RobotShop announces the creation of a spin-off for MyRobots, The "Facebook® for robots", which will be integrated into the Robot Lab network, the first robotic incubator.

RobotShop, the world's leading source for domestic and professional robots, has been developing, since 2009, a unique technology to allow robot owners and robot manufacturers to connect their hardware to the Internet via a universal API. The advantage of such a system is a centralized service which monitors, manages and controls robots and smart objects, and ultimately facilitates the coexistence and communication between machines as well as between machines and humans.

A new era for millions of robots and users of connected objects:
MyRobots aims to promote the development and implementation of a variety of cloud applications for many types of existing and future robots (domestic, professional, hobbyist, educational and recreational). Since its launch, MyRobots has attracted thousands of users and robot builders who have connected their devices to the cloud with the help of the "MyRobots Connect", or other hardware. The devices which use the MyRobots service are not only robots of various brands (Lynxmotion, Robotis Darwin OP, Vex Robotics, DFRobotShop Rover, LEGO Mindstorms, Aldebaran NAO, iRobot Roomba, Neato Robotics XV Series), but also includes monitoring of normal computers, mobile phones and microcontrollers such as Arduino.
According to statistics released by MyRobots, over 33% of connected devices are custom-made robots. The possibilities in this field are infinite - MyRobots recently hosted its first connected plant (named Irene), that sends notifications automatically when it needs water.
Mario Tremblay, RobotShop CEO, said: "MyRobots is the culmination of a long-term vision that we have been working on for more than 7 years. The Beta website, launched in 2011, gave us valuable information pertaining to the needs of the market, and the necessary technology to meet or exceed them. We are now ready to begin phase two of our development.
To accomplish this, we created a "spin-off" company and found Robot Lab to be an ideal partner that shares our passion and determination needed to achieve our goals. After only 15 months in existence, Robot Lab has proven their ability to successfully accelerate technological development. I am delighted about this new partnership and confident in our ability to support manufacturers and developers in connecting their products to MyRobots, and ultimately simplify the lives of millions of users of robots and connected devices."
Alexandre Ichai, founder of the Robot Lab adds: "I am very proud to share Marios ambition and to accompany him in this success. His vision is powerful, and we will do everything to make it a reality."
Value-creating synergies within the Robot Lab ecosystem already identified:
The company Blue Frog Robotics has confirmed that its robot "Buddy", the first real robot companion for the mass market, will be natively compatible with the universal platform MyRobots. "Buddy", designed to improve our lives by bringing us closer to each other through interactions with all surrounding technology, is set to become the platform of choice for developers throughout the robotics community. Blue Frog Robotics, is also incubated at Robot Lab and was funded in part by Robot Capital and a crowdfunding campaign of $618,000 on Indiegogo.
AutoPets, the global leader in automatic self-cleaning litter boxes, announced that it would make the next Litter-Robot compatible with MyRobots. They envision the connectivity will inform users when to refill litter, empty the waste drawer, or even flag irregular behavior patterns of the cat using the litter box—an early warning sign that it might be time to consult the veterinarian.
By connecting to MyRobots, the Litter­Robot can share its status and interact with fellow robots on the network, such as a nearby connected robot vacuum. By detecting that the Litter-Robot has just gone through a cleaning cycle, the robot vacuum could make a pass around the unit, removing any litter that may have been tracked out by the cat.
"Connectivity is a direction weve been heading in for a while" said Brad Baxter, President of Automated Pet Care Products, Inc. DBA AutoPets, "and as we approach the launch of our mobile app, were excited to integrate MyRobots into our product plans to maximize compatibility for our customers with other connected devices in their homes."
Other visionary robot manufacturers have also announced their intention to implement native compatibility with MyRobots including the company Immersive Robotics, and their first tele-robotic robot "Waldo", as well as the telepresence robots "Ubbo" from AXYN Robotics and "Keylo" from WYCA.
The new MyRobots spin-off also announced that in 2016 the popular "Cloud Robotics Hackathon" will be re-introduced and held with the support of the LetsMakeRobots.com community website, the largest online group of robot builders in the world. Thousands of registered members will be given the chance to connect their robots and exploit the full potential of MyRobots.
About RobotShop Inc.
RobotShop is the world's leading robot store for personal and professional robot technology. It provides personal, domestic and professional robots, development platforms, kits, and specialized robotic parts. RobotShop is also an important source for robotics education and research.
For more information on RobotShop, please visit http://www.robotshop.com
About MyRobots
MyRobots.com aims to connect all robots and intelligent devices to the Internet and is essentially a "social network" for robots and smart objects. In the same way that humans connect with each other via social networks, robots benefit by sharing information online , allowing them to interact with humans and each other as well as being controlled and monitored remotely. With cloud robotics applications, robots are increasing their capacity and can do more than they were originally designed for. Robot owners can thus reap all the possible benefits. When MyRobots was launched in 2011, Forbes, New Scientist, Mashable, Engadget, Venture Beat, The New York Times and many others; touted it as a "Facebook for robots", which strives to make cloud robotics a reality, accessible to all.
For more information on MyRobots visit http://www.myrobots.com/
About Robot Lab
Robot Lab is an incubator for robotic products that allows groups and startups to share their dreams and to reach their goals faster. They offer specialized expertise, an integrated robotics lab and an accelerator program with a dedicated team. They also offer investment through Robot Capital, where Robot Lab takes a share in each project and works with its network to find all the tools and resources needed for the development and commercialization of their products. Founded in 2014 by entrepreneur Alexandre Ichai, Robot Lab has become a key player in the sector in project acceleration and "Hyper Innovation". After opening five offices in France, various international antennas will be deployed in 2016 to offer its partners unique access to markets, technology and production tools worldwide.
For more information on Robot Lab, visit http://www.robot-lab.org