1. Best robotics startups in the UK: Cambridge Medical Robotics Cambridge Medical Robotics

Minimally invasive surgery tends to be a highly expensive procedure, but Cambridge Medical Robotics is developing a next-generation robotic system that could make it affordable and universally accessible.The startup has already successfully tested the performance of the platform on cadavers.

The big planshave already attracted big backing. In July 2016, the company raised $20.3 million in a Series A funding round from investors including ABB Technology Ventures, LGT Global Invest and Cambridge Innovation Capital.

London-based startupAutomatawas founded in January 2015to democratise robotics by lowering costs and improving usability. The company plansto use a robotics-as-a-service (RAAS) business modelto integrate robotics into existing workflows more efficiently and to bring automation to new markets. Automata has attracted an undisclosed quantity of funding from ABB Technology Ventures (ATV).

Founders Mostafa El Sayed and Suryansh Chandra previously worked as lead designers at Zaha Hadid Architecture, and their first product should be a welcome one in their former profession. The low-cost, plug and play, table-top robotic arm called Eva is ideally suited for design studios, but has been developed to also work in SMEs from a myriad of other industries.

University of Sheffield spin-out Consequential Robotics was established to develop companion and assistive robotic systems toenhance quality of life as people age. The first product developed by the startup is a mechanical pet with dog-like features called MiRO that is said to be "the first robot that thinks like an animal".

MiRo is controlled bytechnology modelled on the biological brain, and alimited number are currently available to professional researchers for 1,900 plus tax andshipping.Iconic British designer Sebastian Conran teamed up withthe university's Professor Tony Prescott and Dr Ben Mitchinsonto found the company in 2016.The research was supported by Innovate UK and it's received funding as part of an EU project.

Ai Buildwants to develop robotic technologies to support 3D printing in the built environment. The London startup was born in November 2015 and attracted 75,000 of seed funding from Seedcamp the next year.

Founder Daghan Cam envisions a future of construction in which industrial robotics and machine learning automate fabrication processes and help make large-scale 3D printing affordable. Last October the company unveiled the Daedalus Pavilion to showcase the technologys potential. The 5m high and 4.5m wide structure wasbuilt using a customised KUKA robotic arm and a 3D printing gun.

Bristol-based Reach Robotics is developing monster robots controlled by mobile devices to use with video games. The company has created more than thirty prototypes since it was launched in 2014, but the first design to be released commercially is MekaMon.

The customisable machines are designed to let players engage in combat through augmented reality gaming and are currently available from $275 (224). Reach Robotics has secured a disclosed total of $250,000 (200,575) in seed funding so far from seven different investors.

Open Bionics designs3D-printed bionic hands for amputees using medical grade materials. The open source initiative produces devices that are easily reproduced using off-the-shelf materials and teamed up with Disney in 2015 to create a superhero-themed range of prosthetics for children.

The company has received a total of $120,000 (96,270) equity funding and $20,000 (16,045) seed funding. In February it added$1 million (802,100) in prize money after beating more than 1,000 other entrants to the International UAE Robotics for Good Award. The winnings will be used topush the product throughthe final stages of medical testing before it can be made available to everyone who needs it.

Oxfordshire startup Animal Dynamicsemerged as a spinout company from the Department of Zoology at Oxford University that builds bio-inspired vehicles usingdeep science to understand naturally-evolved designs. The team are working to develop a portfolio of products based on research into flight, swimming and walking in the natural world.

The company was co-founded by biomechanics professor Dr Adrian Thomas and entrepreneur Alex Cacciain in 2015, andhas attracted seed funding from angel investors Oxford Technology and the University of Oxford Isis Fund (UOIF) to build and test its first products and an undisclosed amount of Series A funding.

The creators ofMoley Robotics claim to have designed theworld's first robotic kitchen. The automated chef is operated by a smartphone and combines the standard kitchen equipment ofoven, hob and sink with the unusual addition of two dexterous robotic arms thattake care of the cooking.

The company has raised a total of $1.17 million (939,000)in equity crowdfunding since it was founded in 2014. Aprototype of the device won the"Best of the Best" award at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Shanghai the next year, and a consumer versionis set to launch sometime in 2017, supported by an iTunes-style library of different recipes.

Primo Toys are designed to help children learn, play and create with technology. Their first release is a wooden robot called Cubetto that helps teach young children how to code through tactile learning. Cubetto is placed atop a map on a floor mat and the child puts coloured blocks onaboard that tell the smiling robotwhere to go.

The company was founded in 2013 by Matteo LoglioandFilippo Yacob to help kids become creators of technology rather than just consumers. They've attracted a total of $1.18 million (950,000)in funding so far, from investors including Randi Zuckerberg, the sister of Facebook founder Mark.Cubetto is currently available to buy for $225 (180).

London-based startup Emotechhas designed what it bills as "the first personal robot with individual personality." The deep-learning capabilities of the voice-controlled device known as "Olly" let it adapt to the personality of its user over time through daily interactions. The technology won the creators four differentCES Innovation Awardsin 2017.

The robotics startup was founded in August 2014 to explore ways of improving the relationships between people and technology and has already secured$10 million (8 million) of Series A funding from Alliance Capital and Lightning Capital, plus an undisclosed amount of angel funding.

Serial entrepreneur Tom Lipinski developed Q-Bot after he uncovered a problem with laying floor insulation in older homes while working on a previous project aimed atreducing domestic energy use. Q-Bot is his solution. The tiny four-wheeled robot isinserted through an air vent armed with a 3D scanner and insulating foam to survey the underside of floorboards and apply insulation as required.

Q-Bot was founded in 2012 andwon best startup at the Invention and Entrepreneurship in Robotics and Automation Awards in Seattle in 2015.The system has been trialled with clients including Camden Council and CityWest Homes, and the company claims it can savebetween 200 and 300 a year in energy bills. A total of 2 million has been invested in Q-Bot from the EU Horizon 2020 Programme andtwo rounds of seed funding.

Starship Technologies develops small self-driving robotsdesigned to deliver goods locally within 30 minutes. The electric six-wheeled personal couriers drive on pavements at a pedestrian speed of four miles per hour to the location of the customer who then unlock the delivery using their personal code.

The startup is headquartered in London but its engineering operations are based in Estonia.Skype co-foundersJanus Friis and Ahti Heinla created the company in 2015 and have gained $17.2 million (13.8 million) of funding from eight investorsincludingHOF CapitalandPlayfair Capital.

Dr Alexander Enoch developed his idea forRobotical whileworking withbulkymachinesduringhisPhD in Robotics studies at the University of Edinburgh. The compactbipedal robot called Marty harnesses the power of play to teach computer skills to childrenby letting themreprogramme the device and customise its3D-printed parts.

The company has received funding from the the Royal Academy of Engineering's Enterprise Hub and more than 86,000 on a crowdfunding platform. Marty is currently available at a special pre-order price of 99 plus shipping.

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Who are the hottest robotics startups in the UK? Meet 13 of the country's best - Techworld.com