The Robot Report Podcast

We’ve got the entire editorial team on this episode as we look back at some of the biggest robotics stories of the year, including the highlights and low lights from the year. Listen to Steve Crowe, Mike Oitzman, Gene Demaitre, and Brianna Wessling as they recap the coverage of the news in 2024. We also hear some perspectives from some friends of the show and industry leaders, including Jeff Burnstein from A3, John Santagate from Körber Supply Chain, and Chris Walti from Mytra Systems. – SPONSOR – The show this week is sponsored by FlexQube. Move material with any size, shape, and weight with the FlexQube Navigator AMR, the world’s first multi-purpose and non-load-carrying robot. The FlexQube Navigator AMR features a standardized coupling interface to connect with an ecosystem of different load carriers depending on the customer's needs. The system also features a safety-rated identification of load carrier footprint to secure a safe and efficient scale-up of different use cases in a factory or warehouse. FlexQube Navigator – robotics that delivers! To learn more about FlexQube’s solutions goto: www.flexqube.com

In this discussion, Ben Wolff, co-founder and CEO of Palladyne AI, shares his insights from pivoting a robotics company from hardware to AI-driven software. He candidly addresses the challenges of this strategic shift and the impact of SPAC acquisitions. Ben emphasizes the significance of government contracts, revealing how Palladyne's hardware-agnostic software can teach robots complex tasks in under 20 minutes. He also highlights the importance of adaptability in the evolving robotics landscape and the exciting potential that lies ahead for AI applications.

Juliette Chevallier, Principal at Scale Venture Partners, brings her expertise in robotics and AI from Google Chauffeur to discuss the shift in venture capital focus towards execution risk. Joining her is Jasmeet Singh, founder of JMOON Ventures, who emphasizes investments in physical AI startups. Together, they delve into the current landscape of robotics investments, the importance of ROI clarity for startups, and the challenges startups face, including operational hurdles and market dynamics. Their insights unveil a vibrant yet cautious optimism in the robotics sector.

This week, cohost's Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman sit down with author and illustrator Peter Brown to discuss his children's books series: The Wild Robot. The first book in the series was recently released by Dreamworks as an animated movie and has seen tremendous box office success, topping $320 million worldwide and is on the top 100 list of high-grossing animated movies of all time. Peter takes us through his creative writing process, how he researched the book, and what it takes to write stories for children. He also shares the background research about robotics that he did for the book, and how he pulled the plot together for a robot that finds itself shipwrecked on an island filled with wild creatures. He describes why he chose the specific characteristics for the robot in the story. To learn more about Peter goto: https://www.peterbrownstudio.com/ The movie, animated by Dreamworks, is playing at a theater near you, and available now on many streaming services. If you like the episode, please like and subscribe. Thanks for listening

In this conversation, Andrew Clare, CTO of Nuro, discusses the company's evolution in the autonomous vehicle space, focusing on their innovative Nuro Driver technology. He elaborates on the expansion of their business model to include partnerships with automotive OEMs and the potential market for AI driving solutions. Clare highlights the challenges of urban versus highway driving, the importance of safety culture, and the technology stack required for autonomous vehicles. The discussion also touches on the differences between Level 4 and Level 5 autonomy, as well as the future direction of Nuro in integrating hardware and software solutions. – SPONSOR – The show this week is sponsored by RGo Robotics - RGo Robotics' Perception Engine is revolutionizing the AMR business through advanced Vision AI perception technology. Unlike traditional solutions, RGo’s software enables AMRs to adapt to changing environments and navigate complex spaces with unprecedented accuracy and the commissioning process is shorter and simpler. To learn more about RGo’s solutions goto: https://www.rgorobotics.ai/?utm_source=therobotreport&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=podcast&utm_id=n Submissions for presentations and registration are now open for the 2025 Robotics Summit: https://www.roboticssummit.com/

In this episode, co-hosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman cover the leading robotics news stories from the week. In the featured interview this week, Oitzman catches up with Amir Bousani, CEO of RGO Robotics, and Jacob Petersen, Chief Commercial Officer from Wheel.Me Robotics. We discuss the importance of perception for autonomous mobile robots, and discuss Wheel.Me's partnership and decision to leverage RGO Robotics perception engine in their platform. Learn more: https://www.rgorobotics.ai/ https://www.wheel.me/en-us This week, Collaborative Robotics publicly unveiled its Proxie mobile manipulator. We also get an update on Proxie from Brad Porter, founder and CEO of Collaborative Robotics. – SPONSOR – The show this week is sponsored by RGO Robotics - RGo Robotics' Perception Engine is revolutionizing the AMR business through advanced Vision AI perception technology. Unlike traditional solutions, RGo’s software enables AMRs to adapt to changing environments and navigate complex spaces with unprecedented accuracy and the commissioning process is shorter and simpler. To learn more about RGO’s solutions goto: https://www.rgorobotics.ai/?utm_source=therobotreport&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=podcast&utm_id=n Submissions for presentations and registration are now open for the 2025 Robotics Summit: https://www.roboticssummit.com/

Marc Segura, President of ABB's Robotics Division, shares insights on the fascinating integration of AI into robotics. He discusses current market trends and how U.S. robotics compares globally. Segura dives into the future of mobile manipulators versus humanoid robots and the evolution of collaborative robotics across various industries. The conversation highlights the importance of adaptability in robotics, as well as the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, especially in the face of changing market dynamics.

In this episode, cohosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman cover the leading robotics news stories from the week. From the news this week, check out the XPENG Iron humanoid robotics in this YouTube video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3wKyFE9HjM In the featured interview this week, Mike Oitzman and Eugene Demaitre interview Marko Bjelonic, CEO and co-founder of Swiss-Mile, discussing the innovative quadruped robot that combines wheels and legs for enhanced mobility. They explore the evolution of the robot from academic research to a commercial product, the engineering challenges faced, and the unique functionalities that set it apart. The discussion also covers potential applications in security and logistics, the importance of autonomy in robotics, and the future direction of Swiss Mile as a technology-focused company. Link: https://www.swiss-mile.com/ – SPONSOR – The show this week is sponsored by RGO Robotics - RGo Robotics' Perception Engine is revolutionizing the AMR business through advanced Vision AI perception technology. Unlike traditional solutions, RGo’s software enables AMRs to adapt to changing environments and navigate complex spaces with unprecedented accuracy and the commissioning process is shorter and simpler. To learn more about RGO’s solutions goto: https://www.rgorobotics.ai/ Submissions for presentations and registration are now open for the 2025 Robotics Summit: https://www.roboticssummit.com/

In this episode, co-hosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman discuss the latest video from Boston Dynamics showing Atlas electric humanoid in an autonomous material movement demo. The video shows the Atlas moving automotive parts from one storage bin to another bin. The hosts discuss the unique aspects of this video and how Atlas appears to move differently from the other competitive humanoid robots in recent demonstration videos. Submissions are now open for the 2025 RBR50 innovation awards. This awards programs celebrate robotics innovation in calendar year 2024, and open to any company worldwide who’s producing robotics or automation solutions. To learn more about the program and submit a nomination form, goto: https://www.therobotreport.com/2025-rbr50-robotics-innovation-awards-open-for-nominations/ In our feature interview this week, Mike Oitzman and Gene Demaitre sit down with Gili Ovadia, VP of Business Development at BionicHive to learn more about their unique warehouse automation solution. The BionicHive Squid mobile robot can drive along the floor of the warehouse, and climb into the warehouse racking to put or get boxes/totes from storage locations on higher shelves. We learn how the system works and discuss where BionicHive is deploying these automate storage solutions. You can learn more about BionicHive at: https://bionichive.com/ – SPONSOR – The show this week is sponsored by RGO Robotics - RGo Robotics' Perception Engine is revolutionizing the AMR business through advanced Vision AI perception technology. Unlike traditional solutions, RGo’s software enables AMRs to adapt to changing environments and navigate complex spaces with unprecedented accuracy and the commissioning process is shorter and simpler. To learn more about RGO’s solutions goto: https://www.rgorobotics.ai/

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