The Robot Report Podcast

In this week's show, Dr. Russ Tedrake from Toyota Research Institute, and Scott Kuindersma from Boston Dynamics discuss their collaboration on humanoid robotics and the integration of AI through large behavior models. They 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. The discussion also touches on practical applications, deployment strategies, and the significance of rigorous research in advancing robotics technology. Cohosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman also review Mike's takeaways from the FIRA 2024 ag-robotics event earlier this week. The show this week is sponsored by Zebra Robotics Automation - 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 about Zebra's solutions goto: www.zebra.com/fulfillment

On the show this week, co-hosts Steve Crowe, Mike Oitzman and Gene Demaitre review the significant highlights from RoboBusiness 2024 which took place this week in Santa Clara CA. The editors discuss the news from the week and highlights of the keynote sessions. The show this week is sponsored by Zebra Robotics Automation - 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 about Zebra's solutions goto: www.zebra.com/fulfillment

In this conversation, Dr. Henrik Christensen discusses the intersection of robotics and federal policy, emphasizing the need for more attention and funding for the robotics sector. He highlights the challenges of reshoring manufacturing, the implications of political campaigns on robotics, and the importance of tariffs and immigration reforms. The discussion also covers the impact of recent legislation like the Build Back Better Act and the CHIPS Act on the robotics industry, as well as the future of semiconductor manufacturing and international partnerships in robotics. Takeaways - Robotics needs more federal attention similar to AI. - Reshoring manufacturing is crucial for economic growth. - The Midwest's manufacturing sector is vital for the US economy. - Federal funding for robotics has decreased while AI funding has increased. - Small and medium-sized companies are essential for manufacturing exports. - Tariffs may negatively impact the robotics industry. - The US must rebuild its semiconductor manufacturing capabilities. - International partnerships in robotics are necessary for innovation. - Investment in defense and energy production is likely to increase. - Immigration reform is needed to address labor shortages. The show this week is sponsored by Zebra Robotics Automation - 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 about Zebra's solutions goto: www.zebra.com/fulfillment

On the show this week, we feature a recent conversation with 1X Founder and CEO, Berndt Børnich, and learn all about the company's plan to begin testing of the NEO Beta humanoid in homes. 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 public perception of robots and the future of humanoid robotics in society. To learn more: https://www.1x.tech/ The show this week is sponsored by Zebra Robotics Automation - 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 about Zebra's solutions goto: https://www.zebra.com/fulfillment

It's drone week on the podcast, and we feature two interviews from the world of aerial robotics. 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 has a healthy pipeline of clients. Learn more: https://www.hyl.io/ 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. Learn more: https://hevendrones.com/

This week we connected with Bren Pierce, CEO and founder of a young startup that recently decloaked to bring a new wheeled humanoid robot platform to market. Pierce was a co-founder and chief robotics officer at Bear Robotics, and his latest venture is looking at the applications of a wheeled humanoid solution. Pierce is considering deploying this new robot into warehousing and service robotics applications. Imagine a robot that can serve food and bus the tables in a restaurant. Pierce fully understands how to build robotics for this market, and believes that a wheeled robot with two arms is the right solution. Learn more at:https://www.kinisi.tech/ In this episode cohosts Mike Oitzman and Gene Demaitre also review the top robotics news stories of the week. Please like and subscribe to ensure that you don't miss an episode.

In this episode, we learn all about Yarbo robotics from cofounder Kenneth Kohlmann. Yarbo made its mark with the launch of its first robotic snow blower in 2018, and has now extended the product line with additional attachments including a mower deck and leaf blower. The company has plans to extend the utility of the robotic base with more attachments in the future. Learn more at: https://www.yarbo.com/us

Cohosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman discuss the latest robotics news from the last week, including a review of the July funding report, which topped $1.3B. 1X also unveiled the NEO Beta humanoid model and prepares for pilot deployments into test home environments. The recent news of the Covariant AI acquisition or acqui-hire by Amazon is an interesting strategic move by the retailing giant. Both companies declined to comment on the details of the acquisition, so we asked ex-Amazon robotics leader and current CEO and founder of Collaborative Robotics, Brad Porter, to join us on the show to share his insights into the state of AI development and why this is an exciting move by Amazon. To learn more about Collaborative Robotics, goto: https://www.co.bot/

On the show today, we sit down with Michael Zampano, product engineer from mk North America, and learn all about flexible conveyance, a critical part of many robotic workcells. You'll learn about the Versaflex AP10, a flexible pallet conveyor solution. The Versaflex can be configured to fit the part-feeding requirements of any industrial robotic work cell. The solution is highly durable and can be reconfigured as the production evolves. To learn more about the Versaflex solution go to: https://www.mknorthamerica.com/Products/versaflex-pallet-conveyors/ About Ask an Expert - this series features in-depth discussions with product experts about how those solutions are changing the landscape of automation and robotics. If you'd like to feature an expert from your company on a future episode of "Ask an Expert" - contact our executive producer: Courtney Nagle - cnagle@wtwhmedia.com

Catch up on the latest robotics news of the week, including Boston Dynamics Atlas doing pushups; Fanuc launches new R50i robot controller; Waymo starts airport pickup in Phoenix. The featured interview this week is with Paul Heitlinger, General Manager of Nokia AIMS (autonomous inventory management system). We learn about the new Nokia AIMS inventory counting solution, the technology behind it, and why Nokia is in the warehouse management space now. Links from the show: https://www.nokia.com/industries/manufacturing-and-logistics/aims/

This episode dives into the heart of the robotics industry with a special treat: the keynote fireside chat from the 2024 Robotics Summit. Join us as we listen in on Steve Crowe's insightful conversation with Ujjwal Kumar, Group President of Teradyne Robotics. They delve into the landscape of robotics, discussing Teredyne's collaborative robotics divisions UR and MiR, and sharing Ujjwal's unique perspective on the industry's future. Catch up on the latest news in the robotics industry this week, including an update on Serve Robotics newest merchant: Shake Shack, and a conversation with Serve Robotics President and COO, Touraj Parang about the expansion of service earlier in the week,

On the show today, we have a conversation with Chris Walti, CEO and co-founder of Mytra AI. Mytra decloaked and unveiled its pallet-based ASRS-like storage array for warehousing last month. The solution is unique for the payload size (3000 lbs) that the Mytrabots move through the storage array. The company is beginning to deploy pilot projects with early access customers and Chris discusses the ideal applications for the system. To learn more, check out the story on therobotreport.com or at mytra.ai

On the show today, we hear a replay of the State of Warehouse Automation Panel from the 2024 Robotics Summit, this was an esteemed panel moderated by Eugene Demaitre and featuring the voices of Tim Tetzlaff Vice President, Global Head of Accelerated Digitalization | DHL Supply Chain, John Santagate VP of Robotics | Körber Supply Chain, and Adrian Stoch Chief Automation Officer | GXO. The second feature on the show today is the last in our series of interviews recorded during the recent robotics summit, this one with Carlos Bielicki VP of Sales from Performance Motion Devices in an interview with Chris Lueke, host of the Manufacturing Happy Hour.

This week we connect with Mike Pivac, CEO of FBR. The Australian robotics company recently brought the latest generation of its HadrianX autonomous bricklaying robot to the U.S. for early market trials during the next 6 months. We talked with Pivac about the market needs that fueled the creation and evolution of HadrianX over the last decade. This innovative robot can lay up the brick walls for a residential home autonomously in a single workday. This episode also features an interview with Chris Luecke (The Manufacturing Happy Hour) and Joe Martino (Maxon Group) about the features and use cases for Maxon motion solutions.

In this episode, we learn how Jacobi Robotics is improving the programming and deployment of industrial robots from CEO and co-founder Max Cao. You'll learn how Jacobi is using AI to simplify the robot programming process. The company has released its first application specifically for palletizing. Later on in the show, Jake Hall, the Manufacturing Millenial, sits down with Jan Hennecke, product manager for Igus at the recent Robotics Summit to learn all about Igus' low-cost and easy-to-program robotics product line.

On today's episode, we catch up with Oana Jinga, co-founder, Chief Commercial and Product Officer for Dexory to learn all about the Dexory warehouse inventory management solution. Also on this episode, we feature a conversation between editorial director Gene Demaitre and Garret Place, Business Development for robotic perception at ifm.

Stratom President and CEO Mark Gordon joins us today on the podcast. Stratom is a military contractor that makes robots for various divisions of the US armed forces. The company has also expanded to the commercial sector with its field robotics solutions, including applications such as mining and construction. Listen in as our friend Aaron Prather from ASTM sits down with Meghan Ziemba of Mavens of Manufacturing to continue our interview series from the Robotics Summit this spring.

On the show today, we talk to Sankalp Arora, CEO and co-founder of Gather.ai, and learn about Gather’s view of warehouse inventory management using drones. The second feature on the show today is an interview with Jake Hall, the Manufacturing Millenial, and Scott Sizemore, Director of Commercial Marketing at Electrocraft. Links: https://www.gather.ai/ https://www.electrocraft.com/

On the show this week, we get the inside scoop on automating food manufacturing with Chef Robotics founder and CEO Rajat Bhageria. He takes us through the evolution of the Chef Robotics roadmap and the complexities of handling a variety of precooked food items with a robot. Check out Chef Robotics: Also on the show this week, Meaghan Ziemba, host of Mavens of Manufacturing interviews Joyce Sidopoulos, co-founder and COO of MassRobotics. This interview was recorded live at the recent Robotics Summit event in Boston. https://www.massrobotics.org/ https://www.mavensofmanufacturing.com/

In this episode of The Robot Report Podcast, Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman discuss the news of the week, then we hear recent interviews with Mike Oitzman and Ting Ming Ling, founder and CEO of OTSAW. Then we hear Eugene Demaitre interview Etienne Lacroix, CEO and founder of VENTION at the recent Robotics Summit. Links from the show: https://vention.io/ https://otsaw.com/camelloplus/ https://sfstandard.com/2024/05/20/waymo-foils-downtown-robbery-after-crash-cops-say/