Qualcomm Technologies, global industry experts in intelligent computing, connectivity and edge processing technologies, has agreed to acquire robotics software developer PickNik Inc., strengthening its investment in open-source robotics and advanced software for motion planning, manipulation and real-time control.
PickNik is the longtime steward of MoveIt™, an open-source robotics manipulation framework built on the Robot Operating System, or ROS. Developers use MoveIt across industrial automation, mobile manipulation, service robotics and other advanced robotic systems for motion planning, manipulation, perception and kinematics. Under the proposed acquisition, Qualcomm intends to keep MoveIt 1 and MoveIt 2 open source under their existing license, maintain community-driven roadmaps and continue support across third-party hardware platforms. The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions.
Qualcomm Technologies plans to acquire PickNik, longtime steward of the open-source MoveIt robotics manipulation framework, as it expands software integration across its robotics development platforms.
Qualcomm plans to more closely integrate MoveIt, the commercial MoveIt Pro platform and future PickNik technologies with its Dragonwing™ robotics platforms. The integration is expected to connect MoveIt’s planning and manipulation capabilities with Dragonwing edge AI, heterogeneous computing, connectivity and real-time robotics technologies, while preserving MoveIt’s hardware-agnostic architecture. Qualcomm also expects developers working on Dragonwing platforms to receive optimized support for MoveIt motion planning, manipulation, perception and kinematics as applications progress from development into deployed robotic systems.
“Robotics is one of the most exciting frontiers of physical AI, and software is the connective tissue that turns great hardware into great robots,” said Nakul Duggal, EVP and Group GM, Automotive, Industrial and Embedded IoT, and Robotics, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “PickNik has earned tremendous trust within the global robotics community through its stewardship of MoveIt and its commitment to open-source innovation. Together, we plan to make it easier for developers to build advanced robotic applications on Dragonwing robotics platforms, while continuing to support the openness and collaboration that have made MoveIt successful.”
Both companies are founding members of the Open Source Robotics Alliance, or OSRA. Qualcomm intends to continue supporting open-source development of MoveIt and ROS, as well as projects including Space ROS, a hardened ROS environment developed for critical applications such as space exploration. The commitment to third-party hardware support remains significant to the MoveIt ecosystem, where developers can select robotic platforms, compute resources and sensors independently rather than working within a closed hardware architecture.
“Since our founding, PickNik’s mission has been to provide industries with a powerful, open platform that accelerates innovation and development of advanced robotics, well beyond traditional factories,” said Dave Coleman, Founder and Chief Product Officer, PickNik Inc. “Joining Qualcomm Technologies will allow us to accelerate that mission, expand investment in MoveIt as a leading AI training platform for robotics, and deliver even more value to developers while preserving the openness, community collaboration, and cross-platform support that have always been central to our approach.”
The planned acquisition also extends the relationship into the Arduino® ecosystem. Beginning with Arduino VENTUNO™ Q boards, MoveIt integration is intended to bring motion planning and autonomy capabilities together with edge AI and heterogeneous computing resources for a broader developer base. Across Dragonwing and Arduino platforms, Qualcomm is building a robotics development environment that spans AI models, perception, planning, manipulation and real-time control while retaining support for varied robot, compute and sensor architectures.
MoveIt has already moved well beyond research and development environments. PickNik reports production use across warehouse logistics, robotic surgery, food-processing sanitation, agricultural robotics, airport baggage handling, biomanufacturing and space applications. The company has increasingly combined established geometric and model-based motion planning with learned AI models through MoveIt Pro, bringing AI-based task planning together with capabilities such as inverse kinematics, collision checking and motion planning for production robotics environments.
About Qualcomm
Qualcomm develops computing, connectivity and semiconductor technologies for mobile, automotive, industrial, embedded and edge computing applications. Through Qualcomm Technologies, the company develops platforms that combine AI processing, high-performance and low-power computing, wireless connectivity and heterogeneous processing for intelligent devices and systems. Its industrial and robotics activities span edge AI computing, autonomous and intelligent machines, perception technologies and robotics development platforms, alongside participation in open-source initiatives including ROS and the Open Source Robotics Alliance. Qualcomm Incorporated also operates the company’s technology licensing business and holds the majority of its patent portfolio, while Qualcomm Technologies and its subsidiaries conduct substantially all of its engineering, research and development, and product businesses. For more information, please click here.
About PickNik Inc.
PickNik Inc. is a robotics software company specializing in motion planning, manipulation and advanced robotic application development. The company is the longtime steward of MoveIt™, an open-source robotics manipulation framework built on ROS and used across research, industrial automation, mobile manipulation and other advanced robotics applications. PickNik also develops MoveIt Pro, a commercial robotics platform that extends open-source MoveIt capabilities for production deployment, integration and advanced automation workflows. To learn more, please click here.
Source/Photo Credit: Qualcomm Technologies / PickNik Inc.
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