Microsoft Robotics 1.0

Microsoft Corp. 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.

It might take many years, but Microsoft believes robotics could present a big
opportunity as the market grows, said Tandy Trower, general manager of the
Microsoft Robotics Group. He cited estimates predicting that consumer robotics
alone will grow into a multibillion-dollar industry in five to 10 years.
Continue At Source

Source: Microsoft Robotics