The aircraft parts manufacturer Systec Akazawa Co., a key player in the Osaka robot scene and maker of the PLEN desktop hobby robot, is set to declare bankruptcy with liabilities of about 700 million yen ($7.4 million), according to Nikkei Net, which cited a sharp decline in orders.
In 2006, the company introduced PLEN, a $2,600 Bluetooth-controlled hobby bot that could rollerskate and skateboard.
Akazawa's collapse will hit the Osaka robot scene hard and the risk is very high that other robot ventures will get in trouble as well.
