It is with much rejoicing that today we can share that one of our favorite robotics startups, Dash Robotics, is acquiring another of our favorite robotics startups, Bots Alive. Usually, we don't cover acquisitions, or when we do, it's with resigned skepticism--all too often, one company gets completely swallowed by another, and the things that made them unique and exciting simply vanish. The sense that we get from talking with Dash Robotics' CEO Nick Kohut and Bots Alive founder Brad Knox is that the amazing things that Bots Alive does fit right in with the equally amazing but totally different things that Dash Robotics does, and that together, they'll be able to come up with some totally cool (and totally affordable) robotic toys with sophisticated personalities built right in. Part of the reason that we're fans of Dash Robotics and Bots Alive is that they're both successful examples of taking robotics research and turning it directly into a compelling product. Dash Robotics turned UC Berkeley's DASH pop-up hexapod robot into a skittery and blisteringly fast toy called Kamigami that's now being sold in partnership with Mattel for US $50, while Bots Alive's software runs on your phone and gives a $20 Hexbug more brains and personality than an enthusiastic and mildly well trained puppy.