Microsoft fosters robotics
Seattle PI | at | by Mike
Microsoft developing software for ... robots? Yes, it's true. And no, despite the timing, it's not a case of the company's engineers taking Microsoft on a crazy tangent now that Bill Gates is shifting away from his day-to-day oversight.
Gates, in fact, helped instigate the new Microsoft Robotics Group, which will announce its first product today -- a software system that robotics developers can use to create the programs that make robots work.
Dubbed the Microsoft Robotics Studio, the system aims to create common technological underpinnings for what is now a relatively fragmented industry. The company says it's intended for use with a wide range of robots, from those in factories to the growing number of robots available to consumers.