The Robot Industry Podcast

Pittsburgh-based Gather AI is the world leading autonomous inventory management company. Their solution uses autonomous, commodity drones and AI software to automate inventory monitoring for warehouse operators to decrease inventory costs, improve productivity, and boost revenue. Hello everyone and welcome to A3 | The Robot Industry Podcast. We are glad you are here I am Jim Beretta. My guest for this episode is Sankalp Arora. Sankalp is from Gather AI they are a startup company that develops autonomous data gathering drones or UAVs for the supply chain industry. Their mission is to provide reliable, efficient, and scalable solutions for inventory management, warehouse optimization, and asset tracking using cutting-edge technologies and algorithms. Let me tell you a bit about Sankalp: As a robotics expert, he has a strong background in motion planning, computer vision, machine learning, and data analysis. Sankalp holds a PhD in Robotics from the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, he has worked on flying field robotics systems and published multiple papers at conferences. Fun fact that he also received the Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship for his innovative research proposal. Sankalp is passionate about solving real-world problems using robotics and AI, and building a diverse and talented team that shares this vision. My Questions: Sankalp, How important is it for you to be in Pittsburgh? Let’s talk about your team. Tell me about them? What are some of the challenges flying drones in warehouses? Use cases, examples? What do your clients learn about their warehouse? You must have some best practices for your clients, like labels must be able to be read by a drone…etc. The importance of data, is your startup is all about data? Who operates the drone? What is they typical ROI for your clients Who buys from you, how do they buy or test, what is the selling cycle like? Did we forget to talk about anything? When you are not thinking about drones and stock keeping, what do you like to do, hobbies? How can people get a hold of you? When you are not knee deep in software, drones, hardware and growing your team, what do you like to do for fun? Thanks for coming onto the podcast. How can people find out more about you/your company? Enjoy the podcast. Thanks for subscribing, thanks for listening. Regards, Jim Jim Beretta Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing & The Robot Industry Podcast To find out more about Gather AI, visit their website or check them out on LinkedIn. To check out Sankalp, you can find him on LinkedIn here. Special thanks to Amanda Bell for getting this setup for both of us. I know @Amanda sometimes it is like herding cats! If you would like to get involved with A3 The Robot Industry Podcast, would like to become a guest or nominate someone, you can find me, Jim Beretta on LinkedIn or send me an email to therobotindustrypodcast at gmail dot com, no spaces. Ehrhardt Automation is our sponsor. Ehrhardt builds and commissions robot and custom turnkey automated s...

Welcome to A3 The Robot Industry Podcast, Edition #67Herbert ten Have is an innovative business leader with more than three decades of experience in building high-tech products and services. In his career, he has held leadership positions, from Product and Marketing Manager to International Sales and Marketing Director. As a serial entrepreneur, Herbert has successfully founded and run multiple high-tech companies. He effortlessly rides the wave of inherent challenges that come with technology and loves sharing his expertise. Today, as CEO of Fizyr, Herbert is committed to building the best vision software product to enable Fizyr’s partners to provide cutting-edge robotic picking solutions for the logistics industry. • Tell me a bit about Fizyr.• How did you get started?• What are the big challenges?• Won the big Amazon pick challenge• Partnership with AWL?• Tell us a bit about some challenges in use cases getting involved in? • Truck unloading, depalletizing, and truck unloading what is most popular?• What are the industry challenges? • How do you charge - how does a company subscribe to your service? How do you work with integrators?• Can you name some of your partners or integrators?  • How has pandemic changed the new normal, esp in Europe?• People used to online shopping? End user structure changing• Tell our audience about the Fizyr Team • Team activities• How do you engage with your people?• Where is Delft and why Delft?• What do you like to do when you are not selling AI software? Enjoy the podcast. Jim Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing & The Robot Industry Podcast Thanks to Herbert ten Have and our partners, A3 The Association for Advancing Automation and PaintedRobot.To get in touch with Herbert, you can find him on LinkedIn or contact the company on their website.If you would like to get involved with The Robot Industry Podcast, would like to become a guest or nominate someone, you can find me, Jim Beretta on LinkedIn or send me an email to therobotindustry at gmail dot com, no spaces. Our sponsor for this episode is Ehrhardt Automation Systems. Ehrhardt builds and commissions turnkey automated solutions for their worldwide clients. With over 80 years of precision manufacturing they understand the complex world of automated manufacturing, project management, supply chain and delivering world-class custom automation on-time and on-budget. Contact one of their sales engineers to see what Ehrhardt can build for you at info@ehrhardtautomation.com Keywords and terms for this podcast: Fizyr, Deep Learning Vision Software, Herbert ten Have #Netherlands #Delft #therobotindustrypodcast

Hello Everyone, Welcome to The Robot Industry Podcast #149 This episode too is a little different for The Robot Industry Podcast. This episode is about sponsorships and their efficacy. Informa is a client for over 15 years (aka UBM, and Canon Communications). I have been involved in the ADM (Advanced Design & Manufacturing) Toronto and ADM Montreal shows for many years. If you know me, you may have fielded a phone call or read an email about the show and the efficacy of being involved in trade events. I have invited Gayle Hutchens, who directs sponsorships at shows. Some information about ADM Toronto 2025: The Advanced Manufacturing show happens in Toronto at the Toronto Congress Center, TCC which is right by the airport, which is actually located in Etobicoke on 650 Dixon Road. Tuesday, October 21, 2025 • 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Wednesday, October 22, 2025 • 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Thursday, October 23, 2025 • 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. I know that ADM is one big show, but how is the show divided up? Yes there are 6 co-located shows Packaging | Automation | Design and manufacturing | Plastics and Processing | EV technology Here is the show URL: https://www.admtoronto.com/en/lp-general.html You can use the code ROBOT to register. If that doesn't work try: SHIFT. See you there. Thanks, Jim Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON jim@customerattraction.com 519-716-2262 Mobile

Hello Everyone, This episode is a little different for The Robot Industry Podcast. I have invited some of my friends from the ADM Toronto 2025 show to join me to talk about the upcoming show. Informa is a client for over 15 years (aka UBM, and Canon Communications). I have been involved in the ADM Toronto and ADM Montreal shows for many years. If you know me, you may have fielded a phone call or read an email about the show and the efficacy of being involved in trade events. I have invited Kayle Kvinge, who is the show director, Annie Helfgott our mentoring expert and Gayle Hutchens, who directs sponsorships at shows ( we moved Gayle, and she is up on the next podcast #149) as we ran out of time. Some information about ADM Toronto 2025: Happens at Toronto Congress Center on Oct. 21-23, 2025 The Advanced Manufacturing show happens in Toronto at the Toronto Congress Center, TCC which is right by the airport, which is actually located in Etobicoke on 650 Dixon Road. Tuesday, October 21, 2025 • 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Wednesday, October 22, 2025 • 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Thursday, October 23, 2025 • 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. I know that ADM is one big show, but how is the show divided up? Yes there are 6 co-located shows Packaging | Automation | Design and manufacturing | Plastics and Processing | EV technology Who are some of the partners in the event? PAC Global the packaging association, Global Leader in Sustainable, Inclusive, and Accessible Solutions Invest Quebec Cosmetic Alliance Canada Canadian Chamber of Commerce Charged EV Volta Foundation Accelerate and Engineering Societies of Canada including Professional Engineers in Ontario and Society of woman engineers There are lots of exhibitors: Fanuc Canada, Kuka Robotics, SEW, Beckhoff Automation Reiser Canada, NuMove, Plexpack, Capmatic and Shawpack, Premier Tech Proto3000, IKO Thompson, Stratasys Absolute Haitian, Kubota Brabender, Piovan and Tiger Vac Unitrack Corporation, Meridian Manufacturing, Soralink and Vooban Here is the show URL: https://www.admtoronto.com/en/lp-general.html You can use the code ROBOT to register. See you there. Thanks, Jim Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON jim@customerattraction.com 519-716-2262 Mobile

Welcome to The Robot Industry Podcast #147. My guest for this segment is Bruce Polson whom I have known for decades. He is a very smart guy. Bruce has over 30 years of experience in automation and engineering.  He began as a process engineer and consumer of automation, establishing a background in processes such as forming, welding, material handling, joining, and discrete assembly.  In automation, he began as an application engineer and eventually migrated into business development, where he has been for the last 15 years. Who is Ehrhardt Automation? How do you buy and automation system? So Bruce, how do you prepare as a manufacturer? How do they, the prospective customer, set up a budget? What if you don’t have a spec document? What are the key elements of the type of automation company that you might want to engage in? How about 3rd party suppliers, like robot companies, can they help? Questions that a prospective customer should ask the supplier? What if you are a new user of automation? Did we miss anything? If someone wants to find out more about how they can put automation into their facility, how do they get a hold of you? Email and phones are still the best ways. bpolson@ehrhardtautomation.com / 952-290-3384 https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruce-polson-aa43b213 When you are not helping people get the automation that they need, what do you like to do? I would like to acknowledge A3: the Association for Advancing Automation. they are the leading automation trade association for robotics, vision and imaging, motion control and motors and the industrial artificial intelligence technologies.  Visit Automate dot org to learn more. If you would like to get in touch with us at THE robot industry podcast, you can find me jim beretta on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimberetta/ Today’s podcast was produced by Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing and I would like to thank my team Chris Gray for the music, Geoffy Bremner for audio production, my business partner Janet and our new sponsor: Mecademic Industrial Robots ~ world leading manufacturers of compact and precise industrial robots. https://mecademic.com/ Warm Regards, Jim Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast

Hello Robot Friends. Welcome to edition #146 of The Robot Industry Podcast. My guest today is Vivian Chu. Vivian Chu is a roboticist with over a decade of experience in human-robot interaction. She created Moxi and Poli, and applied her HRI and machine learning expertise to platforms like PR2, Meka, and Kinova Jaco2. She has worked at Google[X], Honda Research Institute, and IBM Research. Vivian holds a Ph.D. in Robotics from Georgia Tech and an M.S.E. from the University of Pennsylvania. She’s been recognized by MIT Technology Review (35 Innovators Under 35), Fortune (40 Under 40), named a Google Anita Borg Scholar and Stanford EECS Rising Star, awarded Best Cognitive Robotics Paper at ICRA, and featured on Robohub’s 25 Women in Robotics list. Questions: Vivian, Tell us about Diligent, who are you and what do you make? Where are you located? How did you get interested in robotics and automation? What is Moxi? Why did you decide on hospitals as your first use case? Who are the economic drivers and decision makers in hospital and what are their pain points? What are some of the surprises that you learned from hospitals, about robotics? Why Diligent chose to go AI-hybrid, vs all-in on AI? The importance of execution > demos and what deployment taught Diligent that the lab couldn’t Building robots with a “human-first approach,” designing robots to serve as coworkers instead of replacements. The key design elements that make Moxi ultra- adaptable, dexterous, and safe? Let’s talk about data? Is this something that hospitals are interested in? You just brought in some new executives to your team. What is next for Diligent — now that you have proven yourselves in hospitals, do you have plans to expand into offices, factories? What makes your stack capable of doing so? Future of robotics working with people? Did we forget to talk about anything? You are a busy, new mom. When you are not automating, innovating, building robots, or working with companies and AI, what do you enjoy doing for hobbies? How can people get a hold of you and find out more about Diligent? I would like to mention A3: the Association for Advancing Automation. they are the leading automation trade association for robotics, vision and imaging, motion control and motors and the industrial artificial intelligence technologies.  Visit Automate dot org to learn more. If you would like to get in touch with us at THE robot industry podcast, you can find me jim beretta on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimberetta/ Today’s podcast was produced by Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing and I would like to thank my team: Chris Gray for the music, Geoffy Bremner for audio production, my business partner Janet and our new sponsor: Mecademic Industrial Robots ~ world-leading manufacturers of compact and precise industrial robots. https://mecademic.com/ Thanks, too, to our regular sponsor, Ehrhardt Automation Systems, located in Granite City, Illinois. Warm Regards, Jim Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON

Welcome to episode #145 with Shaun Ghafari. Shaun holds a Ph.D., P.Eng. Dean, Engineering at the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology (FAST) at Humber College in Toronto. Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology (FAST) is growing to meet the needs of industry in engineering, mechatronics, robotics, information technology, data analytics, cybersecurity, sustainable design, and the skilled trades.  Shaun, Tell me a bit about yourself. Who is Humber College? What are the most interesting courses? You talk to Manufacturers….what are the Challenges for manufacturers? What are they asking for? Where do your grads go? Engagement > Does everyone want AI and machine vision? How are students prepare for industry? Are they doing anything else? Support from the college AI &  robotics?  Cybersecurity? Did we forget to talk about anything? How can people get in touch and find out more? I would like to mention A3: the Association for Advancing Automation. they are the leading automation trade association for robotics, vision and imaging, motion control and motors and the industrial artificial intelligence technologies.  Visit Automate dot org to learn more. If you would like to get in touch with us at THE robot industry podcast, you can find me jim beretta on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimberetta/ Today’s podcast was produced by Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing and I would like to thank my team: Chris Gray for the music, Geoffy Bremner for audio production, my business partner Janet and our new sponsor: Mecademic Industrial Robots ~ world-leading manufacturers of compact and precise industrial robots. https://mecademic.com/ Thanks, too, to our regular sponsor, Ehrhardt Automation Systems, located in Granite City, Illinois. Warm Regards, Jim Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON

Welcome to podcast edition #144. I welcome my friend Konrad Konnerth to the pod Good day, everyone, and welcome to the robot industry podcast . Thanks for joining us and for subscribing. Konrad, welcome to the podcast. Can you take a few minutes and introduce yourself to our audience? Tell me about your automation background here in southwestern Ontario (SWO). What is happening from a high level in automation? You have a strong background in precision indexing automation from Germany, correct? Can you tell our audience about your Adapto Solution? Who are your customers? Success stories and use cases for Adapto? Greenhouse automation? You are involved in the innovation community here in London. Tell me about that. Did we forget to talk about anything? When you are not innovating, robotics and automation, what kind of hobbies do you have? How can people find you if they want to reach out and find out more about Konnexio. https://www.linkedin.com/in/konradkonnerth I would like to mention A3: the Association for Advancing Automation. they are the leading automation trade association for robotics, vision and imaging, motion control and motors and the industrial artificial intelligence technologies.  Visit Automate dot org to learn more. If you would like to get in touch with us at THE robot industry podcast, you can find me jim beretta on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimberetta/ Today’s podcast was produced by Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing and I would like to thank my team Chris Gray for the music, Geoffy Bremner for audio production, my business partner Janet and our new sponsor: Mecademic Industrial Robots ~ world leading manufacturers of compact and precise industrial robots. https://mecademic.com/ Warm Regards, Jim Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON

Welcome to edition #143 of The Robot Industry Podcast. For this edition I am interviewing Andrew Perkins. He is a long time automation machine vision expert and is heading up TrueLight Machine Vision, a division of BOS Innovations. Andrew, how did you get into this industry? Who are your customers? Manufacturers or other integrators, robotics OEMs (or all three)? Do you have a typical customer or are they all custom? Who is TrueLight Machine Vision Integrations? Tell me a bit about what is going on in automated vision (in the industry)? Are you busy? Lighting?, lenses, AI, data, security and robot guidance? USE CASES What kind of vision “inquires” do you get from customers? How do you go about it, do you need a specification before you do a project? Engineering study? What does the future look like for vision, any predictions? Did we forget to talk about anything? If someone wants to find out how do they get a hold of you? https://truelightvision.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/perkinsandrew I would like to acknowledge A3: the Association for Advancing Automation. they are the leading automation trade association for robotics, vision and imaging, motion control and motors and the industrial artificial intelligence technologies.  Visit Automate dot org to learn more. If you would like to get in touch with us at THE robot industry podcast, you can find me jim beretta on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimberetta/ Today’s podcast was produced by Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing and I would like to thank my team Chris Gray for the music, Geoffy Bremner for audio production, my business partner Janet and our new sponsor: Mecademic Industrial Robots ~ world leading manufacturers of compact and precise industrial robots. https://mecademic.com/ Warm Regards, Jim Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON

MPI Solutions is a talented group of professionals helping industries across North America with AB, Siemens and Beckhoff machine control and system integration. Scott Pytel, P. Eng is Co-Owner and VP at MPI. MPI Solutions invited me to tour the facility and chat with the founders. Kevin van der Maarel is also a Co-Owner and a mechanical engineer. He enjoys the constant change brought about by automation. What is happening in the world of machine control? What is Industry 4.0 from your (or your customers') lens? What type of work do you do at MPI? Type of control systems do you work in? You are a Beckhoff Control Systems Integrator. Why is that? Is there a typical customer or customer project? What else do you do at MPI Solutions? Why PC controls? What industries do you operate in? Maintenance and support in controls and automation. MPI Solutions Inc. is located at 980 Adelaide St South Unit 112, London, ON N6E 1R3, Canada Telephone: 519-690-0494 Email: sales@mpisolutions.ca If you would like to get in touch with us at THE robot industry podcast, you can find me, Jim Beretta on LinkedIn or you can use info@customerattraction.com Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing produced today’s podcast and I would like to thank my team: Chris Gray for the music, Geoffy Bremner for audio production, my business partner Janet and our sponsors Ehrhardt Automation Systems and our new sponsor Mecademic Industrial Robotics. Warm Regards, Jim Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON

It brings me great pleasure to welcome two experts in the industry to this edition of TRIP (The Robot Industry Podcast) #141. Steve Hoenig is a senior executive with expertise in marketing, sales, product design, business development, P/L Management, Strat planning, engineering, and leading complex teams. He is an astute, decisive, and energetic leader recognized for outstanding interpersonal relationships and bottom-line results.  MSEE & MBA  35+ Years in Automation  Focused on adding value and helping customers be successful.  Initially drawn and stayed in Automation because I am an engineer, and this industry is on the cutting edge of product development and manufacturing - you never get bored.  On June 2024, Mike Gunner joined BBS Automation Chicago as their Managing Director/President.  Mike comes to BBS with many years in the global automation sector which include roles at KraussMaffei as VP of Automation and at Mikron Corporation   During his 30+ years in Automation, Mike has had Management positions in Sales, Applications, Controls Engineering and Project Management. Some of the industries he has touched on include Medical, Automotive, Consumer and Defense. Mike has a B.Sc. Honors in Electrical Engineering and also a PH. D in Electronic Engineering both from the University of Hull, England. Welcome guys, thanks for joining me. It is great to catch up. Can you give our audience an idea who is BBS? What are some of the changes that have been happening at BBS? How many people are you now? Where are your facilities? Who is your “perfect” client? What value of jobs can you take on? Tell me a little bit about the technologies “stack” of machine systems that you have at BBS (high speed, high accuracy, robotics, etc)  What are some of the automation trends that you are seeing from a high level? How do you share these capabilities between divisions, say Germany and Italy? (ie the “One Company” convo) “Can you walk us through a recent project where a customer came to BBS with a unique challenge—and how your team developed a custom automation solution from concept to completion?” Building for Scalability “How do you help customers future-proof their automation investments? Is scalability built into your systems from the beginning?” Culture of Engineering and Innovation “How do you foster innovation internally at BBS? Are there systems in place that encourage new thinking or cross-functional collaboration across your global teams?” What about sectors, I assume that medical device and pharma are areas of interest? Are there any new areas (of note) happening?  You work in the electronics area and have some specialties in solder, paste and wearable tech, correct? Service and support We talked in the warm up about customers, Industry 4.0 and Mike you mentioned about getting  your OEE up, then worrying about Ind 4.0 Data and MES and Ignitioninfluenceing machine design Automation Inspiration “You both work deep in the world of automation—what’s a piece of tech, a machine, or even a moment in your career that made you stop and think, ‘This is why I do what I do’?” Thanks Mike and Steve, for this update on BBS and what is happening in industrial automation. Did we miss anything? If someone wants to find out how do they get a hold of you? https://www.bbsautomation.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-hoenig-b5b0921<...

Few things bring me as much excitement and gratitude as working with a dedicated, close-knit team, working towards a common goal. I graduated in 2015 holding my engineering physics degree with a passion to successfully design and build engineering solutions, learn new things, challenge myself, and meet amazing people along the way. Specifically, my passion covers mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering. My favorite projects, such as building an autonomous vehicle to compete in the NASA lunabotics mining competition as part of the Queen’s Space Engineering team, integrate a large variety of engineering components including control, automation, and mechatronics engineering. Throughout school I worked in the reforestation industry to fund my education. I spent a total of 5 seasons working as a foreman, treeplanter, and various other bush-work jobs. This was an incredible experience, with unforgettable people, that emphasized the importance of teamwork and commitment. Working as a foreman was an extremely rewarding position, where I was able to train, teach, and supervise employees. I love meeting new people and learning new things, so please feel free to connect with me and send me a message! I found you on a project that you did for CFIN, Canadian Food Innovation Network. Welcome to edition #140 of the podcast. I welcome Adon Portman from JAKS Automation. Adon, tell our audience a bit about you and your team. I would ask about you, how you got involved/started in automation, the team, Typical automation projects, CFIN, challenges, perfect fit projects? What kind of work are you looking for? How you find that work? Some of the challenges for startup automation companies What advice would you offer to startup system integrators like ourselves? What mistakes have you seen other system integrators make that we should be mindful of? What markets do you think are adopting automation? Have we forgotten to talk about anything? How do our listeners get in touch with you? https://www.linkedin.com/in/adon-portman https://www.jaksautomation.com If you would like to get in touch with us at THE robot industry podcast, you can find me, Jim Beretta on LinkedIn or you can use info@customerattraction.com Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing produced today’s podcast and I would like to thank my team: Chris Gray for the music, Geoffy Bremner for audio production, my business partner Janet and our sponsor Ehrhardt Automation Systems. Warm Regards, Jim Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON

Francois Giguere CTO at Vention and Etienne Lacroix Founder & CEO join me for this version (#139) of The Robot Industry Podcast. We talk about automating at lower costs, the manufacturing industry ordering products directly, AI and NVIDIA and what the future holds for capital equipment automation We talk about: Palletizing Robot arms vs actuators Sensors vs. cameras Shift away from PLCs inside robot cell Robots and grasping Agility, simulation and software Cabinet door sanding for the kitchen industry Data, software and the cost of automation trends AI and Robot Motion Machine Motion AI (the core) of the Vention product Upcoming trends in the industry. "There is nothing more manual than industrial automation." ~ Etienne Lacroix How can people get a hold of you and find out more about Vention? If you would like to get in touch with us at THE robot industry podcast, you can find me, Jim Beretta on LinkedIn or you can use info@customerattraction.com Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing produced today’s podcast and I would like to thank my team: Chris Gray for the music, Geoffy Bremner for audio production, my business partner Janet and our sponsor Ehrhardt Automation Systems. Warm Regards, Jim Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON

Hello everyone and welcome to The Robot Industry Podcast (edition #138). We are glad you are here, and thank you for subscribing. Today, I welcome Louis Lapierre to the podcast; he works for a company called Mecademic Robotics, and they build very precise industrial robots for medical devices, photonics, aerospace, consumer and electronics industries. Their robots are used in assembly, attachment, dispense, material handling and much more. How did you get in this industry?  Tell us about the history of Mecademic. What type of robot did the company launch with? You are building your robots in North America, correct? What markets are you serving? Is that changing? What is different about your manufacturing philosophy (you build your own circuit boards) Your products are small but highly accurate & precise; why is that? Can you tell us a bit about your software or lack of software? End of arm tools, partnerships, etc. Let’s talk about teach pendants. Use cases: Where are Mecademic robots used? Desktop factories? Unique markets like watch manufacturing? I know you cannot talk about many of your customers, but what are some of the processes? What are your thoughts about the future of robotics? Did we forget to talk about anything? How can people get a hold of you and find out more about Mecademic? If you would like to get in touch with us at THE robot industry podcast, you can find me, Jim Beretta on LinkedIn or you can use info@customerattraction.com Today’s podcast was produced by Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing and I would like to thank my team: Chris Gray for the music, Geoffy Bremner for audio production, my business partner Janet and our sponsor Ehrhardt Automation Systems. Warm Regards, Jim Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON

Welcome to the podcast (#136) My guest today is Ben Huigenbois, he is president of BOS Innovations in London, Ontario, my home town. From Ben's LinkedIn: Experienced President with a demonstrated history of working in the industrial automation industry. Experienced and skilled in leadership, organizational development, ERP system development, skills development, project management, strategic planning, technology deployment, sales and marketing. Ben, welcome to the podcast, thanks for joining us. How did you get interested in automation? Give us a bit of your background. Tell our audience about BOS Innovations? What is it that you do, that is what type of automation are you building? What have you seen change recently in automation systems? What are your customers asking for that they may not have in previous years? Our podcast today is going to be about reducing RISK in automation systems. This is an important conversation because reducing risk for both an integrator and an end customer is critical, can you comment? What are some of the risks that manufacturers face? How about the integrator or machine builder? How can manufacturers reduce their risk? Abating risk takes time and money, correct? Where do you start when it comes to identifying risk areas? Let’s talk about remote support, something that I know is very important to you and your customers. What are some of the challenges for remote support? You have recently moved your entire operations, and thank you for the tour, it is a beautiful facility. You are also launching a subsidiary but separate business called TrueLight [TrueLight Machine Vision Integration]. Can you tell our audience about the need and the focus on TrueLight? They are a separate business, correct. Did we forget to talk about anything?  When you are not automating, innovating, building systems and vision,  what do you like to do, hobbies? How can people get a hold of you and find out more about BOS Innovation? If you would like to get in touch with us at THE robot industry podcast, you can find me, jim beretta on LinkedIn. Today’s podcast was produced by Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing and I would like to thank my team: Chris Gray for the music, Geoffy Bremner for audio production, my business partner Janet. My info: Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON info@customerattraction.com

Welcome to The Robot Industry Podcast #134. It is my pleasure to introduce Nipun Sharma from Appetronix to this edition of the podcast We have met before, you and I, on the Canadian Food Innovation project. We made a movie together Robotics in Action, Seeing is Believing. Nipun Sharma is a visionary entrepreneur and the Co-Founder and CEO of Appetronix, an innovative company revolutionizing the food service industry with fully autonomous robotic quick-service restaurants. By integrating advanced machine learning and data science, Appetronix creates delicious, made-to-order meals without the need for on-site staff, offering a glimpse into the future of dining. With more than 17 years of leadership experience in the restaurant and food manufacturing sectors, Nipun has successfully managed more than ten restaurant brands across multiple cuisines, including both quick-service and full-service concepts. His expertise extends to operating food production facilities, enabling a seamless connection between supply chains and consumer dining experiences. His professional journey began on Wall Street, where he honed his skills in investment banking and private equity. A graduate of McGill University, he transitioned to the food and beverage industry, taking on executive roles and serving as Chief Operating Officer for global public restaurant chains. His strategic vision and operational acumen have driven growth and innovation, solidifying his reputation as a leader in transforming traditional business models through technology. Nipun is passionate about redefining the dining landscape and advancing the integration of robotics in the restaurant industry, making him a pioneer at the intersection of technology, hospitality, and culinary excellence. Nipun, How did you get into the industry?  Is it food or is it robotics & automation? Tell me and our listeners how you transitioned from pasta to pizza and SJW to Appetronix. Why Pizza? How big is pizza and automated pizza market? Who are your partners… Donato’s, Agape, AlleyCorp, Abuma Manufacturing and Grote? Your first location is an airport in Columbus OHIO, correct? What were some of the big challenges for machine or system #1? What kind of robots are you using? How many pizzas can you make an hour? Lets talk about DATA? What does the future look like for Appetronix? Are there other foods, other form factors? Did we miss anything? If someone wants to find out more about how they can put one of your units into their facility, how do they get a hold of you? When you are not creating value and inventing new ways to eat food things, what do you like to do? Some notes: Appetronix has entered into an exclusive partnership with Donatos Pizza and its sister companies Agápe Automation and the Grote Company to launch a fully-autonomous pizza vending machine (from press release). I know that

Welcome to podcast #133 with my guests Armin Khatoonabadi and Yi Li from Maple Advanced Robotics Inc., located in Richmond Hill, ON. Some exciting news is that the company has been awarded the Hannover Messe Robotics Award for their AI-driven robotics platform for fast and code-free programming platform. Armin and Yi, welcome to the podcast.  Yi Can you tell our audience a bit about you? Armin, your turn. Armin you have recently just joined Maple Advanced Robotics, from Apara.ai, correct? Yi, can you tell us how you got started? Can you tell the audience about MARI and what is making your offering so different in the industry? What is MARI’s Scan & Go workflow? What are your proprietary technologies? Can you give our listeners some examples of what applications uses are out there (case studies) What are some trends in the industry? Award question? Have we forgotten to talk about anything? How do our listeners get in touch with you? Maple Advanced Robotics Inc. Unit 17, 80 West Beaver Creek Rd, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1H3 https://maplerobotics.com Our sponsor is Ehrhardt Automation Systems. Ehrhardt builds and commissions turnkey solutions for their worldwide clients. With over 80 years of precision manufacturing they understand the complex world of robotics, automated manufacturing, and project management, delivering world-class custom automation on-time and on-budget. Contact one of their sales engineers to see what Ehrhardt can build for you info@ehrhardtautomation.com If you would like to get in touch with us at THE robot industry podcast, you can find me, jim beretta on LinkedIn. Today’s podcast was produced by Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing and I would like to thank my team: Chris Gray for the music, Geoffy Bremner for audio production, my business partner Janet and our sponsor:  Ehrhardt Automation Systems My info: Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON

        Ben, welcome to the podcast.         You are a lawyer by trade, and you have worked in different roles, at the former Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation, which is now called Palladyne AI, and in fact recently came back from retirement to lead the company. Please tell us a bit about yourself and why you decided to come back to the company.         Let’s talk about the elephant in the room…Palladyne AI is formerly Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation. The company was previously focused on commercializing robotic hardware such as teleoperated robots, exoskeletons and an underwater robot, as a result of 30+ years of development work, government contracts and the acquisition of RE2 (“R-E-Squared”). However, the company recently re-branded as Palladyne AI and is now focusing on AI software. Why this pivot?         Do you have any regrets about going public via a special purpose acquisition company back in 2021?         Tell us about your team… How many people do you currently have working at Palladyne AI?         Where is Palladyne AI located?         Can you talk about Palladyne AI’s technology and how it is differentiated from other AI solutions for robotic automation?           What is the value proposition of the Palladyne AI software?         How much of Palladyne’s current AI solution is based on the robotics development work from Sarcos?         Palladyne AI is “hardware-agnostic” – what do you mean by that, and how do you accomplish it?         Who are Palladyne AI’s customers and the industries you are primarily focused on?         Can you give us any examples of projects the company is working on or has announced?         Where do you find new customers?         Can you give us your perfect bull’s eye customer?         What is your vision for the future of the company and the product roadmap?         Outside of leading a public AI company, what do you like to do in your free time?         Is there anything else you would like to discuss? https://www.linkedin.com/company/palladyneaicorp Our sponsor is Ehrhardt Automation Systems. Ehrhardt builds and commissions turnkey solutions for their worldwide clients. With over 80 years of precision manufacturing they understand the complex world of robotics, automated manufacturing, and project management, delivering world-class custom automation on-time and on-budget. Contact one of their sales engineers to see what Ehrhardt can build for you info@ehrhardtautomation.com If you would like to get in touch with us at THE robot industry podcast, you can find me, jim beretta on LinkedIn. Today’s podcast was produced by Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing and I would like to thank my team: Chris Gray for the music, Geoffy Bremner for audio production, my business partner Janet and our sponsor:  Ehrhardt Automation Systems My info: Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON

Welcome to The Robot Industry Podcast, #131. For this edition of the podcast, I have two people from the same company: MIR, or Mobile Industrial Robots. I caught up with Jean-Pierre Hathout the CEO at MIR, at the Automate show, and later I had a conversation with Kevin March who is our local Area Sales Manager. I thought it would be interesting to join the two conversations - one at a trade event and one about sales and applications. Enjoy the podcast. https://mobile-industrial-robots.com Our sponsor is Ehrhardt Automation Systems. Ehrhardt builds and commissions turnkey solutions for their worldwide clients. With over 80 years of precision manufacturing they understand the complex world of robotics, automated manufacturing, and project management, delivering world-class custom automation on-time and on-budget. Contact one of their sales engineers to see what Ehrhardt can build for you info@ehrhardtautomation.com If you would like to get in touch with us at THE robot industry podcast, you can find me, jim beretta on LinkedIn. Today’s podcast was produced by Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing and I would like to thank my team: Chris Gray for the music, Geoffy Bremner for audio production, my business partner Janet and our sponsor:  Ehrhardt Automation Systems My info: Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON

Micah Estis Green is the Founder and CEO of TAILOS, an inventor of a robot vacuum named Rosie. His company is based in Austin, TX . He is top 30 under 30 and has been covered in lots of magazines including Forbes and other industry periodicals. First Micah, tell me about Shark Puncher - I have to ask. You have taken a break from Cornell, is that correct? How did you get involved in automation and robotics > and you have been building robots for a while? Tell our audience about your company and how you got started. You are located in Austin. Is this important? What are some of the surprises you have experienced commercializing a robot? Tell us about Rosie (by the way, I love that name). Can you educate us about the hotel industry, where is the pain? Who is the buyer? It is a competitive industry.  What about the guest experience… How do people find out about you? What is your sales process, if I am a Hotel Operator, what do I do? Can I test out a unit? Why not just install a bunch of iRobots? What is the ROI of a Rosie? Are you selling Rosie by the piece or is this a raas model? Do people see Rosie or is she just used during housekeeping? Do cleaners like Rosie? Let’s talk about data and the importance of data to your clients?  What things are we not seeing about Rosie, when you have an IOT device in hotel rooms? You have over 1000 units deployed (congratulations!), who are your customers, where are you finding success? How are you delivering Rosie to your clients? What is the start up time to get going? How many robots do you usually deploy at one time? Is there a lot of mapping and programming involved? How long does the battery last and when do you charge Rosie? What about spare parts, if a robot stops working? What is the addressable market for you? What is next for you? When you are not innovating, building robots and cool things,  what do you like to do, tell us about your hobbies?  How can people get a hold of you and find out more about Rosie and Tailos? Our sponsor for this episode is Ehrhardt Automation Systems. Ehrhardt builds and commissions turnkey solutions for their worldwide clients. With over 80 years of precision manufacturing they understand the complex world of robotics, automated manufacturing, and project management, delivering world-class custom automation on-time and on-budget. Contact one of their sales engineers to see what Ehrhardt can build for you info@ehrhardtautomation.com eh rh ar dt automation dot com Our co sponsor is Anchor Danly. They are the leading manufacturer and distributor of robot and automation bases, high quality die sets, components, Blanchard Ground steel plates, and metal fabrications used in the production of tools, dies, and molds for metal working and plastics injection molding, mining and construction equipment, and general fabrications. I would like to acknowledge A3: the Association for Advancing Automation. they are the leading automation trade association for robotics, vision and imaging, motion control and motors and the industrial artificial intelligence technologies.  Visit Automate dot org to learn more. If you would like to get in touch with us at THE robot industry podcast, you can find me jim beretta on LinkedIn. Today’s podcast was produced by Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing and I would like to thank my team: Chris Gray for the music, Geoffy Bremner for audio production, my business partner Janet and our sponsors: