Comment by ripe

> What was that US robotics startup ... "human safe" cobot you were supposed to be able to program by just dragging its arm through the motions?

You're probably thinking of Rethink Robotics in Boston.

Its first model was the two-arm "Baxter", very popular at universities and research labs. The second model was the single-armed Sawyer, much more capable, with built-in vision, which sold several thousand units to small manufacturers.

Rethink Robotics was co-founded by Rodney Brooks. The robots were originally built in the Boston location, and later by a contract manufacturer in New Hampshire. In 2018, the company was unable to find a buyer and shut down operations. The brand and the remaining inventory was purchased by a German distributor, but eventually the robots were sunset, afaik.

Discussion then:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35305141