The Robot Report Podcast

In this episode, we talk to Matt Casella from Richtech about the Adam bartending robot, and then to Chris Padwick from John Deere about creating vision models for spraying weeds in the field. Both interviews occurred during the NVIDIA GTC24 event in March, and both companies leverage NVIDIA technology in their robotic solutions. We also cover the breaking news from the week, including the launch of the new Boston Dynamics Electric Atlas Richtech Robotics: https://www.richtechrobotics.com/ John Deere Autonomous Solutions: https://www.deere.com/en/sprayers/see-spray/ Boston Dynamics Electric Atlas: https://bostondynamics.com/atlas/

This week, the entire The Robot Report editorial staff is on the show to discuss the highlights of the 2024 RBR50 Innovation Awards that were announced earlier this week. Host Steve Crowe discusses the awards with Mike Oitzman, Eugene Demaitre, and Brianna Wessling. You can view all of the award winners and the writeups of their 2024 winning innovation on The Robot Report website: https://www.therobotreport.com/rbr50-2024/ All of this year's winners will be honored at the inaugural RBR50 Gala at the 2024 Robotics Summit and Expo, in Boston, on May 1. There's still time to register: https://www.roboticssummit.com/ Plus, you'll be able to see many of the innovations live at the RBR50 pavilion on the expo floor. Congrats to all of this years honorees.

Our featured guest on the show this week is Jamie Lee, Managing Partner at Tamarack Global. Tamarack Global emerged on our radar last month as one of the investors who participated in the recent series B funding round for Figure AI.  After meeting Jamie Lee for research for those news stories, we invited Jamie to come onto the podcast and share his investment thesis and the reasons why they are so bullish about humanoids, Figure AI, and especially Figure CEO and founder Brett Adcock. The heart of Tamarack's investment philosophy centers around investing in strong leaders who hire strong teams and build solutions for very large markets. But you'll also learn about Jamie's pragmatic philosophy for evaluating proposals and some of the danger signals that he looks for when evaluating a potential investment. Tamarack Global: https://www.tamarackglobal.com/ The Robot Report: https://www.therobotreport.com/

In this episode, cohosts Mike Oitzman and Gene Demaitre recap their attendance at the NVIDIA GTC24 event in San Jose CA, and Gene's recent trip to Denmark to attend the R24 robotics event. You'll get to hear about takeaways from the sessions that they attended, the vendor demos and robotics solutions that were at these recent shows. NVIDIA keynote story: https://www.therobotreport.com/nvidia-announces-new-robotics-products-at-gtc-2024/ R24 recap story: https://www.therobotreport.com/odense-robotics-culture-of-collaboration-can-overcome-economic-challenges-says-ceo/

This week host Steve Crowe reviews what he saw and learned while attending MODEX in Atlanta GA earlier in the week. Steve highlights the new products and new features for the many automation providers at the show. He also shares some side conversations and checks the pulse of the warehousing and material handling industry. Don't miss this episode if you weren't able to attend the show yourself.

Nag Murty, CEO and cofounder of Electric Sheep, and Michael Laskey, CTO of Electric Sheep join the show this week to discuss how Electric Sheep is disrupting the commercial landscaping industry with autonomous mobile robots and a unique business model. The company is leveraging AI to enable autonomous mowers to cut the grass while simplifying the deployment process in the field. Electric Sheep is also vertically integrating the market segment through the acquisition of commercial landscaping businesses, then training the field workforce and integrating the autonomous mowers in the daily workflow for the field teams while learning and adapting the product.

Eric Adamson, CEO and co-founder of Tortuga, joins us in this episode to discuss agricultural robotics. Tortuga is one of the agtech companies leading the charge to transform greenhouse farming with their autonomous harvesting robots. Eric discusses the difficulties and successes of developing robots for use in greenhouses, shedding light on the processes involved in harvesting strawberries, grapes, and tomatoes. This episode offers an intriguing look into how technology and agriculture are influencing the future of food production, from overcoming design limits to investigating creative alternatives. We also catch up on the news of the week, including the announcement of $675M in a Series B investment round taken by humanoid developer Figure.

On the show this week, we have a conversation with Thomas Tang, CEO and co-founder of Anyware Robotics. Anyware Robotics is launching an autonomous trailer unloading solution, that will make its debut at MODEX 2024. We also catch up with Matt Wicks, Sr Director and robotics automation business leader with Zebra Technology. Matt is responsible for the Fetch Robotics products at Zebra, and brings us up to speed on the AMR portfolio.

On the show today, we interview Dr Aaron Ames, Professor of Mechanical and Civil Engineering and Control and Dynamical Systems at CalTech. Dr Ames is also a cofounder and Chief Scientist of 3Laws - a company, providing safety-critical controls architecture for robotics companies. We talk about the last decade of development for bipedal locomotion and the recent evolution of humanoid robots since Dr Ames has been researching and investigating this interesting research area since his postdoc days. You'll also learn about the core technology that's driving robotic safety algorithms and why 3Laws came together to deliver a solution for any robotic system. You can learn more about 3Law on the web at:3lawsrobotics.io

In this week's episode of the podcast, co-hosts Mike Oitzman and Gene Demaitre discuss the current state of Zipline with Keenan Wyrobek, who is the Chief Technology Officer and also one of the firm's co-founders. Additionally, we learn some more details on the design of the new ZIP delivery "Droid" from the chief droid engineer, Stephen Killian. Gene attended the Manifest, logistics tradeshow in Las Vegas earlier this week, and gives us an update on what he saw at the show.

In this episode, co-hosts Steve Crowe, Mike Oitzman and Gene Demaitre discuss the recent news about the termination of the proposed acquisition of iRobot by Amazon. As a result of the terminated deal, iRobot CEO and cofounder Colin Angle is stepping down from his role as CEO, and the company has laid off 31% of its employees. The companies signed the proposed acquisition agreement on Aug. 4, 2022, and the Seattle-based e-commerce giant would have acquired the Bedford, Mass.-based robotic vacuum vendor for up to $1.7 billion in cash. That amount was lowered to $1.42 billion after iRobot acquired new debt, and it laid off 10% of its staff, or about 140 employees. We discuss potential reasons why the deal failed, and what might be next for iRobot. You can read the complete news story about this on The Robot Report at www.therobotreport.com If you like the show, please like and subscribe and share this with another colleague who might be interested.

On the show this week, cohosts Mike Oitzman and Gene Demaitre catch up with Marc Kermisch, CDO at CNHI. Marc takes us through the latest update on autonomy and the digitization of agriculture data to help farmers and growers improve yields and efficiency on the farm. We also recap the latest robotics news and walk through an update from robotics and automation companies who attended the 2024 CES show.

On the show this week, Steve Crowe, Gene Demaitre, and Mike Oitzman sit down and review their favorite robotics news stories from 2023. This episode also features appearances by Ken Goldberg, Ash Sharma, Aaron Prather, Kevin Lawton, and Jeff Linnell - all sharing their thoughts on the top news stories of the year. At the top of the list of news stories are the impact that GenAI and humanoid robots have made this year along with a snapshot of the state of the robotics industry.

In this episode, we learn about the innovative solution from Glidance, the 2023 RoboBusiness Pitchfire pitch contest winner. Cohosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman sit down with Glidance cofounder and CEO Amos Miller to learn all about the genesis of the company and their physical guidance robotic solution from Glidance. The device guides sight-impaired individual by perceiving the world around them and leading them on a safe path to their destination. This device is easy to use and quick to learn and Amos is promising to restore the independence of sight-impaired individuals. Amos lost his sight to retinitis pigmentosa in his 20s. While guide dogs are a tremendous solution and companion for blind individuals, unfortunately, the need far outstrips the number of available guide dogs in any given year. The Glidance solution has the opportunity to help blind individuals regain independence and agency, especially those who lose their sight late in life. The Glide unit goes into beta testing in the middle of 2024 and promises to be as affordable as a new cell phone. To learn more about Glidance, check out their website: glidance.io

Today's episode is a deep dive into warehouse automation. We discuss the role humanoids are hoping to play in logistics, including how GXO is testing the Digit humanoid from Agility Robotics. We also discuss the state of mobile robots with John Santagate, the Vice President of Robotics at Körber Supply Chain. We also talk about artificial intelligence and the growth of picking robots with Peter Chen, Co-Founder and CEO of Covariant.

On this episode of the podcast, we check in with Adam Sachs, cofounder and CEO of Vicarious surgical robots. Adam comes back to the show with an update on the long journey to market for surgical robots. Adam last joined us in Episode 56, back in September 2021 when Vicarious first launched the Vicarious Surgical robot into pilot implementations. The Vicarious Surgical robot utilizes a single port requiring a 1.5 cm incision ? smaller than the size of a dime ? for the insertion of the camera and two robotic instruments, transporting surgeons to a new world of visibility and maneuverability. To learn more about Vicarious Surgical goto: www.vicarioussurgical.com Also on this episode, cohosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman discuss the recent news from General Motors, owner of Cruise about the future of Cruise robotaxi service, and the other major news about the EU response to the Amazon iRobot proposed merger. If you like the show, please subscribe and tell a friend about it, this helps us grow our audience. Thanks.

In this podcast episode, we learn about the new Tangram Vision HiFi 3D sensor with Adam Rodnitzky and Brandon Minor from Tangram Vision. The company recently launched a Kickstarter for their new hardware product and the specs on this new sensor are promising to disrupt the depth sensor market for price and performance. Listen to the interview to learn more about this new product and search ?HiFi 3D Sensor? on Kickstarter to see the complete product specs and get in the queue for your own camera. Also on this episode, we sit down with David Pepper, cofounder and CEO of Next Generation Robotics, to learn how they innovate by offering ?optimization as a service? for expanded capabilities in fleet management and inventory movement within warehouses. The company has been developing its algorithms and setting up a cloud-based service for robotics vendors and warehouse management software (WMS) providers to tap into optimization algorithms for their specific workflows. The service is now available for use. Finally, cohosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman discuss the news of the week, focusing on Kyle Vogt's departure from Cruise and what this means for the autonomous robotaxi market. If you like the show, please subscribe and tell a friend about it, this helps us grow our audience. Thanks.

This episode features a double header of interviews, a recap of news from the week, and the reintroduction of Eugene Demaitre as a cohost of the show. We welcome Eugene Demaitre back to the show as he rejoins the editorial staff as editorial director at The Robot Report and WTWH Media. Eugene co-founded this podcast together with Steve Crowe. This week's first interview is with Craig Van den Avont, President at GAM Enterprises. GAM manufactures motion drives and other custom motion control solutions. The second interview is with Mor Peretz, CEO and co-founder of CaPow. CaPow is a startup innovating with wireless power delivery for AMRs and AGVs. Their unique solution can continuously deliver wireless power, enabling mobile robots' unique operation without a traditional battery onboard. The show is longer than normal this week, but both companies deliver unique value and innovation to their clients. For more information check out: GAM Enterprises: gamweb.com CaPow: capow.energy Show schedule: 28:19 - Interview with Craig Van den Avont - President at GAM Enterprises. 1:01:19 - Interview with Mor Peretz, CEO and Cofounder of CaPow

On the show today we recap the October funding stories and other robotics news stories of the last week, and then talk to Joyce Sidopoulis and Marita McGinn from MassRobotics about the upcoming 2024 MassRobotics Accelerator program (applications close Nov 30). For our featured interview, we talked to Brightpick CEO Jan Zizka about the capabilities and application of the new Brightpick mobile manipulator for eaches picking with the warehouse. For links to all of the stories with reference on the show today, check out the show notes on therobotreport.com

In this episode, we recap the recent RoboBusiness 2023 event and the recent news of Agility Robotics humanoid testing at Amazon. Our featured interview on this episode is with Dr. Kate Darling, who is joining Marc Raibert in her dream job at the Boston Dynamics AI Institute to head up their AI and ethics research group. We talk to Kate about everything from AI and humanoid robots to her kids' love affair with the Marty Robot at the local Stop and Shop supermarket. Note: This is a long episode, but there was so much to talk about with Kate, that we didn't want to cut anything out.

On the show this week, we check in with RGO Robotics cofounder and CEO Amir Bousani and Simon Jensen-Fellows from Verizon for an in-depth conversation about how AI is quickly evolving and how this will impact the perception and autonomy capabilities of mobile robots. Simon informs us on how Verizon's 5G network can support the edge computing and communication needs of the mobile robotics industry in the future. It's a look at how the architecture of the cloud and the edge is evolving to meet the growing needs of mobile robotics. We also cover the news of the week, including the announcement of a new funding round for mobile robotics software provider Formant, and we have a quick interview with Formant cofounder and CEO Jeff Linnell.

On this episode, we sit down with Vecna Robotics Founder and Chairman Daniel Theobald and talk about the perils of funding early-stage robotics startups and the experience that Daniel will bring to the Robotics Startup Workshop on October 18 at RoboBusiness 2023. Daniel also takes us behind the scenes at his latest venture at Twisted Fields on the California coast, his personal farm and ag-robotics test ground. It's a great conversation with one of the mobile robotics industry luminaries.

This week's podcast focuses heavily on the agricultural robotics industry. Mike shares his insights from FIRA USA and we sit down with Brandon Contino, CEO and co-founder of Four Growers, a startup building robots to harvest foods grown in greenhouses. Brandon talks about the technical and business challenges related to the robot and how focusing on greenhouses helps product evolution, We also recap the stories of the week, including how Toyota Research Institute is using Generative AI to help robots learn dexterous manipulation behaviors. TRI is looking to build Large Behavior Models for robots, akin to Large Language Models (LLMs) for conversational AI.

Our guest this week is a long-time friend of the show and industry innovator Melonee Wise. Melonee was a co-founder of Fetch Robotics (acquired by Zebra in 2021), and an early pioneer of mobile robotics at Willow Garage. Melonee recently joined Agility Robotics in the role of CTO, where she is leading the technical roadmap. She brings a breadth of experience in commercializing mobile robotic solutions. The interview with Melonee starts at 23:51. In addition, catch up on the latest news in the robotics world with hosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman.

Andrew Smith, CEO and co-founder of Outrider, takes us inside the company's efforts to commercialize yard automation. Outrider turns electric yard trucks into autonomous vehicles that couple tractor to trailer using its patented robotic arm and precisely maneuver between dock doors and parking spots. We also recap the tops stories of the week, including new GPT-based cobot arms, declining robot sales in North America and more. https://www.robobusiness.com/ https://www.outrider.ai/ https://www.therobotreport.com/doosan-microsoft-plan-to-build-gpt-based-robots/ https://www.therobotreport.com/a3-north-american-robot-orders-drop-for-2nd-quarter-in-a-row/ https://mobilerobotguide.com/2023/08/30/pudu-robotics-launches-open-platform-for-remote-management-of-amrs/

The humanoid robot market is quickly maturing. Our guest this week is Apptronik CEO and cofounder Jeff Cardenas. He tells the in-depth story about the development of legged robotics and humanoids at Apptronik and the launch of the company's first commercial humanoid robot, Apollo. With the launch of Apollo, Apptronik became one of the early innovators in the race to create a general-purpose humanoid robot. It turns out that the company has a rich history in legged robotics, having worked on the first generation of NASA Valkyrie robot, and multiple generations of exoskeletons since its founding in 2015.

In this episode, cohost Mike Oitzman sits down with ANYbotics Chief Commercial Officer Enzo Wälchli to learn all about the swiss designed quadruped robot. The ANYmal is designed to be explosion-proof and operate in extreme environments including inspection tasks for oil and gas processing facilities, offshore oil rigs, processing plants, manufacturing facilities and anywhere else that require a nimble mobile platform to operate. ANYbotics is expanding into North America, and Wälchli discusses how the company is approaching this expansion and building its distribution and support network. The company has been selling solutions in Europe since the launch of ANYmal in 2019. The company spun out of ETH Zurich in 2016.

This week, cohost Mike Oitzman catches up with a longtime friend and fellow podcaster Kevin Lawton, host of The New Warehouse Podcast. We talk about the state of automation in the warehouse and how the market is evolving. Be sure to check out The New Warehouse Podcast for everything related to warehouse operations and technology.

On the show this week we review the robotics industry news, including a story about the Ocado acquisition of 6 River Systems and the fire sale price that Ocado paid for the assets of 6 River Systems from Shopify earlier this year. The featured interview is a conversation with Aerobotix VP of Sales, Chris Kolb. Aerobotix builds and integrates robotic inspection, sanding, and painting systems for US military aircraft maintenance. The systems installed by Aerobotix even painted the US Air Force aircraft filmed for the original Top Gun Maverick movie.

This week we feature the Robotics Summit 2023 keynote fireside chat between Steve Crowe and Marc Raibert. Marc founded Boston Dynamics and led the company as CEO for 30 years until he left last year to found the AI Institute. Steve and Marc talk about the amazing innovation at Boston Dynamics and why Marc decided to switch gears and move to the AI institute. It's a memorable conversation that we wanted to feature on the podcast both for listeners who were unable to attend and as a recap for those who did attend the recent Robotics Summit in Boston.

On the show this week, we talk to Marc Segura, President of the ABB Robotics Division. Marc is an industry veteran with 25+ years at ABB. On the show, he gives us his perspective on the current state of the robotics market, the roadmap for ABB products and the future of mobile robots. Marc introduces us to the new lineup of ABB industrial robots with changeable link sizes, enabling 22 variants of four base models.

In this episode, we recap the recent LogiMat tradeshow in Europe with Waku Robotics founder and CEO Victor SplittGerber. Victor also brings us up to speed on the European AMR market and the evolution of the Lotsofbots online mobile robot database that Waku Robotics developed and maintains.

In this episode, we talk to Relay Robotics CEO Michael O'Donnell and CTO Steve Cousins about the features of the newly launched Relay2 delivery robot. O'Donnell discusses how the hotel foodservice market has changed during the pandemic and why third-party food delivery apps like Doordash have upended the room service market for hotels. The result is a renewed opportunity for a larger payload Relay robot to become an important addition to a hotel's service offerings for travelers. Cousins discusses the evolution of the elevator interface integration and the removal of the mechanical elevator-pushing interface that was a key part of the Relay1 robot.

This week we have the pleasure of interviewing Roberta Nelson Shea who was the 2023 Joseph F Engelberger Robotics Application Award winner. Roberta tells us some great stories from her career leading the development of worldwide robotics safety standards.

In this episode, we talk to Figure CEO and cofounder Brett Adcock about his vision for building general-purpose humanoid robots. The company recently closed its series A for $70M and is a year into the design and development of its first humanoid robot. This episode is sponsored by Cloud Ground Control.

In this episode, we go into detail about cloud-based control of remote fleets of outdoor robotics with an interview with Xavier Orr, CEO, of Advanced Navigation along with one of its customers: Michael Arens, co-founder and CEO of Clean Earth Rovers. Advanced Navigation has a portfolio of guidance sensors, a plug-and-play cellular modem, and the new Cloud Ground Control software.

This week, we recap the 2023 Robotics Summit event that took place last week in Boston. On the show, Mike Oitzman interviews Fox Robotics' new CEO Marin Tchakarov during a recent visit to Austin TX, and Mike also interviews Canvas Robotics' CEO and co-founder Kevin Albert about the innovation of using robots to help to finish dry wall at construction sites. This episode is sponsored by Cloud Ground Control, learn more at: https://www.cloudgroundcontrol.com/

Our guest this week is Christine Boles, Vice President in the Network & Edge Group (NEX) and General Manager of Intel?s Federal and Industrial Solutions. Robotics at Intel falls under Federal and Industrial Solutions, so Christine plays a pivotal role in developing Intel?s solutions roadmap for robotics developers. We talk to her about the key technologies available today from Intel, including software, hardware and sensors essential for robotics development. We?ll also learn what new technologies will be coming out from Intel in the near future.

In this episode, co-hosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman review some of their favorite 2023 RBR50 Innovation Award honorees, discussing innovation trends in robotics and what stands out as the state of the art in robotics development across the entire industry, from space robotics to your local grocery aisle.

In this episode, we review John Deere AgTech presented at the 2023 John Deere Technology Summit, and interview Jorge Heraud, VP of Autonomy at John Deere. Later in the episode we discuss the sensor and perception stack being developed to operate the Zoox autonomous vehicle with two of Zoox's technology leaders: RJ He and Ryan McMichael. If you love autonomous vehicles, this episode looks at the current state of AV technology in two of the key use cases.

This week, Steve and Mike recap all of the robotics-related technology on display at the 2023 ProMat tradeshow. Steve went to the show and shares his discoveries and some of the conversations with industry leaders. Mike reviews news from the NVIDIA GTC keynote and robotics-related news from NVIDIA.

In the news today, we talk about the breaking story about the impact of Silicon Valley Bank being closed and put into receivership by the FDIC and the impact that this is likely to have on technology startups and the VCs that support their growth. This rapidly evolving situation is likely to have repercussions for the tech industry the remainder of the year. Unrelated to the SVB story, we also interview Rylan Hamilton, co-founder and CEO of 6 River Systems about his start in robotics with Kiva Systems and how he started and built 6 River Systems into a leading AMR manufacturer that's now a major part of the Shopify family.

Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman discuss the uncloaking of Figure.AI, a new humanoid robot. They also discuss the latest with ChatGPT and what the latest release brings for roboticists. Our guest on the show today is Dejan Pangercic, co-founder and CTO of APEX.ai, an autonomous vehicle software company that has built a hardned OS around ROS 2. Dejan takes us through the features of the software and why it is an important solution for developers of autonomous vehicles today.

This week, co-hosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman talk to industry veteran Ted Larson, the co-founder and CEO of OLogic. Ted, and OLogic have helped many robotic entrepreneurs through the design & development process of complex systems. Ted shares some of his favorite stories and valuable tips related to the complexities of developing successful robotic solutions.

This week cohosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman explore the various robotic and automation solutions that were on display at the 2023 World Ag Expo in Tulare, CA. The episode features interviews with representatives from Monarch Tractor, Agtonomy, Carbon Robotics and Farmwise. Mike also discusses new solutions from Tevel Aerobotics, Farm-NG, Amos Power, Nexus Robotics, Bluewhite, Beewise, and Guardian Agriculture.

Cohosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman review the news of the week, including a wayward Marty robot "out for a fresh air break". Joining us on the show this week is Aaron Prather, who is one of the robotics industries best known influencers. Aaron is a frequent speaker and discusses his new role at ASTM and reflects on his prior experience evaluating new robotics and automation for logistics and warehouse workflows in his previous role at FedEx. If you work for a young robotics startup, this is a great conversation to learn how to prepare for and deliver on the needs of your early clients.

This week, co-hosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman review the latest Boston Dynamics Atlas video and how Atlas is getting more agile through simulation. Mike Oitzman reviews his recent trip to CES 2023, and features interviews with Aeolus Robotics Head of Product, Dan Haddick. Next we talk to Robosen Chief Marketing Officer Tony Crisp about the capabilities of Optimus Prime toy robot, and what's next on their roadmap. Finally, Mike recaps the recent IAC @ CES autonomous car race and interviews IAC founder Paul Mitchell.

Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman recap the top moments and biggest stories that happened in the robotics industry during 2022. Thanks again to all our listeners and guests for another great year!

This week we discuss the issue of police officers using robots with lethal force in emergency situations. After an initial 8-3 vote approving such a measure, San Francisco's board of supervisors reversed course this week and temporarily banned its police officers from using robots with lethal force. To break this all down, we're joined by Paul Scharre, Vice President and Director of Studies at the Center for a New American Security. ?Paul previously worked in the Office of the Secretary of Defense where he played a leading role in establishing policies around unmanned and autonomous systems and emerging weapons technologies.

To celebrate our 100th episode, we look back at our favorite guests and moments. We also look ahead at what's next for the show. Nic Radford, founder and CEO of Nauticus Robotics, joins the show to discuss his team's development of underwater robots. Leveraging experience developing space robots for NASA, Nauticus' underwater robots can perform inspection and maintenance tasks and much more.