Swiss industrial group ABB on Thursday announced plans to spin off its robotics division in the biggest shake up at the company since it sold its power grids business to Japan's Hitachi in 2018.

ABB has bought Spanish robot maker ASTI Mobile Robotics Group in the Swiss engineering company's latest move to diversify its robotics business beyond its traditional automotive base.

Today, ABB showcased a mobile autonomous laboratory robot that can work alongside humans at its global healthcare research hub on the Texas Medical Center campus in Houston, Texas.