Investors with a penchant for Sci-Fi were given a real treat recently when Patrick Stewart AKA Captain Picard/Prof Xavier rang the New York Stock Exchange opening bell to mark the launch of the Twitter IPO.
We’re about to take this to a whole new level of tech geekery, though, as tomorrow (November 12), for the first time ever, a non-human will ring the Nasdaq closing bell.
Marking the launch of ROBO-STOX, a new robotics stock index ROBO-STOX, a Universal Robots’ UR5 robot arm with an integrated three fingered gripper, will have the privilege of bringing the Nasdaq to a close.
Speaking ahead of the event, Frank Tobe, co-founder of ROBO-STOX, commented: "We didn’t want to showcase robots that are only used in research labs. We wanted to show viable robotics technology, well-positioned for a future IPO, that is selling and being implemented in a wide range of industries today."
The ROBO-STOX is the first index to benchmark the value of robotics, automation and related technologies.
Some notable humans to have given the Nasdaq bell a dingaling in recent years include American Idols finalist Jordin Sparks, actress Julianne Moore, Miss USA Rachel Smith, boxing champ Floyd Mayweather, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, tennis ace/model Anna Kournikova and the cast of the Little Shop of Horrors.
