An army of Locus Robotics' "LocusBots" that automate warehouses Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty ImagesRobotics investments boomed during the pandemic. Over the latest 12 months (through March 11), venture firms poured $6.3 billion into robotics companies, up nearly 50% from the $4.3 billion they invested in the comparable 12-month period a year earlier, according to an analysis by venture-capital database PitchBook for Forbes. Industrial robotics firms? They garnered $1.9 billion of that funding, up 90% from the $1 billion they took in a year earlier, according to PitchBook. That shift helped propel Locus Robotics to the unicorn ranks, as it raised $150 million at a $1 billion valuation in February.

Source: Forbes March 12, 2021 12:00 UTC