Google robotics research company Boston Dynamics to Japan's Softbank

Softbank spends a fraction of its investment funds on two companies Google doesn't want

Google's parent company Alphabet has sold two robotics companies to Japan's Softbank, the investment firm that scooped up chip-designer ARM just last year.

Boston Dynamics has been sold for an undisclosed sum, with Google losing its interest in robotics given the challenge of making the company profitable any time soon.

Softbank is also taking Schaft with it but, again, the sum is undisclosed.

Boston Dynamics may prove to be a good fit for Softbank, given its plans to be involved in the development of technologies that will be popularised throughout the next few decades - rather than focusing on profitability in the next quarter.

It is unclear, though, whether the company will relocate its rather disturbing bi-pedal robots to Japan, but in the meantime, everyone seems happy enough.

"We at Boston Dynamics are excited to be part of SoftBank's bold vision and its position creating the next technology revolution, and we share SoftBank's belief that advances in technology should be for the benefit of humanity," said Marc Raibert, CEO and founder of Boston Dynamics.

"We look forward to working with Softbank in our mission to push the boundaries of what advanced robots can do and to create useful applications in a smarter and more connected world."

Over at Softbank and people are equally effusive. "Today, there are many issues we still cannot solve by ourselves with human capabilities.

"Smart robotics are going to be a key driver of the next stage of the Information Revolution, and the team at Boston Dynamics are the clear technology leaders in advanced dynamic robots," said Masayoshi Son, chairman & CEO of Softbank Group.

"I am thrilled to welcome them to the SoftBank family and look forward to supporting them as they continue to advance the field of robotics and explore applications that can help make life easier, safer and more fulfilling."

According to the Softbank statement, Schaft is going along as part of the transaction, no such glorious statements are laid out for it. We might say that it has been Schafted.