Well there are other companies that are making manipulators. Kinova for example looks promising with a polished robotic arm. They don't have the mobile base tough, which is sad.
An integrated mobile manipulator is a very different beast from a standalone manipulator bolted to a generic mobile base.
For example, UBR-1's lift torso means that it can pick an object up off the ground and place it on a tabletop. The placement of sensors is also key, with having a depth cam ideally placed for both looking around and supervising a grasp operation.
For example, UBR-1's lift torso means that it can pick an object up off the ground and place it on a tabletop. The placement of sensors is also key, with having a depth cam ideally placed for both looking around and supervising a grasp operation.