The Robot Report Podcast

Funding the next wave of robotics

Mike Oitzman — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 23:31:17 +0000

The Robot Report Podcast · Funding the next wave of robotics

The Robot Report Podcast · Nuro navigates to fully autonomous driving

In Episode 176 of The Robot Report Podcast, we feature an interview with venture capitalists Juliette Chevallier, Principle at Scale Ventures, and Jasmeet Singh founder of JMOON Ventures.

It’s VC week here at the podcast.

This episode features interviews with Juliette Chevallier from Scale Ventures and Jasmine Singh from Jay Moon Ventures and covers investment trends in robotics, emphasizing the importance of execution risk over technical risk.

Juliette Chevallier, Principal, Investments, Scale Venture Partners

Juliette Chevallier has a background in autonomous vehicles and robotics, having previously worked at companies like Google Chauffeur (now Waymo) and MIT spinoff Optimus Ride. She joined Scale Venture Partners about 2 years ago to lead their investment thesis on robotics, AI applications, and cybersecurity. Scale Venture Partners’ approach focuses on investing at the point of execution risk rather than technical risk, looking for companies with a working product and proven product-market fit. Juliette emphasizes the importance of understanding the customer ROI and business model as key criteria.

In her role as a VC, Juliette prefers to have a deep, hands-on involvement with portfolio companies, acting as a strategic sounding board and collaborating closely with founders to work through tough problems. She sees her role as helping founders navigate the operational and go-to-market challenges. Juliette notes a renewed interest in robotics from VCs, though she is cautious about some “wild” valuations and funding rounds, preferring bottoms-up market analysis over top-down figures.

Juliette is bullish on the potential of robotics foundation models (RFMs) to drive transformation, emphasizing the need for more multi-modal AI models that integrate vision, action, and communication. She is excited about the possibilities of AI to enhance robotics, but cautions about the risks of AI development burning through funding. Overall, Juliette’s approach focuses on de-risking execution and operational challenges for robotics startups, leveraging her deep technical and business expertise to support founders.

Learn more at: www.scalevp.com/

Jasmeet Singh, Founder, JMOON Ventures

Jasmeet Singh has a diverse background spanning robotics engineering, founding startups, and investing since 2012. As an investor at J Moon Ventures, he focuses on “physical AI” startups – those combining hardware, electronics, and AI in areas like robotics, IoT, and 3D printing.

Jasmeet emphasizes the importance of solving real problems, not just building cool technology. He looks for startups with a strong understanding of the user and business model, noting operational challenges like scaling manufacturing and finding the right business model.
Compared to the more risk-averse Canadian market, Jasmeet sees the US as a better environment for robotics fundraising. He advises founders to target large, underserved problems and focus on customer service and support.

Some of Jasmeet’s investments include Orange Wood Labs, Brisk AI, and Rural Hologram. As he launches J Moon Ventures, he is particularly interested in opportunities in agriculture, construction, medical, and sustainability.

Overall, Jasmeet brings a unique perspective as an investor with deep technical expertise and operational experience in robotics. He is focused on backing founders solving real-world problems with innovative hardware-software solutions.

Learn more at: jmoon.ventures/

Show timeline

8:40 – News of the week
26:38 – Interview with Juliette Chevallier
1:03:00 – Interview with Jasmeet Singh, AKA The Bearded Maker

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News of the week

Humanoid video of the week

@plugfc7

Kai’s 1X Robot didn’t last long after getting rebooted #kaicenat #1x #1xrobot #fyp @Kai Cenat

♬ silence – moartea regelui.

Recent videos featuring internet influencer Kai Cenat and his 1X EVE robot have sparked a significant discussion about the readiness of humanoid robots for domestic use. In one particular incident (seen in the TiKTok video above), the robot abruptly powered down and fell over, raising concerns about potential safety hazards and the current limitations of humanoid technology. This event highlights the need for rigorous testing and development before deploying such robots in homes, as opposed to the more controlled industrial environments where they are currently being trialed.

ASTM developing testing standards for mobile manipulators

The ASTM F45 subcommittee is developing a new standard to evaluate the agility of mobile manipulators. This standard aims to provide a standardized testing procedure similar to automotive evaluations, allowing manufacturers to benchmark their solutions and identify areas for improvement. The proposed tests involve tracking a specific path on a table surface and inserting pegs, assessing the robot’s precision and coordination between arm and base movements. This initiative and other ASTM F45 efforts in mobile robot testing underscore the growing importance of standardized evaluation methods for advancing robotics technology.

GEODIS reaches 10M picks with Locus mobile robots

Locus Robotics and GEODIS have reached a major milestone with over 10 million units picked using autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) at a GEODIS distribution center in Pennsylvania. Locus’s AI-powered platform, LocusONE, optimizes worker productivity by directing them to the next pick location, reducing wasted time and boosting efficiency. This partnership highlights the increasing adoption of warehouse automation to meet growing e-commerce demands and improve operational efficiency.

2025 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards open for nominations

You can now submit nominations for the 2025 RBR50 innovation awards. They will recognize technology and business innovations in the calendar year 2024, and the awards are open to any company worldwide that produces robotics or automation.

The categories include:

Technologies, products, and services: This category includes primary or applied research focusing on robotics and supporting technologies such as motion control, vision, or machine learning. It also includes new products and business, engineering, or technology services.
Business and management: This category covers initiatives positioning a company as a market leader or an organization as an important thought leader in the robotics ecosystem. Significant mergers and acquisitions are relevant, as are supplier, partner, and integrator relationships.
Applications and markets: The RBR50 will also recognize innovations that improve productivity, quality, and cost-effectiveness, as well as those that automate new tasks.

In addition, the 2025 RBR50 awards will celebrate the following:

Startup of the Year
Application of the Year
Robot of the Year
Robots for Good Award

The deadline for submissions is Friday, Dec. 20, 2024.

Podcast sponsored by FlexQube

The show this week is sponsored by FlexQube. Move material with any size, shape, and weight with the FlexQube Navigator AMR, the world’s first multi-purpose and non-load carrying robot.

The FlexQube Navigator AMR features a standardized coupling interface to connect with an ecosystem of different load carriers depending on the customer’s needs.

The system also features a safety-rated identification of load carrier footprint to secure a safe and efficient scale-up of different use cases in a factory or warehouse.

FlexQube Navigator – robotics that delivers!

To learn more about FlexQube’s solutions goto: https://www.flexqube.com

The post Funding the next wave of robotics appeared first on The Robot Report.

The Wild Robot author Peter Brown on robots, nature, storytelling

Mike Oitzman — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 19:54:20 +0000

The Robot Report Podcast · The Wild Robot: Where Nature Meets Technology with Peter Brown

In this special episode of The Robot Report Podcast, Steve Crowe and I talk to author and illustrator Peter Brown to discuss his children’s books series The Wild Robot.

Peter takes us through his creative writing process, the background research he did about robotics, and how he pulled the plot together for a robot named Roz that finds itself shipwrecked on an island filled with wild animals. He describes why he chose the specific characteristics of the robot in the story.

Peter also describes the experience of seeing his story adapted into an animated movie by DreamWorks. The Wild Robot movie, which is based on the first book in the series, has seen tremendous box office success. It earned more than $320 million worldwide and is on the top 100 list of the high-grossing animated films of all time.

Peter describes the process of working with movie director Chris Sanders to bring Roz to life on the big screen.

To learn more about Peter go to: https://www.peterbrownstudio.com/

Below is a sample of our conversation with Peter Brown. To hear the conversation in its entirety, please listen to the podcast audio.

The Robot Report: For those who may not have seen the movie or not read the first book, the first book in the series deals with the adventures of a shipwrecked robot named ROZZUM 7134, Roz for short. And I know there are some tie-ins to a very famous play about 100 years ago that we can get into. The story starts when the robot is shipwrecked on a deserted island and then builds relationships with the local animals on this island while helping them navigate all sorts of different ordeals.

What has this whole experience been like for you? Is it true that DreamWorks, the studio behind the movie, optioned the film rights to The Wild Robot before the first book was even published in 2016? You’ve been living with this story for quite some time. What’s that been like for you?

Peter Brown is the author and illustrator of The Wild Robot series of children’s books. | Credit: Peter Brown Studio

Peter Brown: Well, it’s pretty surreal. I started tinkering with this idea about a robot learning to survive in the wilderness by studying and mimicking the animals that she comes across. The idea came to me in like 2008 or 2007. I drew a robot in a tree, which is what got the whole thing started.

I just love the idea of a robot climbing a tree. And I just started thinking, why would a robot be in a tree and how would a real robot react to the wilderness? What would wild animals think about a robot?

I’d been writing and illustrating picture books for years this was my first novel for kids which is a very different type of book so I had to kind of learn how to write a novel and you know, it was this long process and the book finally got published in 2016. DreamWorks has a team of people who are in the business of keeping an eye on the publishing industry to see what ideas, and books are out there that might be interesting for adaptation to film. And, somebody there got wind of this Wild Robot book, which I was still working on. So I got contacted out of the blue by a rep from DreamWorks who was very eager to see whatever I had.

I was pretty excited and I didn’t want to send them something unfinished. I told them, “Sorry, but you have to wait until I feel like this is up to my standard and up to the level of what I want it to be”. So they had to wait until I finished writing and illustrating the book. And then as soon as I was done, I sent it to them and they immediately made me an offer to get the film rights before the book was in stores.

The first book was an instant bestseller and the sequels have all been bestsellers and the series is just selling like crazy around the world, translated into 30 languages or something, maybe more by now. It’s a pretty phenomenally successful book, which has been amazing in its own right. But then you add on top of that all the movie stuff. Eventually, they (Dreamworks) found a director. They went into production, and just a couple of months ago, the finished The Wild Robot movie came out. So it’s been a long journey and every step of the way, it’s just kind of gotten more exciting.

How did you come up with this initial design for Roz? How did you determine what she should look like, and what capabilities she should have?

Peter Brown: One of the very first things I had to do was figure out what she looks like because obviously her design will tell us what her capabilities are. And I was thinking about real science and engineering. I was reading a lot of books about the future of robotics and AI. I was watching documentaries and also reading and watching documentaries about the natural world, too, because that was what was fascinating to me was the sort of combination of what seemed like almost opposites.

Take a robot, put it in the most natural place you could imagine, like this sort of rugged Pacific Northwest wilderness, and see what happens. It’s like a thought experiment. But one of the key components was Roz’s design.

I thought Roz should not look exactly like a person. There’s no point. That’s a lot of wasted effort if all her purpose is to do manual labor, more or less. There’s no need for all the extra bells and whistles, right? So let’s just streamline this robot. And I was thinking about that in terms of robotics and how in a lot of sci-fi movies and books, the robots look just like people.

It’s fascinating, but you must’ve been a robotics engineer in another lifetime? Because so many of these things that you just talked about, intentional design and how the robot moves and battery life, there are so many synergies to real-life robotics. And those are some of the fundamental challenges that real-life roboticists are trying to solve. Did you talk to any actual engineers for feedback on the design?

Peter Brown: It was mostly from reading and my own research. However, I read all sorts of stuff. I spent a lot of time reading science fiction, authors like Isaac Asimov do a really great job of delving into the kind of nuts and bolts of robotics. He has a book called “The Complete Robot“, which is a collection of short stories, which I’ve read repeatedly over and over again because each short story explores a different type of robot.

And so I got a lot of inspiration from him and he really helped. Those stories helped me figure out the right questions to ask. But I did meet with some engineers, my dad is an engineer. He worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). He just retired. However, he introduced me to the robotics department at JPL.

And I got to tour that department, long before I was working on the wild robot. He had me in and gave me a tour of the Mars Rover program. And so I got to see the Rover prototypes up close. I got to see Rovers and the terrain that they mock-up to be like the lunar or Martian surface.

The story is full of heartwarming moments as well as humor. As a children’s book author, I’m curious about your approach to incorporating humor into your stories that don’t involve bodily functions?

Peter Brown: Well, there’s a little bit of that too, but a lot of the humor bubbled up naturally from the story. It’s a fish-out-of-water story. Roz is a robot who’s where she doesn’t belong and she’s time and again encountering stuff that she doesn’t know how to handle. It is as simple as walking away from the waves.

The story begins with her in a crate that washes onto the shore of the island. And she eventually pries herself out of this crate and she sees these waves coming and she doesn’t know she’s booting up. She started powering on for the very first time, looking at the world for the very first time. And these waves are tumbling towards her. And, you know, she sort of takes a step back, but doesn’t judge things properly. And all of a sudden, this wave crashes over her and slams her to the ground. And that’s sort of her introduction to the world. Then she has to climb the sea cliffs up, and climbing sea cliffs is a pretty tough thing to do for rock climbers, let alone for a robot who’s just waking up for the first time. And these moments end up being funny.

It’s hard to care about her because she seems an all-knowing, omnipotent, know, invincible character. And so I started thinking, well, what would she come pre-programmed with? She’s a factory-issued robot, like a laptop that you get, you know, delivered to your house. You have to install software for it to reach its full potential. I sort of thought, well, this robot probably needs software installed to reach her full potential. So what is the basic programming that she comes with? What if it doesn’t have all the information on the eating habits of geese? Maybe that’s believable. And so I had to sort of justify the gaps in Roz’s knowledge to make those scenes work for me.

What was it like to see Roz come to life on the big screen? What influence did you have working with the team at DreamWorks to make that happen?

Peter Brown: Yes, well, I met regularly with the director, whose name is Chris Sanders, and the producer, who is Jeff Herman. And so we would meet on Zoom every couple of months. It takes like four years to make an animated film. So we had quite several meetings.

In the beginning, they were picking my brain, trying to understand why I made certain decisions, and asking questions about certain moments in the book and details. And then as the months went by. And their story started coming together. They would start running things by me and asking what I thought about this character design or this moment in the story.

I was never in the studio working on the movie but we had these Zoom calls pretty regularly so I got to see the evolution of the project over time which was pretty exciting. Yeah, they made some changes. I knew they were gonna make changes. The story needs to be streamlined. A movie seems like a big story but it’s a pretty short story you know.

It’s hard to cram a whole lot into an hour and a half. Compare that to a series on Netflix where maybe there are 10 one-hour episodes. You’ve got 10 hours to tell a story versus an hour and a half. And so I knew they were gonna be making lots of cuts and tweaking things. And so none of that surprised me. But they managed to keep the spirit of the story. The relationship between Roz and her son, Bright Bill, is the main component that drives the story. There’s a lot of emotional depth in the movie.

The post The Wild Robot author Peter Brown on robots, nature, storytelling appeared first on The Robot Report.

Nuro navigates to fully autonomous driving

Mike Oitzman — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 18:30:36 +0000

The Robot Report Podcast · Nuro navigates to fully autonomous driving

In Episode 174 of The Robot Report Podcast, we feature an interview with Andrew Clare, chief technology officer of Nuro Inc. It’s a short workweek in the U.S. with the Thanksgiving holiday, so we skipped the news this week and went straight into the interview with Clare.

He discusses the company‘s evolution in the autonomous vehicle space, focusing on its Nuro Driver technology. Clare elaborates on Nuro’s expansion of its business model to include partnerships with automotive OEMs and the potential market for AI-based driving.

Clare also highlights the challenges of urban versus highway driving, the importance of safety culture, and the technology stack required for autonomous vehicles. We also touch on the differences between SAE Level 4 and Level 5 autonomy, as well as the future direction of Nuro in integrating hardware and software.

Show timeline

8:12 – Interview with Andrew Clare

Register now

News of the week

We’ll discuss the latest news after the Thanksgiving holiday.

2025 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards open for nominations

The categories include:

Technologies, products, and services: This category includes primary or applied research focusing on robotics and supporting technologies such as motion control, vision, or machine learning. It also includes new products and business, engineering, or technology services.
Business and management: This category covers initiatives positioning a company as a market leader or an organization as an important thought leader in the robotics ecosystem. Significant mergers and acquisitions are relevant, as are supplier, partner, and integrator relationships.
Applications and markets: The RBR50 will also recognize innovations that improve productivity, quality, and cost-effectiveness, as well as those that automate new tasks.

In addition, the 2025 RBR50 awards will celebrate the following:

Startup of the Year
Application of the Year
Robot of the Year
Robots for Good Award

The deadline for submissions is Friday, Dec. 20, 2024.

Podcast sponsored by RGo Robotics

The show this week is sponsored by RGo Robotics Inc.

Is your autonomous mobile robot (AMR) struggling in dynamic environments? Is your business stuck because it takes months to commission a new site?

RGo Robotics’ Perception Engine is revolutionizing the AMR business through advanced Vision AI perception technology. Unlike traditional solutions, The company’s software enables AMRs to adapt to changing environments and navigate complex spaces with unprecedented accuracy and the commissioning process is shorter and simpler.

Leading AMR companies are enhancing their fleets with RGo’s AI-powered perception, enabling their teams to accelerate use of advanced AI capabilities like foundation models and digital twins.

Don’t let outdated navigation hold your business back.

To learn more about RGo’s solutions, go to: https://www.rgorobotics.ai/

The post Nuro navigates to fully autonomous driving appeared first on The Robot Report.

How AI, perception are shaping mobile robotics

Mike Oitzman — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 22:28:39 +0000

The Robot Report Podcast · AI at the Edge: How perception and AI are shaping mobile robotics

In Episode 173 of The Robot Report Podcast, co-host Steve Crowe and I catch up on the news of the week, including several recent stories about mobile manipulators.

Featured interview with RGO Robotics and Wheel.Me

In the featured interview this week, I talk to Amir Bousani, CEO of RGO Robotics, and Jacob Petersen, chief commercial officer of Wheel.Me. We discuss the importance of perception for autonomous mobile robots, and discuss Wheel.Me’s decision to leverage RGO Robotics perception engine in its platform.

Show timeline

7:44 – News of the week
11:02 – Update on Proxie from Brad Porter, founder and CEO of Collaborative Robotics
24:15 – Interview with Amir Bousani, CEO of RGO Robotics, and Jacob Petersen, Chief Commercial Officer from Wheel.Me.

Register now

News of the week

Collaborative Robotics unveils Proxie mobile manipulator

Collaborative Robotics Inc. this week unveiled its Proxie mobile manipulator publicly for the first time. The startup has been secretive about the design of the robot since Porter founded the company in 2022. In April 2024, Collaborative Robotics closed a $100 million Series B round toward commercializing its autonomous mobile robot (AMR).

The company’s been closed-lipped about the design of the robot, but on Wednesday it released images and video of the Proxie AMR, along with a newly redesigned website. The AMR features a swerve drive, a hot-swappable battery, and a fixed linear actuator in its “spine.” The robot is designed to be fitted with a variety of onboard actuators, and the first one to be productized is a simple cart acquisition.

Pickle Robot gets orders for over 30 unloading systems, plus $50M in funding

Pickle Robot Co. raised $50 million in Series B funding this week. It also announced that six customers placed orders during the third quarter for more than 30 robots to deploy in the first half of 2025. Founded in 2018, Pickle Robot said its robots are designed to autonomously unload trucks, trailers, and import containers at human-scale or better performance.

The company said its Series B funding included participation from a strategic customer. Teradyne Robotics Ventures, Toyota Ventures, Ranpak, Third Kind Venture Capital, One Madison Group, Hyperplane, Catapult Ventures, and others also participated. The company said it plans to use its latest funding to accelerate the development of new feature sets. It also plans to build out its commercial teams to unlock new markets and geographies worldwide.

MC600 mobile manipulator combines UR cobot with MiR base

The new MC600 combines the MiR600 AMR with the UR20 and UR30 collaborative robot arms from Universal Robots A/S, which is also owned by Teradyne. Mobile Industrial Robots said it can handle payloads up to 600 kg (1,322 lb.) and automate complex workflows in industrial environments. A unified software platform by MiR Go partner Enabled Robotics controls the MC600. MiR said this coordinates its mobile base and robotic arms, simplifying integration into existing workflows and ensuring smooth operations.

ASTM proposes mobile manipulation standard

In other mobile manipulation news, ASTM International’s F45 committee for robotics, automation, and autonomous systems has proposed a new standard, WK92144. It provides guidelines for documenting disturbances of robot arms, such as by heavy equipment, in unstructured manufacturing environments. The proposed standard describes an example apparatus for testing.

2025 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards open for nominations

The categories include:

Technologies, products, and services: This category includes primary or applied research focusing on robotics and supporting technologies such as motion control, vision, or machine learning. It also includes new products and business, engineering, or technology services.
Business and management: This category covers initiatives positioning a company as a market leader or an organization as an important thought leader in the robotics ecosystem. Significant mergers and acquisitions are relevant, as are supplier, partner, and integrator relationships.
Applications and markets: The RBR50 will also recognize innovations that improve productivity, quality, and cost-effectiveness, as well as those that automate new tasks.

In addition, the 2025 RBR50 awards will celebrate the following:

Startup of the Year
Application of the Year
Robot of the Year
Robots for Good Award

The deadline for submissions is Friday, Dec. 20, 2024.

Podcast sponsored by RGO Robotics

The show this week is sponsored by RGO Robotics

Is your autonomous mobile robot (AMR) struggling in dynamic environments? Is your business stuck because it takes months to commission a new site?

Leading AMR companies are enhancing their fleets with RGo’s AI-powered perception, enabling their teams to accelerate use of advanced AI capabilities like foundation models and digital twins.

Don’t let outdated navigation hold your business back.

To learn more about RGO’s solutions, go to: https://www.rgorobotics.ai/

The post How AI, perception are shaping mobile robotics appeared first on The Robot Report.

The ABB Edge: Using AI and robotics to transform industries

The Robot Report Staff — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 02:08:23 +0000

The Robot Report Podcast · The ABB Edge: Using AI and Robotics to Transform Industries

In Episode 172 of The Robot Report Podcast, co-hosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman catch up on the news of the week, including several recent stories about self-driving vehicles. We also catch up with Yoshi Umeno and learn how Kollmorgen helps clients design and build surgical robots.

Featured interview with ABB

In the featured interview this week, Oitzman catches up with Marc Segura, president of ABB Robotics, to learn how the company is using artificial intelligence to make robotics easier to program and deploy.

Show timeline

7:50 – News
22:22 – Kayleen Brown interviews Yoshi Umeno from Kollmorgen (sponsored by Kollmorgen)
29:50 – Interview with Marc Segura, president of ABB Robotics

Register now

News of the week

Schaeffler plans global use of Agility Robotics’ Digit humanoid

Schaeffler, a global leader in motion technology, has invested in Agility Robotics and plans to use Digit in its global operations. This follows successful Agility pilot deployments with Amazon and GXO Logistics.

Waymo robotaxi service opens to the public in Los Angeles

Waymo has expanded its robotaxi service in Los Angeles, removing the waitlist and making it available 24/7. More than 300,000 people have joined the waitlist since the service’s launch eight months ago.

Waymo has gained valuable feedback from hundreds of thousands of paid rides in the city. Jimmy Kimmel recently aired a humorous skit where he tricked his aunt into taking a ride in a Waymo without her knowledge.

Zoox is now testing its robotaxis in San Francisco

Zoox, an Amazon subsidiary, is expanding its robotaxi testing to San Francisco and Las Vegas. While the company is not yet offering public rides in either city, it plans to launch the Las Vegas service in early 2025.

Initial testing in San Francisco will be limited to the SoMa neighborhood and will only be available to Zoox employees.

Justice Department fines Cruise $500k for accident

General Motors’ self-driving car unit, Cruise, admitted to submitting a false report to influence a federal investigation. It will pay a $500,000 criminal fine as part of a deferred prosecution agreement, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Moxi reaches milestone of 100,000 autonomous elevator rides in hospitals

The ability of mobile manipulators to independently operate elevators has been a long-anticipated goal in the robotics industry. Diligent Robotics’ Moxi has achieved this milestone in complex healthcare environments.

Similar to the approach taken by Relay Robots, Moxi uses a single arm to interact with doors and elevator buttons. However, Diligent Robotics employed a “humans in the loop” approach to train Moxi’s autonomy and elevator interaction skills.

2025 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards open for nominations

The categories include:

Technologies, products, and services: This category includes primary or applied research focusing on robotics and supporting technologies such as motion control, vision, or machine learning. It also includes new products and business, engineering, or technology services.
Business and management: This category covers initiatives positioning a company as a market leader or an organization as an important thought leader in the robotics ecosystem. Significant mergers and acquisitions are relevant, as are supplier, partner, and integrator relationships.
Applications and markets: The RBR50 will also recognize innovations that improve productivity, quality, and cost-effectiveness, as well as those that automate new tasks.

In addition, the 2025 RBR50 awards will celebrate the following:

Startup of the Year
Application of the Year
Robot of the Year
Robots for Good Award

The deadline for submissions is Friday, Dec. 20, 2024.

Podcast sponsored by RGO Robotics

The show this week is sponsored by RGO Robotics

Is your autonomous mobile robot (AMR) struggling in dynamic environments? Is your business stuck because it takes months to commission a new site?

Leading AMR companies are enhancing their fleets with RGo’s AI-powered perception, enabling their teams to accelerate use of advanced AI capabilities like foundation models and digital twins.

Don’t let outdated navigation hold your business back.

To learn more about RGO’s solutions, go to: https://www.rgorobotics.ai/

Register now

The post The ABB Edge: Using AI and robotics to transform industries appeared first on The Robot Report.

Who let the robodogs out? Meet Swiss-Mile’s wheeled quadruped

The Robot Report Staff — Sat, 09 Nov 2024 00:07:21 +0000

The Robot Report Podcast · Who Let the Robodogs Out? Meet Swiss-Mile’s wheeled quadruped

In Episode 171 of The Robot Report Podcast, co-hosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman examine the latest video from XPENG, showing the Iron humanoid robot operating on the floor of the company‘s automation manufacturing plant.

Featured interview with Swiss-Mile

In the featured interview this week, Oitzman and Eugene Demaitre interview Marko Bjelonic, co-founder and CEO of Swiss-Mile, discussing its quadruped robot that combines wheels and legs for enhanced mobility. They explore the evolution of the robot from academic research to a commercial product, the engineering challenges faced, and the unique functionalities that set it apart.

The discussion also covers potential applications in security and logistics, the importance of autonomy in robotics, and the future direction of Swiss-Mile as a technology-focused company.

Show timeline

1:13 – Boston Dynamics humanoid video discussion
9:27 – News
25:37 – Interview with Marko Bjelonic, co-founder and CEO of Swiss-Mile

Register now

News of the week

2025 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards open for nominations

You can now submit nominations for the 2025 RBR50 innovation awards. They will recognize technology and business innovations in calendar year 2024, and the awards are open to any company worldwide that produces robotics or automation.

The categories include:

Technologies, products, and services: This category includes primary or applied research focusing on robotics and supporting technologies such as motion control, vision, or machine learning. It also includes new products and business, engineering, or technology services.
Business and management: This category covers initiatives positioning a company as a market leader or an organization as an important thought leader in the robotics ecosystem. Significant mergers and acquisitions are relevant, as are supplier, partner, and integrator relationships.
Applications and markets: The RBR50 will also recognize innovations that improve productivity, quality, and cost-effectiveness, as well as those that automate new tasks.

In addition, the 2025 RBR50 awards will celebrate the following:

Startup of the Year
Application of the Year
Robot of the Year
Robots for Good Award

The deadline for submissions is Friday, Dec. 20, 2024.

iRobot lays off another 105 employees

iRobot, maker of the popular Roomba robot vacuum, has layed off another 105 employees as part of its restructuring plans. The number of employees being let go represents 16% of iRobot’s global workforce as of Sept. 28. Since the start of 2024, iRobot has reduced its global workforce by nearly 50%.

There are several reasons iRobot, which has sold more than 50 million robots worldwide, is struggling. One of the main reasons is the failed acquisition from Amazon, which was called off earlier in 2024. Amazon wanted to acquire iRobot for $1.7 billion, but the deal was ultimately called off because regulators said the deal would restrict competition. Amazon paid iRobot $94 million to terminate the deal.

Physical Intelligence raises $400M for foundation models for robotics

Physical Intelligence has raised $400 million to continue its development of AI for a range of robots. The company acknowledged that foundation models that can control any robot to perform any task “are still in their infancy.” It said it is working on the data and partnerships to pretrain these models and enable new levels of dexterity and physical capability.

Physical Intelligence raised $70 million in seed financing earlier this year, and the company told The Robot Report that its valuation has risen to $2.4 billion. Jeff Bezos, executive chairman of Amazon, led the company’s latest funding round, along with Thrive Capital and Lux Capital.

Pipedream Labs deploys underground delivery system in Texas drive-thru

Pipedream’s robot operates through pipes to move prepared meals from a quick service restaurant (QSR) to end users in, say, a commercial building. The pipe is like two to three feet in diameter with a track, and the automated shuttles can carry a tote from the restaurant out to various pickup locations. It’s fixed infrastructure, but it’s completely underground and out of the weather.

The company’s stated vision is that this infrastructure would be put in place in an urban setting, and support the logistics of delivery between the QSR location and various corporate campuses.Pipedream said it can drastically reduce delivery times and streamline restaurant operations. Strong financial backing has fueled rapid growth, it said.

Podcast sponsored by RGO Robotics

The show this week is sponsored by RGO Robotics

Is your autonomous mobile robot (AMR) struggling in dynamic environments? Is your business stuck because it takes months to commission a new site?

Leading AMR companies are enhancing their fleets with RGo’s AI-powered perception, enabling their teams to accelerate use of advanced AI capabilities like foundation models and digital twins.

Don’t let outdated navigation hold your business back.

To learn more about RGO’s solutions, go to: https://www.rgorobotics.ai/

Register now

The post Who let the robodogs out? Meet Swiss-Mile’s wheeled quadruped appeared first on The Robot Report.

New Atlas video; climbing to new heights in warehouse automation with BionicHive

The Robot Report Staff — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 23:13:47 +0000

The Robot Report Podcast · New Atlas video; Climbing to new heights in warehouse automation with BionicHive

In Episode 170 of The Robot Report Podcast, co-hosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman examine the latest video from Boston Dynamics showing Atlas electric humanoid autonomously moving materials. The video shows Atlas moving automotive parts from one storage bin to another. They discuss how Atlas appears to move differently from competing humanoids.

Featured interview with BionicHive

In our feature interview this week, Oitzman and fellow editor Eugene Demaitre sit down with Gili Ovadia, vice president of business development at BionicHive, to learn more about the company‘s warehouse automation.

The BionicHive Squid mobile robot can drive along the floor of the warehouse and climb into the warehouse racking to put or get boxes/totes from storage locations on higher shelves. Ovadia explains how the system works and where BionicHive is deploying these automated storage systems.

Show timeline

1:20 – Boston Dynamics humanoid video discussion
16:55 – News
27:05 – Interview with Gili Ovadia from BionicHive

News of the week

2025 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards open for nominations

The categories include:

Technologies, products, and services: This category includes primary or applied research focusing on robotics and supporting technologies such as motion control, vision, or machine learning. It also includes new products and business, engineering, or technology services.
Business and management: This category covers initiatives positioning a company as a market leader or an organization as an important thought leader in the robotics ecosystem. Significant mergers and acquisitions are relevant, as are supplier, partner, and integrator relationships.
Applications and markets: The RBR50 will also recognize innovations that improve productivity, quality, and cost-effectiveness, as well as those that automate new tasks.

In addition, the 2025 RBR50 awards will celebrate the following:

Startup of the Year
Application of the Year
Robot of the Year
Robots for Good Award

The deadline for submissions is Friday, Dec. 20, 2024.

Locus Robotics systems reach 4B picks as warehouse automation accelerates

Locus Robotics Corp. announced that its autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) have assisted in 4 billion picks across its customer deployments worldwide. The company noted that this milestone came just six months after passing the 3 billion pick mark and reflects its leadership in the warehouse automation industry.

“This is a truly momentous moment for everyone associated with Locus Robotics – from our global team of employees around the world to our expanding base of customers,” stated CEO Rick Faulk. “Reaching the 4 billion milestone in record time demonstrates the incredible momentum we’re generating in warehouse automation.”

In addition to the 4 billion-pick milestone, Locus recently celebrated the grand opening of Locus Park, its new global headquarters in Wilmington, Mass. It is now fully operational and home to hundreds of New England-based employees.

Register now

China launches data-sharing initiative for humanoid developers

China has launched a data-sharing initiative for domestic humanoid companies to accelerate innovation. The project is being spearheaded by the National Local Joint Humanoid Robot Innovation Center (NLJIC) and various Chinese humanoid companies.

The NLJIC, China’s first public platform dedicated to this type of robot, is also building a training ground for manufacturers to collect high-quality data and promote industry-wide standards.

Xu Bin, general manager of the state-backed center, told Chinese media outlet Yicai Global that like autonomous vehicles, “humanoid robots require large volumes of high-quality data for development, and advanced models demand even stricter data standards.”

Bear Robotics expands from restaurants to warehouses with Carti AMRs

Bear Robotics Inc., which has previously created robots for the hospitality, healthcare, and retail sectors, announced its foray into logistics. The company unveiled the Carti 100 robot for material handling tasks in warehouses and distribution centers.

Bear Robotics said it built the Carti 100 to handleup to 220 lb. (99.79 kg). It said this ensures automated efficiency and precision while reducing overtime.

The AMR’s features include multi-robot orchestration and an adaptable design suitable for a range of environments, including brownfield and greenfield sites, multi-level spaces, and mezzanines. The customizable robot includes adjustable shelves, smart conveyor belts, and advanced lighting to meet operational needs.

Podcast sponsored by RGO Robotics

The show this week is sponsored by RGO Robotics

Is your autonomous mobile robot struggling in dynamic environments? Is your business stuck because it takes months to commission a new site?

RGo Robotics’ Perception Engine is revolutionizing the AMR business through advanced Vision AI perception technology. Unlike traditional solutions, RGo’s software enables AMRs to adapt to changing environments and navigate complex spaces with unprecedented accuracy and the commissioning process is shorter and simpler.

Leading AMR companies are enhancing their fleets with RGo’s AI-powered perception, enabling their teams to accelerate use of advanced AI capabilities like foundation models and digital twins.

Don’t let outdated navigation hold your business back.

To learn more about RGO’s solutions goto: https://www.rgorobotics.ai/

Register now

The post New Atlas video; climbing to new heights in warehouse automation with BionicHive appeared first on The Robot Report.

FIRA update; Practical Applications of Embodied AI and Humanoid Robots

The Robot Report Staff — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 19:01:56 +0000

The Robot Report Podcast · Practical Applications of Embodied AI and Humanoid Robots

In Episode 169 of The Robot Report Podcast, co-hosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman recap the 2024 FIRA event with several interviews from vendors attending the show.

In this week’s featured interview, editor Eugene Demaitre speaks with Dr. Russ Tedrake, vice president of robotics research at Toyota Research Institute (TRI), and Scott Kuindersma, director of robotics research at Boston Dynamics. They discuss their collaboration on humanoid robotics and the integration of artificial intelligence through large behavior models.

The researchers also explore the challenges and opportunities in developing general-purpose robots, the importance of human involvement in learning processes, and the role of data in enhancing robot capabilities. In addition, the discussion touches on practical applications, deployment strategies, and the significance of rigorous research in advancing robotics technology.

Show timeline

6:30 – Advanced Farm Interview
15:52 – Reservoir Farms Interview
24:27 – Twisted Fields/Rotate8 Interview
31:58 – Bluewhite Interview
43:02 – Featured interview with Russ Tedrake of TRI and Scott Kuindersma of Boston Dynamics

FIRA 2024 recap

Oitzman attended the 2025 FIRA event for agricultural robotics in Woodland, Calif. It featured outdoor demonstrations in a specially cultivated field in the parking lot of the Yolo County fairgrounds.

The new Amiga-Max mobile robotic platform from Farm-ng. | Credit: The Robot Report

On the show’s first night, Advanced Farm Technologies hosted an apple harvester demo at its headquarters in Davis, Calif.

For the past two decades, apple growers have begun planting new orchards similar to vineyards, using a trellis planting method. The trees are planted closer together, and then all of the branches are trained into a 2D trellis form, where the trees are only about a 1 ft. wide by 4 ft. long by 15 ft. tall.

This creates a “flat canyon” between rows easier to drive down and the fruit gets more sunlight. It’s also perfect for automation like the Advanced Farm robots. The Advanced Farm test trellis uses 3D-printed apples on magnets attached to fake trees, but it works well for simulating an actual orchard. The podcast features an interview with Advanced Farms CEO Kyle Cobb.

Advanced Farms is testing its autonomous apple-picking robot in Washington this fall. | Credit: Mike Oitzman, The Robot Report

Reservoir Farms announced a new agtech incubator that will open in the first half of 2025 with two sites, one in Salinas and the other in the Central Valley. It provides a maker space for building, with shared machine tools plus secure storage onsite in the form of a storage container. Each site will also feature onsite cultivated fields for testing of the robots.

The company will plant whatever crop is key to the startups onsite. It is also developing partnerships with UC Merced and other local colleges and universities to provide facilities for senior projects or research labs on campus access to fields. The podcast features an interview with Reservoir Farms CEO Danny Bernstein.

At FIRA, we ran into friend of the show Daniel Theobald. He was at the expo with his Twisted Fields farm, which is also an agtech incubator. On display was a prototype robot being developed at Twisted Farms by the new company Rotate8. I met CEO Katie Bradford to learn more about the new venture. The company will be launching officially in early 2025.

Finally, we caught up with Bluewhite‘s CEO Ben Alfi, to learn more about a new partnership with CNH tractors. Bluewhite has completely productized its automation package to retrofit CNH tractors with full autonomy, and it is now training CNH local distributors to perform the retrofits in the fields or equip a brand new CNH tractor as it’s sold.

The result is that Bluewhite should begin to see full-scale deployments anywhere around the world where CNH tractors are being sold and supported.

Podcast sponsored by Zebra Robotics Automation

This week’s show is sponsored by Zebra Robotics Automation.

Are you tired of overpriced, underutilized autonomous mobile robot fulfillment solutions that drain your profits? It’s time to switch to Zebra Robotics Automation.

The company’s cutting-edge Zebra Symmetry Fulfillment solution is engineered to reduce your costs per unit and give you that unbeatable competitive edge.

Don’t settle for less—maximize your profits with Zebra Robotics Automation.

To learn more, goto: https://www.zebra.com/fulfillment

Register now

The post FIRA update; Practical Applications of Embodied AI and Humanoid Robots appeared first on The Robot Report.

RoboBusiness 2024 recap

The Robot Report Staff — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 10:00:00 +0000

The Robot Report Podcast · RoboBusiness 2024 recap

In Episode 168 of The Robot Report Podcast, co-hosts Steve Crowe, Mike Oitzman, and Eugene Demaitre recap the 2024 RoboBusiness event. They discuss their experiences, ranging from a ride in a self-driving robotaxi to the networking opportunities around the show.

This episode also features a review of the keynotes, including Rodney Brooks’ demonstration of Robust AI’s new robot and Sergey Levine’s explanation of how research into foundation models can benefit robotics. Another exciting moment was Torrey Smith’s live demonstration onstage of Endiatx’s swallowable PillBot.

In addition, the editors discuss insights from various panels and sessions, such as around humanoid robotics and investment trends. They describe the live demonstrations on the show floor, the startup pavilion, the Startup Boot Camp, plus the Pitchfire competition, which connected innovators with investors. Steve, Mike, and Gene also look ahead to the Robotics Summit & Expo.

Podcast sponsored by Zebra Robotics Automation

This week’s show is sponsored by Zebra Robotics Automation.

Are you tired of overpriced, underutilized autonomous mobile robot fulfillment solutions that drain your profits? It’s time to switch to Zebra Robotics Automation.

The company’s cutting-edge Zebra Symmetry Fulfillment solution is engineered to reduce your costs per unit and give you that unbeatable competitive edge.

Don’t settle for less—maximize your profits with Zebra Robotics Automation.

To learn more, goto: https://www.zebra.com/fulfillment

Register now

The post RoboBusiness 2024 recap appeared first on The Robot Report.

Navigating robotics through the political landscape

The Robot Report Staff — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 22:50:32 +0000

The Robot Report Podcast · Navigating Robotics Through the Political Landscape

In Episode 167 of The Robot Report Podcast, co-hosts Mike Oitzman and Eugene Demaitre discuss the latest robotics news from the past week.

In addition, Dr. Henrik Christensen, main editor of the U.S. robotics roadmap, discusses the intersection of technology and federal policy, emphasizing the need for more attention and funding for the sector. He discusses the challenges of reshoring manufacturing, the implications of the current presidential campaigns on robotics, and the importance of tariffs and immigration reforms.

Christensen also explains the effects of recent legislation such as the Build Back Better Act and the CHIPS Act on the robotics industry, as well as the future of semiconductor manufacturing and international partnerships.

Show timeline

6:25 – News of the week
22:45 – Interview with Henrik Christensen, Qualcomm Chancellor’s Chair of Robot Systems and a distinguished professor of computer science at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at UC San Diego

Podcast sponsored by Zebra Robotics Automation

This week’s show is sponsored by Zebra Robotics Automation.

Are you tired of overpriced, underutilized autonomous mobile robot fulfillment solutions that drain your profits? It’s time to switch to Zebra Robotics Automation.

The company’s cutting-edge Zebra Symmetry Fulfillment solution is engineered to reduce your costs per unit and give you that unbeatable competitive edge.

Don’t settle for less—maximize your profits with Zebra Robotics Automation.

To learn more, goto: https://www.zebra.com/fulfillment

News of the week

Robot Utility Models: the coolest thing you never heard about (yet)

Robot Utility Models (RUM), created by Lerrel Pinto and his team at NYU, are an open-source research project aiming to generalize robot training, reducing the need for extensive data and enabling systems to perform tasks in unseen environments.

Service robot sales climb by 30% worldwide, reports the IFR

According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), sales of professional service robots surged by 30% globally in 2023. The Asia-Pacific region dominated the market, accounting for nearly 80% of sales. Transportation and logistics applications led the way, with sales increasing by 35%. Hospitality robots and agricultural automation also saw significant growth.

Corvus Robotics raises $18M for updated drone inventory system

Corvus Robotics Inc. closed an $18 million Series A round and seed funding led by S2G Ventures and Spero Ventures. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company has been engineering and validating its inventory drone system since it was founded in 2017. Until now, Corvus has been relatively quiet with marketing and sales.

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Inside 1X’s plan to test humanoids in homes

The Robot Report Staff — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 22:56:25 +0000

The Robot Report Podcast · Inside 1x’s plan to test humanoids in homes

In Episode 166 of The Robot Report Podcast, co-hosts Mike Oitzman and Steve Crowe discuss the latest robotics news from the past week.

On the show this week, we feature a recent conversation with Berndt Børnich, CEO and founder of 1X (formerly Halodi) Robotics. 1X recently launched NEO Beta, its second generation of a humanoid robot, and the company’s first legged platform. 1X has always had the mission to develop an abundance of labor and scale the population of humanoid robots.

In this conversation, Bernt discusses the launch of 1X’s humanoid robot, NEO, and the mission to address labor shortages through robotics. He emphasizes the importance of designing robots for home environments to gather diverse data for AI training, ensuring safety and compliance, and navigating regulatory challenges. The discussion also touches on the public perception of robots and the future of humanoid robotics in society.

The company deployed its first generation of EVE robots in enterprise and is now focused on deploying NEO into the home. “Our priority is safety,” said Bernt Børnich, CEO of 1X. “Safety is the cornerstone that allows us to confidently introduce NEO Beta into homes, where it will gather essential feedback and demonstrate its capabilities in real-world settings.”

If you want to sponsor a future episode of The Robot Report Podcast, contact Courtney Nagle at cnagle@wtwhmedia.com.

Show timeline

7:07 – News of the week
36:28 – Interview with Berndt Børnich, CEO and founder of 1X

Sponsor

The show this week is sponsored by Zebra Robotics Automation.

Are you tired of overpriced, underutilized autonomous mobile robot fulfillment solutions that drain your profits? It’s time to switch to Zebra Robotics Automation.

The company’s cutting-edge Zebra Symmetry Fulfillment solution is engineered to reduce your costs per unit and give you that unbeatable competitive edge.

Don’t settle for less—maximize your profits with Zebra Robotics Automation.

To learn more, goto: https://www.zebra.com/fulfillment

News of the week

3Laws secures $4.1M in seed funding to improve robot safety

We had 3Laws chief scientist and co-founder Aaron Ames on the podcast back in February. Earlier this week, I met with Professor Ames and his team to discuss their recent funding round and future plans. The company, founded by Professor Ames and his lab members, has developed groundbreaking safety algorithms for humanoid robots. These algorithms, based on the principles of 3 Laws, could become essential for ensuring the safe operation of future robotic systems. The company intends to use the new funding to expand its engineering team and commercialize its solutions, while also hiring support staff to serve its customers.

Serve Robotics partners with Wing for robot-to-drone delivery

Serve Robotics and Wing Aviation are teaming up to revolutionize last-mile deliveries. A Serve robot will collect orders and hand them off to a Wing drone for aerial delivery, expanding the reach of delivery services to customers up to six miles away. The Federal Aviation Administration’s recent approval of beyond-visual-line-of-sight flights for Wing and Zipline in Dallas marks a significant step forward in this growing industry. The convergence of ground and aerial robots is ushering in a new era of last-mile delivery solutions.

OpenAI closed a $6.6 billion funding haul with investment from Microsoft and Nvidia

OpenAI just announced a $6.6 billion funding round. This funding round could value the company at $157 billion and cement its position as one of the most valuable private companies in the world. OpenAI has become a centerpiece for so many AI-based solutions, including many robotics companies.

Register now

The post Inside 1X’s plan to test humanoids in homes appeared first on The Robot Report.

Drone Week: Innovation in agriculture and hydrogen fuel

The Robot Report Staff — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 01:15:23 +0000

The Robot Report Podcast · Drone Week: Innovation in agriculture and hydrogen-fueled drones

In Episode 165 of The Robot Report Podcast, co-hosts Mike Oitzman and Steve Crowe discuss the latest robotics news from the past week.

It’s drone week on the podcast, and we feature two interviews from the world of aerial robotics. A month ago we featured a story about a drone industry group formed to lobby against the Countering CCP Drone Act in the U.S. Congress. This is a group of ag-spraying service providers who’ve built their business around DJI drones. Today, we talk with Hylio Drones CEO and Co-founder Arthur Erickson. He and his fellow University of Texas, Austin co-founders are focused on the ag-spraying industry and are the largest U.S.-based ag-spraying drone company. The company manufactures its drones entirely in the U.S., and a DJI-drone ban will hand them a monopoly in the U.S.

The second featured interview is with Heven Drones CEO and co-founder Bentzion Levinson. Heven (pronounced “heaven”) Drones are innovating in the drone market by using hydrogen fuel cells instead of lithium-ion batteries to achieve fight times of up to eight hours. Heven is deploying its drone platform into use cases such as infrastructure inspection, security, long-distance package delivery, and military applications.

A Heven Drones H2D200 long-distance drone platform. | Credit: Heven Drones

If you want to sponsor a future episode of The Robot Report Podcast, contact Courtney Nagle at cnagle@wtwhmedia.com.

Show timeline

8:01 – News of the week
24:24 – Interview with Arthur Erickson, CEO and Co-founder, Hylio Drones
53:10 – Interview with Bentzion Levinson, CEO and Co-founder, Heven Drones

News of the week

Skydio launches the Dock for X10

At its annual Ascend event, Skydio unveiled its latest innovation: the Dock for X10. This automatic drone hangar is designed to support remote autonomy and Flight Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations. As Skydio continues to focus on autonomous drones for police surveillance, security patrols, and industrial inspections, the Dock offers a crucial solution for recharging and protecting these unmanned aerial vehicles. By enabling drones to respond to emergency calls alongside human first responders, Skydio is pushing the boundaries of public safety technology.

IFR World Robotics report says 4M robots are operating in factories globally

The operational stock of industrial robots worldwide. | Source: IFR

According to the International Federation of Robotics’ World Robotics report, the number of industrial robots operating globally reached a new high of 4,281,585 units in 2023, marking a 10% increase from the previous year. For the third consecutive year, annual robot installations surpassed half a million units. Asia continued to dominate the market, accounting for 70% of all newly deployed robots, followed by Europe at 17% and the Americas at 10%.

Boston Dynamics unleashes Spot v4.1

Boston Dynamics has expanded Spot’s capabilities with new sensor integration options. A Spot-mounted Fluke SV600 can now collect acoustic vibration data, enabling automated predictive maintenance and reducing unplanned downtime. Additionally, laser-scanning integration with Orbit, Boston Dynamics’ fleet management software, allows for the creation of digital twins of facilities. Operators can plan reality-capture missions using Spot-mounted Leica BLK ARC laser scanning payloads, and the data can be easily processed in various digital twin software. The Spot Core I/O enhances the robot’s visual semantic context, enabling it to navigate around obstacles more efficiently and perceive a wider area for alternative paths.

Kiva Systems founders to enter Logistics Hall of Fame as mobile robot pioneers

Mick Mountz, Peter Wurman and Raffaello D’Andrea (Left to Right), Co-founders of Kiva Systems, are 2020 inductees in the National Inventors Hall of Fame. | Credit: National Inventors Hall of Fame

In 2003, Mick Mountz, Dr. Peter Wurman, and Prof. Raffaello D’Andrea invented a mobile robot for fulfillment in intralogistics, founded Kiva Systems, and created a category of automation that has grown over the past two decades. A jury has voted to recognize their innovation by inducting them into the Logistics Hall of Fame.

Register now

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From warehouses to restaurants: Kinisi Robotics on the potential of wheeled humanoids

The Robot Report Staff — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 23:17:36 +0000

The Robot Report Podcast · Kinisi Robotics on the potential of wheeled humanoids

In Episode 164 of The Robot Report Podcast, co-hosts Mike Oitzman and Eugene Demaitre discuss the latest robotics news from the past week, including news from Teradyne and Siemens plus a new robot from Pudu Robotics.

The featured interview this week is with Bren Pierce, CEO and co-founder of startup Kinisi Robotics. Pierce was a founder and chief robotics officer of Bear Robotics.

Santa Cruz, Calif.-based Kinisi recently came out of stealth mode. Pierce said it is developing a mobile manipulator that is intended to be affordable.

The Kinisi KR1 robot uses a wheeled base and off-the-shelf arms for warehouse use cases. | Credit: Kinisi Robotics

If you want to sponsor a future episode of The Robot Report Podcast, contact Courtney Nagle at cnagle@wtwhmedia.com.

Show timeline

3:40 – News of the week
14:40 – Interview with Bren Pierce, CEO of Kinisi Robotics

News of the week

Inbolt sees Series A funding for its future of giving vision guidance to industrial robots

Inbolt has secured $16.7 million to expand its AI-powered 3D vision guidance technology for industrial robots. The company’s GuideNow system, which won a 2023 RBR50 Innovation Award, provides real-time guidance using a single Intel RealSense camera. This technology is designed to easily integrate with any industrial robot and improve its precision and efficiency.

Mach9 accelerates geospatial data processing for the infrastructure industry

Mach9 Robotics is accelerating geospatial data processing for industries like construction and utilities. It said its technology quickly and affordably converts 3D lidar scans into 2D and 3D engineering models, which are essential for autonomous vehicles, delivery robots, and aerial drones. By focusing on data processing rather than data collection, Mach9 aims to become a leader in automated geospatial production.

Pudu debuts a ‘semi-humanoid’ robot for versatile applications

Pudu Robotics has unveiled its new “semi-humanoid” service robot, the PUDU D7. The company aims to fully commercialize it in 2025. This latest addition expands Pudu’s line of service robots, which have been deployed in various industries. With a focus on innovation and a strong patent portfolio, Pudu said it continues to push the boundaries of robotics technology.

Siemens and Teradyne Robotics jointly build a robotics showcase in Chicago

Siemens and Teradyne Robotics have joined forces to create a robotics showcase in Chicago. This collaboration highlights Teradyne Robotics as a leading partner for advanced automation solutions in North America. It features a variety of robots from Universal Robots and Mobile Industrial Robots, demonstrating their versatility for various industries, including consumer packaged goods, aerospace, and semiconductor manufacturing.

Register now

The post From warehouses to restaurants: Kinisi Robotics on the potential of wheeled humanoids appeared first on The Robot Report.

Yarbo brings robots to the backyard

The Robot Report Staff — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 19:58:36 +0000

The Robot Report Podcast · Yarbo brings robots to the backyard

The Robot Report Podcast · Unpacking Amazon’s unique Covariant AI acquisition

In Episode 163 of The Robot Report Podcast, co-hosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman discuss the latest robotics news from the past week, including Rethink Robotics’ recent product portfolio launch.

Then we hear from Kenneth Kohlmann, co-founder and vice president of Yarboabout developing consumer robots for the yard. The company started as “Snowbot” developing an autonomous snow blowing robot. It rebranded to Yarbo a few years ago and now makes a modular yard maintenance robot that can mow the lawn, blow leaves and clear your driveway of snow in the winter.

If you want to sponsor a future episode of The Robot Report Podcast, contact Courtney Nagle at cnagle@wtwhmedia.com.

Show timeline

4:30 – News of the week
23:30 – Interview with Kenneth Kohlmann, co-founder and vice president at Yarbo.

News of the week

Rethink Robotics returns with expanded robotics portfolio

Rethink Robotics has made a comeback with a new lineup of collaborative robots (cobots) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). The company, previously known for its Baxter and Sawyer cobots, said it has learned from past challenges. The new cobots, ranging from the RE 07 to the RE 30L, offer payloads from 7 to 30 kg.

Additionally, Rethink Robotics has launched its first AMRs, the MRE 550 and MRE 1400, capable of handling payloads up to 550 kg and 1,400 kg, respectively.

Seegrid raises $50M to expand automated lift truck line

Seegrid, a provider of AMRs, has closed a $50 million Series D funding round. Led by existing investors Giant Eagle Inc. and G2 Venture Partners, the investment will fuel the company’s efforts to expand its AMR line, particularly focusing on automated lift trucks. Seegrid CEO Joe Pajer said the funding will be used to accelerate research and development, building on the positive market response to their existing lift truck solutions.

The company has been at the forefront of the manufacturing logistics market, offering solutions for material handling, parts replenishment, and WIP and Finished goods movement. Seegrid’s unique “Sliding Scale automation” approach combines the best of both AGV-like and AMR-like behaviors, providing a flexible and adaptable solution for various applications.

Following the successful launch of its Palion Lift RS1, Seegrid is set to unveil its second automated lift truck, the Lift CR1, later this year.

Real Life Robotics debuts delivery robot at Toronto Zoo

Real Life Robotics introduced its BUBS delivery robot at the Toronto Zoo as part of a pilot project. Dubbed “Zoober,” the initiative aims to reduce the environmental impact of transporting food to animal habitats. The zoo currently uses traditional fossil fuel-powered vehicles for deliveries, but with BUBS, it hopes to contribute to its goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2030.

U.S. House approves bill to ban DJI drones

And finally, the U.S. House approved the “Countering CCP Drones Act” earlier this week. In addition to DJI drones, the revised bill now includes a ban on ANZU Robotics, which we reported on earlier this year. A DJI-drone white label partner, manufacturing in Malaysia and putting an entirely different software stack on top of the drone.

The ban will likely have serious drawbacks for U.S.-based agriculture according to an AG-drone industry group.

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Unpacking Amazon’s unique Covariant AI deal

The Robot Report Staff — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 21:26:54 +0000

The Robot Report Podcast · Unpacking Amazon’s unique Covariant AI acquisition

In Episode 162 of The Robot Report Podcast, co-hosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman discuss the latest robotics news from the past week, including a review of the July funding report, which topped $1.3 billion. 1X Technologies AS also announced the NEO Beta humanoid model and prepared for pilot deployments into test home environments.

The recent news of the Covariant AI acqui-hire by Amazon is an interesting strategic move by the retailing giant. Both companies declined to comment on the details of the Covariant acquisition. We asked Brad Porter, former Amazon robotics leader and current CEO and founder of Collaborative Robotics, to share his insights into the state of AI development and why this is an exciting move by Amazon.

If you would like to sponsor a future episode of The Robot Report podcast, contact Courtney Nagle at cnagle@wtwhmedia.com.

Show timeline

6:15 – News of the week
35:23 – Interview with Brad Porter, founder and CEO of Collaborative Robotics

News of the week

1X Technologies unveiled the NEO Beta prototype of its humanoid robot, marking a significant step toward its planned pilot deployments in select homes later this year. Bernt Børnich, CEO of 1X, emphasized safety as the company’s top priority.

“Safety is the cornerstone that allows us to confidently introduce NEO Beta into homes,” he stated. “It will gather essential feedback and demonstrate its capabilities in real-world settings.”

Robotics investments continued to surge in July 2024, reaching approximately $1.3 billion. This marked a slight increase compared with the 12-month average of $1.2 billion, driven by 47 investments in robotics companies.

The cumulative funding for the first seven months of the year reached $9.7 billion, exceeding the $8 billion raised during the same period in 2023. While June saw a significant spike due to two large investments in autonomous vehicle companies, July’s total remained robust.

Two notable investments in July went to software companies: Applied Intuition and Skild AI, both securing $300 million each. Applied Intuition focuses on simulation and other software solutions for autonomous vehicles, while Skild AI develops robotics foundation models.

Another significant investment was made in Monarch Tractor, an agribotics company based in California. The company raised $133 million in Series C funding to further develop its autonomous operations product, Autodrive, and expand its global footprint.

The restaurant and hospitality sectors also attracted investments in robotics. Botrista Technology, a provider of robotic beverage production platforms, secured $65 million, while OakDeer Robotics, specializing in food cooking robots, raised $27 million.

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Swiss-Mile has secured $22 million in seed funding. The ETH Zurich spinout’s wheeled design sets it apart from other quadruped robots such as Boston Dynamics’ Spot or Unitree’s Go2.

Swiss-Mile has been conducting pilots with customers, focusing on applications like last-mile delivery in smart cities and security for critical infrastructure.

The company’s founders initially used ANYbotics’ ANYmal quadruped during their research at ETH Zurich. Since its incorporation, Swiss-Mile has been using the Unitree B2 platform to develop its embodied AI. Notably, the funding round was led by Jeff Bezos’ Bezos Expeditions and HongShan.

The past week’s news also included the 2024 Indy Autonomous Challenge’s return to Indianapolis:

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