246: automatica 2025: Exploring Innovation, Robotics, and Startups Across Bavaria, Germany, and Europe

You’ll want to grab yourself a pilsner for this episode. Manufacturing Happy Hour heads overseas to sample some fine German beer in the city of Munich…and we also headed to automatica 2025 while we were there.

Europe’s biggest AI and automation event is a must-visit if you can get over there. But if not, this episode has you covered.

Between event talks, demos, and trips to the beer garden, we met some amazing people behind robotics and AI companies in Germany and beyond. Chris Luecke and Jake Hall (The Manufacturing Millennial) speak to company founders, innovators, and robotics pioneers, including:

• Wendy Tan White, CEO, Intrinsic
• Dayana Ramirez Gutierrez, Chief of Innovation, TUM
• Nicole Ebner, Head of Robotics/AI Startup Incubator, TUM
• Dr. Martina Kohlhuber, Scientific Director TUM Campus
• Alwin Heerklotz, CEO, Innok Robotics
• Nikolas Roessler, CCO/CFO, Innok Robotics
• Dr. Christian Liedtke, Principal Consultant, KUKA
• Patrick Schwarzkopf, Managing Director, VDMA

You’ll hear what makes Germany, specifically Bavaria, a rising star in robotics innovation, how AI is powering robotics’ evolution (and vice versa), and how European businesses approach innovation.

 In this episode, find out:

• Wendy gives us background on Intrinsic and explains what AI adds to robotics’ potential today
• Why we’re at an inflection point with AI and robotics and the top trends that are driving the demand
• Why hardware and software are both equally important and why we need to think about the physical world as much as the digital
• The importance of hybrid skills and how a “confluence of knowledge” will drive more creativity and breakthroughs in tech  
• What we can learn about the innovation ecosystem in Munich
• How we can empower startups to bring tech from academia into the working world
• Why collaboration is the key thing that the world can learn from Bavaria and German manufacturing
• A background on Innok Robotics and why the founders decided to focus on AMRs in outdoor applications
• Why a niche market focus makes Innok Robotics stand out in their field
• Why growth in new markets depends on the customers’ approach to risk too
• What Germany brings to innovation – smart engineers
• Why AI is the push that robotics needs (and vice versa) so we can start doing more with physical AI
• Why more people should come to Automatica and see the reflection of European entrepreneurship and innovation
• The challenges facing innovative startups in Europe, and why investors should be more open to risk

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Tweetable Quotes:

• “The thing AI can do for traditional robotics is add vision, touch, dexterity in a way we've never been able to provide with sensors before or at least in a cost effective way.” – Wendy Tan White
• “Our customers in Germany are forward-thinking and they take not only the risk but also the pain to start with a product that’s not finished yet. I think that’s been an important part of getting to where we are now.” – Alwin Heerklotz
• “We come from a world that we describe as a deterministic world... now we move into a different paradigm with AI...the robots become skilled, like humans have skills." – Patrick Schwarzkopf

Links & mentions:

• automatica, the world's leading trade fair for smart automation and robotics, automatica brings together all key technologies in the technology hub of Munich
• Intrinsic AI, a platform for the next generation of intelligent automation, making it easier for developers and businesses to unlock the value of robotics
• TUM – Technical University of Munich, a university that brings talent from around the world to create innovations together
• munich_i, a top-level event in AI and robotics, presented at automatica 2025
• UnternehmerTUM, Europe’s largest center for startups and innovation
• robo.innovate, Bavaria’s deep-tech incubator for start-up projects in the field of intelligent robotics & AI
• Innok Robotics, providing an autonomous platform for outdoor applications, including AMRs
• KUKA, German manufacturer of industrial robots and factory automation systems
• VDMA, German Engineering Federation, one of the largest and most important industrial associations in Europe representing 3,600 German and European mechanical and plant engineering companies

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.