Fixing the Last Manual Step in Modern Logistics with Chris Smith

In this episode of Machine Minds, we dive into one of the most overlooked choke points in logistics: the loading dock. Chris Smith, founder and CEO of Slip Robotics, joins Greg to unpack why loading and unloading trucks remains one of the most manual, time-consuming processes in modern supply chains—and how Slip is transforming it with autonomous, high-payload mobile robots.

Chris brings a rare blend of firsthand operator insight and deep robotics experience. From continuous improvement roles at Cummins, to factory-scale automation at Tesla, to building heavy-payload robots at a previous startup, his career repeatedly exposed the same inefficiency: trucks spending hours being loaded and unloaded for trips that last minutes. Slip Robotics was born from the realization that this problem wasn’t unsolved because it was hard—it was unsolved because no one had redesigned the workflow end-to-end.

Slip’s solution is deceptively simple: a large, flat autonomous robot that becomes the staging lane, drives directly into trailers, stays with the freight during transport, and unloads autonomously on the other side. The result is five-minute loads, five-minute unloads, reduced labor, faster throughput, and dramatically improved dock utilization—without modifying trailers or docks.

In this conversation, Greg and Chris explore:

• Chris’s path from risk-averse engineer to founder—and why betting on yourself can be the most rational risk
• The real-world pain that inspired Slip Robotics, observed firsthand across manufacturing, warehousing, and factory logistics
• Why docks function as the “physical API” of logistics—and how Slip leverages that instead of fighting it
• The technical challenges of moving 12,000-pound payloads up dock levelers and trailer slopes
• Why Slip’s robots generate massive ROI despite moving only ~5% of the time
• Early customer deployments, including automotive OEMs cutting lead times in half within weeks
• How close, on-site collaboration with early customers shaped a scalable, commercial product
• Why Slip operates on a Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) model—and how it aligns incentives around uptime and performance
• Hiring for early-stage robotics startups: why the first 20–30 people must be both specialists and adaptable
• Slip’s core cultural principles, including “rapidly deploying elegantly simple solutions” and delivering disproportionate value to stakeholders
• Where logistics automation is headed—and why dock efficiency may be the biggest unlock in transportation networks
• Chris’s take on general-purpose robots vs. highly specialized form factors, and where humanoids may (or may not) fit

If you’re building robots, deploying automation, or thinking about how physical systems actually scale in real-world environments, this episode offers a clear-eyed look at how simplicity, speed, and workflow-first thinking can unlock massive value.

Learn more about Slip Robotics: https://sliprobotics.com

Connect with Chris Smith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-r-smith

Connect with Greg Toroosian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian