Qualcomm to acquire PickNik Robotics for edge AI expansion

Qualcomm Technologies Inc. has agreed to acquire PickNik Robotics, a Boulder, Colorado-based company known for its MoveIt software framework. The acquisition aims to integrate PickNik’s motion intelligence and software capabilities with Qualcomm’s Dragonwing robotics processor series and edge AI ecosystem.

By combining Qualcomm’s hardware with PickNik’s software, the company intends to provide developers with a streamlined path from AI models to real-time robotic control, planning, and manipulation. PickNik has previously worked on projects such as the Amazon Picking Challenge and NASA’s Fly Foundational Robotics mission.

PickNik leadership stated that the move is intended to accelerate innovation and investment in MoveIt as a leading AI training platform for robotics. The company also emphasized its commitment to preserving the openness, community collaboration, and cross-platform support central to the MoveIt framework.