Rethink Robotics' Sawyer (left) and Baxter collaborative robots. It was full of ups and downs, of course, but it will unfortunately be remembered more for the downs than anything. So before we turn our attention to 2019 trends to watch, let's recap the major robotics stories of 2018. Make sure to also check out our recap of the 10 most funded robotics companies of 2018. What will you remember most from this year?

Science fiction has promised us a whole lot of technology that it's rudely failed to deliver--jetpacks, flying cars, teleportation. The most useful one might be the robot companion, à la Rosie from The Jetsons, a machine that watches over the home. It seemed like 2018 was going to be the year when robots made a big leap in that direction. Two machines in particular surfaced to much fanfare: Kuri, an adorable R2D2 analog that can follow you around and take pictures of your dinner parties, and Jibo, a desktop robot with a screen for a face that works a bit like Alexa, only it can dance. But then, as quickly as the home robots came, they disappeared.

When I was a kid, I was certain that by the time I was a grown woman, I'd have a friendly little robot friend. Adulthood was in the FUTURE, and the FUTURE had robots like R2-D2, Threepio, Data, and so on. Alas, I am a tax-paying adult with a full-time job, and no, I do not have an adorable mechanical friend that comically beep-boops its disapproval when I get up to my hijinks and shenanigans. But around this time last year, I had an inkling of hope that this future was at least on the horizon. Mayfield Robotics's Kuri Robot was lovable, functional, and buzzworthy with its cute mannerisms and deft behavioral touches. Like, it'd wiggle and waggle as it maneuvered around a room.

There was so much compelling news in the world of VR and AR this July I couldn't possibly cover it all with the usual depth and relish to which readers have become accustomed. This is one of those cases where by the time I returned from vacation most of the July recap below wasn't really news anymore but this news, taken as a group, is a testament to the continued entrepreneurial energy being lavished on immersive tech and illustrates how things come over the transom to me in no particular order. From upper left, "Jurassic World" at Dave & Busters, the new AR Looking Glass, "The Art of Burning Man", and the Lenovo Smart Display.Universal, Looking Glass, Lenovo, Smithsonian This story contains news and commentary about new tricks from old dogs, like Dave & Busters, and new companies we've never heard of, like Looking Glass, with extraordinary innovations in 3D object creation and review.developments in virtual assistants, AR, VR, Motion Capture, AI, LBVR. Let's talk about what they really mean. Dave & Busters launched Jurassic World VR motion platform experience at all 111 Dave & Buster's domestic locations. I spent an hour in Dave & Buster's in Times Square last Wednesday and went through the simulation twice.

Cute mechanical companion Kuri is no more. In a blog post published today, manufacturer Mayfield Robotics said that operations have been paused while it evaluates the company's future, and that pre-orders of the adorable home robot will not be filled (all pre-order deposits will be refunded). Mayfield Robotics, part of the Bosch Startup Platform, was established in 2015 with a bold vision to domesticate robots. Kuri was designed to be neither traditionally functional (like a vacuum cleaner), nor educational, but was intended to enter the home as a family member, reading to kids, playing with pets and taking photos of precious family moments. The first Kuri units were priced at $700 apiece -- relatively affordable for the tech involved but nonetheless expensive for a robot that didn't really do much.

Some very sad news for fans of cute robots: Mayfield Robotics, the company behind Kuri, announced last night that Kuri manufacturing has ceased. Everyone who ordered a Kuri will have their money refunded, and Kuri robots will no longer be shipping to customers. Here is what was posted on the Kuri blog, which is just about the extent of what we know. To all of our Kuri fans, we are crushed to let you know that effective today, Mayfield Robotics will pause operations as we evaluate the company's path forward. Sadly, our Kuri manufacturing will cease, and the Kuri robots that have been made will not ship to customers. All pre-order deposits will be refunded to our customers.

Farewell, Kuri, we hardly knew you. Kuri the rolling, talking, video-capturing robot -- who made its debut at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show -- has been terminated. Mayfield Robotics, the Redwood City, California manufacturer, has announced it ceasing production of Kuri robots and will pause its operations to "evaluate the company's path forward." Marketed as a home companion, priced at $700, Kuri was an app-driven robot that could take videos with its high-def camera, play music and dance. USA TODAY's Jefferson Graham, who met up with Kuri a year ago, described the robot as "an Amazon Echo with wheels and eyes" that "can do all the things Alexa or Google Home can do now -- answer trivia questions, play music, run your smart home and a little more. Using the built-in 1080p camera, Kuri can also take, for instance, cat videos while you're away and play them for you."

Over the course of thousands of years, dogs have evolved alongside humans to be awesome. Unlike their wild ancestors, they don't gnaw on us (usually). They stick up for us. They go to the bathroom in designated areas. Now, though, they have competition.

If you're living with a troublesome pup, then help could be at hand - in the form of a small robot. Kuri is a knee-high robot that can recognise pets and children and even tell them off if they're misbehaving. The robot is expected to cost $699 (£552), and will be released in the US in December. The robot's vision is now much sharper which means it will probably be even quicker at spotting mutts - or other family members - behaving badly Kuri learns to recognise family members and can notify its owners through a smartphone when a child or pup arrives home. Kuri'speaks only robot' - meaning beeps and bloops - but also offers a range of emotional expressions by rolling its head and moving its eyes.

It's been about 8 weeks since we first introduced Kuri to the world at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and we're incredibly, amazingly, stupendously happy to keep hearing from people about how excited they are about Kuri. We won "Best of CES" nominations and awards from our friends at Engadget, Wired, PC Magazine, and others. We also heard accolades from people around the world on social media, and even many of our own mothers called to say they heard about our robot on TV. Since then, we've been hard at work, testing Kuri in lots of different homes, fine tuning hardware details and expanding our software capabilities. We'll be sharing updates, like this, about once a month, letting you know how we're progressing towards shipping our first robots.