The Robot Report Podcast

Ujjwal Kumar, Group President at Teradyne Robotics, Marc Segura, President of ABB Robotics, and Carole Franklin, Director of Standards Development at the Association for Advancing Automation, join to recap the 2025 Automate show. They discuss a pivotal shift towards AI and software in robotics, unveiling a new safety standard for humanoids. Innovations like ceiling-mounted systems for enhanced productivity are explored, along with insights into the UR15 launch and the crucial role of AI in shaping the future of automation and workforce training.

Giovanni Campanella, the Industrial Automation and Robotics General Manager at Texas Instruments, sheds light on the evolving landscape of robotics design. He discusses the crucial role of safety in humanoid robots and the need for innovative chipset solutions. The conversation highlights the expansion of robotics into healthcare and agriculture, exploring new applications and challenges. Giovanni also shares insights on the future of robotics technology, emphasizing the demand for adaptable engineers in a rapidly changing industry.

Experience the energy of the 2025 Robotics Summit live from the expo floor! Hear fascinating discussions about humanoid robots and the innovative Alpha 2 mobility aid. Dive into collaborations aimed at enhancing technology for the deafblind community. Learn from personal stories of networking success and the critical role of precision in robotics design. Listen to insights on iterative product development and the importance of community in shaping the future of robotics. Celebrate the vibrant international diversity enriching this transformative event!

Angus Pacala, Co-founder and CEO of Ouster Lidar, shares insights on groundbreaking advancements in lidar technology. He highlights how 3D lidar enhances safety and flexibility in industrial applications, surpassing traditional 2D systems. The discussion also covers Ouster's innovative hardware evolution, the critical role of software-defined capabilities, and the future of humanoid robotics. Pacala addresses the ongoing challenges of cost reduction and the imperative for continuous innovation in the fast-paced lidar landscape.

Rob Marshick, National Sales Manager for Enidine, shares insights on vibration control innovations that ensure robotic systems function at their best. He discusses how energy absorption and vibration isolation are crucial for extending equipment life and enhancing safety in manufacturing. The conversation also delves into tailored solutions for specific challenges faced in various sectors, highlighting the importance of collaboration between engineers and manufacturers. Marshick sheds light on the future of robotics as influenced by these technologies, making it a must-listen for industry enthusiasts!

Nick Thompson, CEO and co-founder of BOW, and Daniel Camilleri, CTO and founder of BOW, delve into the future of robotics. They discuss the industry's challenges, emphasizing the need for universal programming solutions. The BOW platform's innovative SDK aims to democratize robotics development, enhancing collaboration. They also explore partnerships that enrich technological advancements and how drones are revolutionizing emergency responses. Finally, the conversation touches on the integration of AI, making robotic programming more accessible and adaptive.

On the show this week, the entire editorial staff of The Robot Report discusses the 2025 winners of the RBR50 innovation awards. The editors talk about some of the standout solutions in this cohort of RBR50 winners, including Robot of the year: Waymo; Application of the year: TEPCO; Startup of the year: Mytra; Robots for good: Hello Robot. See the complete list on The Robot Report website: https://www.therobotreport.com/rbr50-2025/ ### This episode is sponsored by Enidine. Established in 1966, Enidine is a premier supplier of highly engineered products to extend equipment life, improve comfort, and increase safety and reliability throughout global industrial end markets. Enidine’s engineering team has designed custom energy absorption, vibration isolation, and noise attenuation solutions for a wide variety of challenging applications, including automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) and factory automation. Its wide array of innovative components has proven to be critical to our customers’ success. Learn more by going to https://www.enidine.com/en-us

Our guest this week is Ali Kashani, co-founder and CEO of Serve Robotics, who discusses the company's impressive growth, including a 700% revenue increase, and plans to scale their fleet of delivery robots significantly. He shares insights on partnerships, particularly with Magna for manufacturing and Uber for delivery services, and the challenges of expanding into new markets like Miami. The discussion also covers the role of AI in enhancing robot capabilities, the importance of adapting workflows for restaurant partners, and the future of last-mile delivery. Ali reflects on the journey from startup to public company and the endless possibilities for robotics in various sectors. Visit https://www.serverobotics.com/ to learn more. Co-hosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman recap the news of the week. ### Our sponsor this week is Wandelbots. Simplify automation without limits. Wandelbots NOVA is the agnostic robotics platform that lets you program any 6-axis robot - whether coding from scratch or generating paths with real-world data. Test in simulation, deploy seamlessly, and optimize workflows across brands - without vendor lock-in. Smarter automation starts here. Visit https://www.wandelbots.com/ to learn more.

On the show this week the co-hosts recap what they saw and learned about at the Promat and NVIDIA GTC 2025 trade shows. You'll hear the latest news and product announcements from the robot companies in attendance.

Our guest this week is Fabio Gehrlicher, Director of Market Expansion at Wandelbots. In the interview, they discuss the company's journey, focusing on its flagship product, Wandelbots NOVA, an agnostic operating system for robots. Fabio explains how NOVA simplifies robot programming, the integration of AI for path planning, and the benefits of simulation-based programming. The conversation also covers the target audience for NOVA, the architecture of the system, and the challenges of transitioning from simulation to real-world applications. Fabio shares insights on the ROI of using NOVA and the learning curve for new users, as well as Wandelbots' expansion into the US market and their upcoming showcase at ProMat 2023. Cohosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman catch up on the news of the week, including financial stress at iRobot, and news that Google DeepMind is introducing two Gemini-based models to bring AI to the real world. Gemini Robotics, is an advanced vision-language-action (VLA) model that was built on Gemini 2.0. It added physical actions as a new output modality for the purpose of directly controlling robots. ### Our sponsor this week is Wandelbots. Simplify automation without limits. Wandelbots NOVA is the agnostic robotics platform that lets you program any 6-axis robot - whether coding from scratch or generating paths with real-world data. Test in simulation, deploy seamlessly, and optimize workflows across brands - without vendor lock-in. Smarter automation starts here. Visit https://www.wandelbots.com/ to learn more.