The Robot Report Podcast

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.

Our guest this week is Mark Messina, the new Managing Director and CEO of ANSCER Robotics America. Mark discusses his journey in the robotics industry, the vision and technology behind ANSCER Robotics, and the strategies for market differentiation. He emphasizes the importance of building valuable products, the challenges of a saturated market, and his personal goals in leading the company. The discussion also touches on operational strategies, including the importance of having a frugal approach and the potential for future growth in the robotics sector. In this conversation, Mark Messina discusses the evolution of work culture towards remote settings, the challenges of building a company in the competitive robotics market, and the importance of understanding cultural differences in international business. He shares insights on finding a balance between work and personal life, navigating trade challenges, and the early successes of his company in the US market. To learn more goto: https://www.anscer.com/ 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.

Our guest this week is Dr Kevin Dowling, Managing Director of the Robotics Factory, discusses the role of the factory in fostering robotics startups in Pittsburgh. He outlines the factory's three main programs: Create, Accelerate, and Scale, which aim to support early-stage companies in various aspects of business development. The discussion also highlights the unique characteristics of Pittsburgh's robotics ecosystem, the importance of collaboration with institutions like Carnegie Mellon, and the challenges startups face in securing investment. Dowling emphasizes the significance of passion and drive in entrepreneurs, as well as the need for a solid IP strategy. The conversation concludes with an optimistic outlook for the future of robotics in the region. Learn more at: https://www.roboticsfactory.org/ Stay up to date with all the robotics news: https://www.therobotreport.com/ https://www.automatedwarehouseonline.com/ https://www.cobottrends.com/

Our guest this week is Jeff Cardenas, CEO and co-founder of Apptronik. We invited Cardenas onto the show to give us some insight into the $350 million in Series A funding round announced earlier this week for Apptronik. Apptronik is an Austin TX based humanoid robot manufacturer, and this round of funding is the second largest for a U.S. based humanoid robot startup, after the $650M funding round for Figure a year ago. Also on the show, we talk with Gene Demaitre, editorial director for The Robot Report, to catch up on what he saw and learned during his trip to the Manifest tradeshow this week. Finally, we catch on other big news of the week, including Fanuc's recent Q3 fiscal numbers and a new lineup of laser weeders from Carbon Robotics.

Our guest this week is Chris Painter, the Director of Technical Product Management at CNH Industrial. In this conversation, co-host Mike Oitzman and Chris talk about the advancements in precision agriculture, the critical role of connectivity, and the challenges faced by farmers in rural areas. They discuss the importance of real-time data for operational efficiency, the future of autonomy in farming, and the impact of AI on agricultural technology. Chris emphasizes the need for continuous connectivity to support autonomous vehicles and the ongoing challenges of labor in the agricultural sector. On the show we also catch up on the latest robotics news of the week including layoffs at Teradyne and Cruise, as well as the latest high reach mobile manipulator from Brightpick called "Giraffe". To learn more about CNH Industrial goto: https://www.cnh.com/

Our guest this week is Erin Linebarger, CEO and co-founder of Robotics88. In this conversation, Erin Linebarger discusses the innovative use of drones in wildfire management, particularly through prescribed fire techniques. The discussion covers the genesis of the company, the importance of data in fire management, the technology behind their drones, and the future of wildfire mitigation efforts globally. To learn more, goto: https://www.robotics88.com