endless Conversation About Everything And Nothing

Two Google Home devices have been programmed (tricked? hacked?) into talking back and forth to each other, and it's been going on all day and live-streamed via Twitch TV, under the header SeeBotsChat.

Bay Area Company Unveils Two-Foot-Tall Robot Nanny

As robots continue their relentless march into our daily lives, a Redwood City-based startup is banking on the fact that parents around the world will be all too happy to pass off basic

Robot Butler And Real-Time Tenant Tracking Offered At Luxe SF Apartment

With numerous over-the-top housing options competing for the dollars of San Francisco's most well paid, The Jasper is doing its best to stand out. And with at least one three-bedroom in the 40-story

Autonomous Delivery Bot Hits San Francisco Sidewalks

Starship just completed its first official and completely autonomous delivery to a wonderful lady in Richmond district of San Francisco A photo posted by Starship Technologies (@starshiprobots) on Sep 20, 2016 at 2:

Autonomous Robots Are Coming To A Lowe's Near You

Hardware and home furnishings store Lowe's is to begin staffing its 11 Bay Area stores with autonomous helper bots as soon as this month. Dubbed the LoweBot, the San Francisco Business Times reports

Security Robot Temporarily Decommissioned After Knocking Down And Running Over Toddler

An autonomous security robot at the Stanford Shopping Center has been temporarily pulled from use following reports that it knocked a toddler to the ground and then ran the kid over last week.

Security Robot Knocks Toddler To The Ground Then Runs Him Over At Stanford Shopping Center

A Palo Alto toddler was injured last Thursday after his parents claim a security robot at the Stanford Shopping Center knocked him over and then proceeded to run him over. And what's more,

Uber Has A Robot Security Guard On The Beat In San Francisco

Why pay a human to do a job a robot can do for less? We learn today via Fusion that ride-hail company Uber has answered this question with a resounding "don't." The publication

Video: Robot Roaming Aisles Of Downtown Target Confirms Underwhelming Future

It seems that Target has chosen San Francisco (so blessed) to test out its newest potential replacement for human labor. Say hello to "Tally," a shelf-scanning robot that Fortune reports the company is

Google Artificial Intelligence Defeats Go Grandmaster, Humans Prepare For Robot Uprising

Ladies and gentlemen, we make a lot of jokes around here at SFist about the robot uprising, but news yesterday out of South Korea has us feeling a little, shall we say, on

Arts & Entertainment

Watch Boston Dynamics Use Their War Dog To Terrorize A Helpless Schnauzer

You've already watched that terrifying video from Google-owned Boston Dynamics, in which a robot is seemingly taunted by his heartless human creators/captors. (You've probably even seen the parodies, including this super sad

Video: Google-Owned Boston Dynamics Improves Their Terrifying, Terminator-Like Robots

Alphabet/Google-owned robotics company Boston Dynamics, the people behind those crazy robot war dogs, has just unleashed upon us yet another bit of nightmare fuel. Specifically: The new and improved Atlas Robot. Watch

Google-Owned Robot War Dogs Wail Too Loudly For US Military Use

The future of the nightmare-fuel robot war machines designed by Google-owned Boston Dynamics looks bleak after the US Marines announced they would no longer work with the robo-dogs. The reason? The things are

Google-Owned Robot Maker Ruins Christmas With War-Machine Dogs Pulling Santa's Sleigh

Just in time for Christmas, maker of futuristic robots for the US Military, Google-owned Boston Dynamics, has unleashed a video that is sure to crush all visions of sugar plums dancing in heads