What a month it was for robotics. Whether it was Boston Dynamics launching its Spot quadruped robot, Shopify acquiring 6 River Systems or Universal Robots launching its strongest cobot ever, the robotics stories didn't disappoint in September 2019. Here are the Top 10 most popular robotics stories on The Robot Report for September 2019. Subscribe to The Robot Report's free weekly newsletter to stay updated on the latest analysis and news from the robotics industry. Since being acquired by SoftBank, Boston Dynamics promised to bring its robots to market.

Reach Robotics, the company behind the spider-like MekaMon robot you might've seen on the shelves at the Apple Store, is closing down. Billed as the "world's first gaming robot," MekaMon is part video game, part STEM tool. You could plop it down on the carpet and point your phone at it to battle virtual augmented reality enemies, face off against other MekaMon owners in multiplayer battles or build custom programs for the robot on top of Apple's Swift Playgrounds. Here's a video we did on Reach Robotics a few years back: Reach Robotics was founded in 2013. They released their MekaMon robot in November of 2017, just a few months after raising a $7.5 million Series A. The consumer robotics sector is an inherently challenging space – especially for a start-up.

Through innovation in #robotics, the future is within reach.

Last week, Anki, creator of adorable robots that are part toy, part virtual assistant and part pet, went out of business. "It is with a heavy heart to inform you that Anki has ceased product development and we are no longer manufacturing robots," the company said in a statement, which promised to help owners keep enjoying their little mechanical pals for as long as possible. Why did Anki – a company that had attracted a huge amount of funding and interest in its earlier days – find itself so strapped for cash that it had to pull the plug? Vector's expressions were designed by a professional character artist (Image credit: Anki) Robot vacuum cleaners are one thing – we might feel a little affection towards them, but they're very utilitarian. When it comes to robots for fun and companionship, we're much more hesitant.

Last week, Anki, creator of adorable robots that are part toy, part virtual assistant and part pet, went out of business. "It is with a heavy heart to inform you that Anki has ceased product development and we are no longer manufacturing robots," the company said in a statement, which promised to help owners keep enjoying their little mechanical pals for as long as possible. Why did Anki – a company that had attracted a huge amount of funding and interest in its earlier days – find itself so strapped for cash that it had to pull the plug? Vector's expressions were designed by a professional character artist (Image credit: Anki) Robot vacuum cleaners are one thing – we might feel a little affection towards them, but they're very utilitarian. When it comes to robots for fun and companionship, we're much more hesitant.

Apple is selling its first ever'gaming robot' that can carry out augmented reality warfare and is controlled by a smartphone. The fearsome-looking mechanical spider is called MekaMon and relies on four infrared sensors to measure distance, location and wage attacks on its opponent. This fighter, which launches today on the Apple store for £300 ($300), simultaneously has bot-on-bot brawls in real life and on the screen. The robot is used to play a game is set in 2076 following an alien invasion on Earth. Humans are using their MekaMon robots to fight back and recapture their territory.