Newsgroups: comp.robotics
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From: hpm@frc.ri.cmu.edu (Hans Moravec)
Subject: Re: DENNING MOBILE ROBOTICS CLOSES ITS DOORS
In-Reply-To: rg@msel.unh.edu's message of 7 Apr 93 21:47:14
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Date: Thu, 8 Apr 1993 20:11:00 GMT
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	As a board member of Denning, I thought it appropriate to
expand on Roger Gonzalez's report about the company, and to correct
some of its possible implications.

	Denning has been unable to pay salaries for a month, which is
a disaster for its employees.  Nevertheless, a core group stayed on to
finish remaining work on a contract for 25 cleaning robots for Windsor
Industries.  The completion payment from this contract would be
sufficient to pay back salaries owed plus several additional months.
It has not yet arrived, but is expected.  In the meantime, the
employees have applied for unemployment compensation: this is the
basis for Roger's message.

	Denning has patents and technically successful products, but
not enough sales so far to support itself.  Last month a
merger/financing proposal was agreed to and is being pursued.  It
would provide proceeds, beginning in several months, to continue
Denning's robot work for at least two years--time to expand the
potentially large cleaning and parts carrier markets, where Denning
has already sold successful products.

	These are hard times, but it's not over yet.

				Hans Moravec
				Robotics Institute
				Carnegie Mellon University


