Over a year after Google put its two robotics units, Boston Dynamics and Schaft, up for sale, SoftBank of Japan is to acquire them for an undisclosed sum. Just as Google’s parent Alphabet is pulling back from some of its more visionary ‘moon shots’, SoftBank is taking on that mantle under the auspices of the Vision Fund, established by its maverick chairman Masayoshi Son. Some of Son’s more sweeping pronouncements on the future of technology sound similar to those made by the Google founders in their more lyrical moments, particularly his 30-year vision of an era of ‘super-intelligence’ and full automation. But recently, the US firm has become noticeably more temperate as it grapples with the real world challenges of…