Left: Vivian Chu and Andrea Thomaz, the co-founders of Diligent Robotics; right: Kathleen Brandes and Ros Shinkle, the co-founders of Adagy Robotics. | Sources: Diligent Robotics, Adagy Robotics

Almost half of all startups that began in 2021 were formed by women, according to human resources cloud software company Gusto. Within the robotics industry, however, it’s a different story. Women make up only 34% of the STEM workforce, according to the National Girls Collaborative Project, and they hold only 16% of robotics and engineering roles. 

Those numbers, however, don’t tell us how many women start robotics companies. There isn’t a lot of data about the number of startups that begin every year or how many robotics companies are operating, in general. Let alone about the backgrounds of the founders behind them. 

To get a picture of how many women are founders of robotics companies, I combed through our 2024 February and March funding recaps. Of the 78 robotics companies that raised money during those two months, and whose founders could be identified, only 10 had a woman on their founding team, just 12.8%.

Of course, this metric doesn’t tell us how many robotics companies in general have female founders, but it does give us a better idea of what that breakdown might look like. This is why I spoke to Ros Shinkle and Kathleen Brandes, the founders of Adagy Robotics, and Andrea Thomaz and Vivian Chu, the founders of Diligent Robotics, about their experiences within the industry. 

Founders talk about the early days of a startup

Diligent and Adagy are in two very different places as companies. Adagy launched earlier this year, and it specializes in remote intervention services. Shinkle and Brandes are at the beginning of their journey as founders and are part of Y Combinator, a startup accelerator. They’re currently the only employees of the company. 

“Adagy Robotics is currently a remote intervention service for rescuing robots,” said Brandes, the company’s chief technology officer (CTO).

“For example, when a tractor robot fails in the field, instead of calling out to the farmer who has a lot more important things to do in his day, that tractor robot can now call out to our trained operators,” she said. “They’ll take over, drive the robot to safety, and allow it to resume its autonomous operations.”

Adagy looks to a future with AI

Today, Adagy Robotics is starting out with fully human-driven operations, said Shinkle, CEO. In the future, however, the company is interested in layering machine learning and generative AI techniques to assist human operators and allow them to do their jobs more efficiently. The company is also exploring error-prevention techniques for robots. 

“We’re really excited about logistics and manufacturing right now,” Shinkle said. “In particular, I think AMRs [autonomous mobile robots] are widely used in logistics. And although they’re widely used, they still continue to face the same kinds of problems.”

“For example, they often rely on these sort of dense visual clues called fiducials or APR tags to help localize in a facility,” she noted. “If one of those is scuffed or torn or falls down, the robots can get lost. This is a great example of a situation in which we could come in and help the robots get back safely. We’re also excited about manipulation and failed picking tasks as well.”

Shinkle and Brandes described the early days of running a startup as challenging but fun. Every day is about putting out the most urgent fire, said Shinkle.

Ros Shinkle and Kathleen Brandes, the founders of Adagy Robotics, met at Boston Dynamics. Source: Y Combinator

Bringing a startup to maturity 

On the other hand, Diligent Robotics was founded in 2017. Like many robotics companies, Diligent started in a research lab. Thomaz, the company’s co-founder and CEO, was running a robotics lab that Chu, its co-founder and CTO, joined as a Ph.D. student in 2012.

The start of the company was slow, Thomaz said. She was still a professor and Chu a graduate student. Tomaz’s lab earned two National Science Foundation grants that gave Tomaz and Chu the opportunity to learn from around 150 people in the healthcare industry. 

“I don’t know that we would have been able to start this company as two men,” Thomaz said. “Because the thing that we did, for two years at least, was go and embed ourselves in nursing teams, with a robot, and ask nurses, who are 80% women, ‘What would you have this robot do?’”

“I’m not sure we would have been as accepted in that community as a couple of guys with their robot,” she continued. 

Once they had found a use case that would address the needs of the industry, Thomaz and Chu said they spent a summer pitching and looking for venture capital. In total, Thomaz said they spent a year and a half in the research stage before officially launching the company.

Last year, Diligent hit 90 robots working in the field. Its flagship robot, Moxi, aids hospital staffers by performing non-patient-facing tasks like running supplies, delivering lab samples, fetching items from a central supply, distributing personal protective equipment (PPE), and delivering medications. Moxi is now opening 100,000 doors every month across its various deployments.

Diligent is dedicated to diversity

As Diligent Robotics has grown, Thomaz and Chu said they’ve actively tried to keep the company diverse. 

“Early on, we recognized that it’s not only important to have a diverse team, but to have a diverse team at all levels,” Thomaz said. “It’s really good to make sure that your most junior people aren’t the most diverse, and then your more senior people are all one type of person.”

Chu also said the team focused on making job postings well-known among all intersections of the robotics community, instead of just relying on the applications that passively came in. Shinkle echoed similar sentiments when talking about building Adagy’s team as it grows. 

“We believe that diversity is a strength,” Shinkle said. “Diversity of background and diversity of thought leads to stronger problem solving, so that’s definitely a closely held company belief.” 

Female founders find community within the industry 

All four of the women I spoke to both emphasized the importance of finding mentors and a community within the industry. 

“One thing that’s been really helpful is the amazing community, unity, and friendship that women have within the industry,” Brandes said. “We’ve become great friends and are now starting a company together, as one example. And I think fostering that community and having that community continue to grow and expand has been a big component.” 

“For me, it was fantastic seeing these role models that blaze through all of the stereotypes,” Chu said. “It really gives me the confidence to do the same.”

“I’ve had friends that obviously didn’t have that experience, and it’s hard hearing what they’ve had to go through,” she acknolwedged. “I’ve been very lucky to have some amazing champions throughout a lot of my career.” 

The founders also had advice to share with women who are considering starting a robotics company. 

“Reach out to as many people for advice as possible, because there’s so many that have gone through the startup journey,” Chu said. “If you collect a wide variety of people that you can reach out to … you can just continually ask questions.”

“My advice would be to just do it,” Brandes said. “Be confident that your are strong enough and successful enough to do this.” 

“I think robotics is a great place for female leadership,” Thomaz said. “Historically, there’s been a lot of really great trailblazers, and some people who’ve really defined the field like Manuela Veloso and Maya Tarik, and there are a bunch of other people that I’m not naming.”

“But I think that in and of itself makes robotics a great place for women to lead the way in commercialization as well,” she concluded. “It’s a big, broad systems-level problem, which I think requires a diverse solution, and so that’s ripe for a really diverse team.”

Editor’s note: The Robotics Summit & Expo this week will be hosting a Women in Robotics Breakfast and the MassRobotics Engineering Career Fair, among other networking events.

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Sanctuary’s seventh-generation Phoenix includes both hardware and software improvements. | Source: Sanctuary AI

Sanctuary AI today unveiled the seventh generation of its Phoenix humanoid robot. The Vancouver-based company said its upgraded robot is bringing it closer to the creation of the world’s first “human-like intelligence in general-purpose robots.”

This announcement comes less than 12 months after the company launched its sixth-generation robot, and less than 16 months after it first commercially deployed its fifth-generation humanoid in January 2023.

In this week-long pilot deployment, Phoenix worked at a Mark’s retail store in Langley, British Columbia. In that trial, Phoenix successfully completed 110 retail-related tasks, claimed Sanctuary Cognitive Systems Corp., which was founded in 2018 and does business as Sanctuary AI. 

The company said it made numerous improvements to both the robot’s hardware and its AI control system Carbon.

“It’s incredible to see the progress that has been made in just 11 months,” stated Geordie Rose, co-founder and CEO of Sanctuary AI. “With Generation 7, we have a system that we believe is the most closely analogous to a person of any available.”

“We see this as not only the cornerstone of general-purpose AI robotics but a critical step on the path to artificial general intelligence, and we’re thrilled to be leading the charge on it,” he added. “This all adds up to being able to capture increasing quantities of higher-quality, higher-fidelity human behavioral data, which in turn will expedite the development of foundational AI models and customer deployments.”

This generation of Phoenix excels at human behavioral data capture, giving Carbon access to some of the best training data available. the company asserted. 

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Sanctuary AI obtains IP toward general-purpose robots

In December 2023, Sanctuary AI announced that it had acquired intellectual property (IP), adding to its asset portfolio of touch and grasping technologies. At the time, the company said it expected the assets from Giant.AI Inc. and Tangible Research to play a pivotal role in its construction of general-purpose robots.

Sanctuary AI credited these IP assets with expanding its patent portfolio centered around grasping technology. These include visual servoing, real-time simulation of the grasping process, and mapping between visual and haptic data. While it not confirm whether they went into Phoenix, it seems likely.

Phoenix includes several upgrades 

Sanctuary listed the following the upgrades in its latest release:

• Phoenix now has increased uptime, which means that it has more time for training and data capture. 
• The robot also now has increased build and commissioning speed, allowing Sanctuary to bring more units online faster. 
• Sanctuary has reduced Phoenix’s bill of materials, reducing the cost of manufacture. 
• The company has increased range of motion in the wrists, hands, and elbows. It has also increased hand durability. 
• Sanctuary said it further miniaturized hydraulics, resulting in reduced weight, power consumption, and complexity, with increased hardware and software measures that exceed specified safety standards. 
• Phoenix has improved visual acuity and tactile sensing, leading to higher-fidelity data to train the AI control system. 
• The time it takes for new tasks to be automated has gone from weeks to less than 24 hours, marking a major inflection point in task automation speed and autonomous system capability.

Earlier this month, Sanctuary AI announced a strategic partnership with Magna International. Through this expanded partnership, the company plans to equip Magna’s automotive component factories with general-purpose AI robots. It also plans to engage Magna to manufacture the Phoenix robots under contract in the future. 

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Rockwell works with partners to streamline automated manufacturing. Source: Business Wire

Rockwell Automation yesterday announced that it is working with Microsoft “to enable intelligent factories by simplifying complexity and helping empower customers to achieve sustainability goals and operational excellence.” The companies said their innovations will be on display this week at Hannover Messe.

Late last year, Rockwell added Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service to its FactoryTalk Design Studio to accelerate time to market for its customers. The partners said they “will provide cutting-edge industrial transformation systems across the value chain, rapidly, and at scale with AI-assisted design, connected data, and agile production optimization.”

“Rockwell’s partnership with Microsoft is a shared vision of creating and delivering the best solutions to empower the future of industrial operations,” stated Nicole Denil, global vice president of market access at Rockwell Automation. “We simplify complexity in how manufacturers design, operate, and maintain their enterprises and empower their people.”

Rockwell Automation develops industrial automation and digital transformation systems. The Milwaukee-based company employs approximately 29,000 people in more than 100 countries.

In 2021, it made $7 billion in sales, over $3 billion of which were in intelligent devices. In September 2023, Rockwell acquired mobile robot maker Clearpath Robotics and its OTTO Motors unit.

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Partners to apply AI to design, simulation

Rockwell’s FactoryTalk Design Studio is a cloud-based, software-defined industrial automation design environment. The company said it enables developers to improve their collaboration and productivity with a simplified way to work.

Microsoft and Rockwell said the integration of Azure OpenAI Service into FactoryTalk Design Studio will help engineers generate code using natural language prompts, automate routine tasks, and improve design efficiency. Manufacturers will have access to edge AI, Internet of Things (IoT), and automation systems to allow people, processes, and technology to operate seamlessly between physical and digital twin environments, they asserted. 

Microsoft claimed that Azure’s adaptive cloud approach will enable manufacturers to unify and streamline siloed teams, sites, and systems with FactoryTalk edge and cloud systems while scaling applications and insights. 

“Manufacturers are always looking for ways to drive modernization, optimize efficiency, and reduce costs,” said Dominik Wee, corporate vice president of manufacturing and mobility at Microsoft. “By combining Microsoft’s AI capabilities and trusted cloud platform with Rockwell’s industrial automation solutions, manufacturers will have the tools they need to speed up these objectives and create smart factories of the future.”

The companies are also building on their recently announced partnership with NVIDIA. The trio said it’s working to allow the creation, real-time management, and simulation of digital twins that will be accelerated using Microsoft’s AI-assisted tools and cloud technology. 

In addition, the companies are integrating Rockwell’s Plex manufacturing execution system (MES) with FactoryTalk Data Mosaix and Microsoft’s Cloud for Manufacturing. Manufacturers will benefit from AI tools that help drive productivity, safety, and quality, said the partners. All of these tools focus on resolving quality issues with corrective actions and root-cause analysis. 

See Rockwell Automation at the Robotics Summit

Ryan Gariepy, the co-founder and chief technology officer of Clearpath Robotics, a subsidiary of Rockwell Automation, will be speaking at the Robotics Summit & Expo on May 2 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

His talk, “The Bots Are Here. What’s Next?” will take a look at how companies and organizations can take advantage of the latest robotics trends to shape their futures.

The Robotics Summit & Expo focuses on the design, development, and scaling of commercial robots. WTWH Media, which also produces The Robot Report, said it expects a record 5,000 attendees and more than 200 exhibitors. This year’s event will also include an Automated Warehouse track and pavilion. Register now for the event.

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Custom user interface for Flexiv Rizon 4 sanding robot. Source: Flexiv Robotics

By integrating sensing, robotics, and artificial intelligence, Flexiv Robotics Inc. claimed that it can improve multiple industrial processes, from sanding to sortation. It develops and manufactures general-purpose, adaptive robots.

Founded in 2016, Flexiv produces the Rizon arm with seven degrees of freedom and the Moonlight force-controlled parallel robot. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company has offices in China, Taiwan, and Singapore.

Last month, Red Bluff, Calif.-based systems integrator DOCO Engineering partnered with Flexiv to further expand its presence in North America. More recently, Flexiv shared a case study and Earth Day initiatives.

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EsVata Shutter chooses, quickly installs Rizon 4

Flexiv Robotics recently helped Rosemead, Calif.-based EsVata Shutter automate sanding of window blinds. The company said its adaptive technology sped up the sanding process by 80% and increased the quality and consistency of surface finishing.

“Our commitment to quality led us to select the Rizon 4 from a sea of competitors,” stated Paul Hsieh, founder of EsVata. “Its exceptional precision, powered by advanced force sensors in each of its seven joints, made it the ideal solution for our sanding needs.”

Flexiv said it combined its robotic arm and sensing technology with an OnRobot Sander to free employees for more value-added tasks.

Howard Huang, operations director for North America at Flexiv, replied to the following questions from The Robot Report:

What was required to integrate Flexiv and EsVata’s systems?

Huang: The integration of Flexiv’s Rizon 4 sanding solution within EsVata’s production facility required a customized approach due to EsVata’s lack of a PLC [programmable logic controller] or an existing automated production environment.

Understanding that EsVata is a smaller manufacturer that values modularity and customizability, we implemented a standalone system to boost EsVata’s production capabilities that didn’t necessitate a comprehensive revamp or modification of their current infrastructure, enabling a smooth, trouble-free integration.

How long did it take to set up?

Huang: Integrating Flexiv’s technology into EsVata’s manufacturing operations was achieved in a relatively brief period. The initial setup, which included the installation, configuration, and calibration of the robotic system, was completed in about three days.

This quick deployment reflects the system’s inherent useability and ease of programming, as well as the effective collaboration between Flexiv’s and EsVata’s technical teams. With the installation completed over a long weekend, starting on the Saturday, production was able to resume on Tuesday.

Rizon has automated shutter sanding at EsVata. Source: Flexiv Robotics

System reduces staff effort, production time

What do the people who previously did this sanding do now? Do they supervise the robots, or what other tasks can they do?

Huang: With the sanding solution incorporated into the production line, some staff members have transitioned into supervisory roles to monitor the automated processes or have been assigned to specialized sanding tasks that require a human touch, such as fine corner sanding, which the robot is not programmed to handle.

This redistribution of labor has safeguarded jobs by increasing production efficiency and improved job satisfaction by reducing the physical strain and the monotony associated with manual sanding tasks.

How long did it take for EsVata to realize the time savings on the shutter sanding?

Huang: EsVata recognized the time savings immediately, as the efficiency gains were apparent from the onset of the system’s initiation. With the massive reduction in the time taken to sand a shutter, it was clear that our sanding solution could not only replicate the human sanding process, but also do it far quicker and to a higher standard.

To get consistency of output with manual labor requires a time investment, whereas for a robot, replicating a precise set of actions to achieve a predetermined outcome is simple. As the robot never tires or makes a mistake, it was obvious that the automated system would be faster, but both EsVata and ourselves were surprised at the 80% time decrease.

What are the next steps in this deployment?

Huang: While the current project is complete, EsVata is contemplating installing further adaptive automation solutions within its factory to boost production capacity. This decision is being carefully considered, taking into account a return-on-investment [ROI] analysis, prevailing market conditions, and EsVata’s strategic expansion goals.

An EnVata worker supervises the Rizon sanding robot. Source: Flexiv Robotics

Flexiv Robotics gripper, cleaning station to aid recycling  

Last week, Flexiv Robotics said it has modified the Grav Enhanced robotic gripper to be cleaned in its Grav Enhanced Automated Cleaning Station. The company said this helps the gripper retain its effectiveness in picking up objects weighing up to 5 kg (11 lb.) and those covered with dust.

For Earth Day today, Flexiv showed off a combination of its Grave Enhanced Gecko Gripper, a Rizon 4 adaptive robot, a 3D depth camera, and its AnyGrasp algorithm to identify and sort household waste for recycling (see video below). The company added that the new cleaning station has helped expand its product capabilities.

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In this episode, we talk to Matt Casella from Richtech Robotics about the Adam bartending robot, and then to Chris Padwick from John Deere about creating vision models for spraying weeds in the field.

Both interviews occurred during NVIDIA’s GTC event last month, and both companies use NVIDIA technology in their AI-powered robots.

Show timeline

• 23:54: Interview with Matt Casella, President of Richtech Robotics
• 44:14: Interview with Chris Padwick, director of machine vision learning, from John Deere Autonomous Solutions

News from this week

Boston Dynamics unveils electric Atlas humanoid robot

On Tuesday, Boston Dynamics retired the previous version of Atlas after about 15 years of development. It paved the way for numerous other humanoid robots.

As you have probably seen on YouTube, Atlas was surprisingly agile, given its hydraulics and bulk. In fact, Atlas won an RBR50 award for its demonstration of running and delivering tools at a simulated construction site at the company’s headquarters in Waltham, Mass.

At the same time, the company has not been shy about showing the many falls and missteps on the way to increasingly robust locomotion and dexterous manipulation.

On Wednesday, Boston Dynamics announced a new, all-electric version intended for eventual commercial use. 

Mentee Robotics decloaks with its own AI-powered humanoid

Perhaps overshadowed by Boston Dynamics’ announcement the same day, Mentee Robotics came out of stealth and unveiled its first bipedal humanoid robot prototype. A team with experience in machine, computer vision, and other fields founded the Herzliya, Israel-based company in 2022.

Mentee Robotics said its AI-powered robot will understand natural-language commands and be based on a simulation-to-reality model. The company acknowledged that more work is to be done and said it is aiming for the household and warehouse markets. Like Boston Dynamics, it is aiming to have more robots to show in 2025.

Locus Robotics surpasses 3B picks mere months after last milestone

Locus Robotics Corp. this week said it has surpassed 3 billion total picks across its global customer deployments. The Wilmington, Mass.-based company reached this milestone just 33 weeks after it recorded its 2 billionth pick.

Locus claimed that the achievement underscores its continued rapid growth and solidifies its position as a leader in AI-powered robots for the warehouse.

California committee passes AV ban

On Wednesday, the California Senate Committee on Local Government passed legislation allowing local municipalities to ban and tax autonomous vehicle (AV) deployment.

Last year was one of California’s deadliest for roadway fatalities, largely because of human behaviors including distracted driving, drunk driving, and speeding. The legislation by Sen. Dave Cortese takes control away from state-level agencies like the DMV and California Public Utilities Commission, which have approved the rollout of AVs.

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The MOTOMAN NEXT series, which is powered by NVIDIA Jetson Orin and Wind River Linux. | Source: Yaskawa Electric

Wind River Systems Inc. this week announced that Yaskawa Electric Corp. is using Wind River Linux in the development of its new product MOTOMAN NEXT. The company said its software will enable Yaskawa’s industrial robots to autonomously adapt to their environment and make judgments with advanced artificial intelligence. 

MOTOMAN NEXT is powered by NVIDIA Jetson Orin and Wind River Linux. Yaskawa claimed that these systems will help the robot “realize new levels of intelligence and autonomy.”

Founded in 1915, Yaskawa Electric said it has transformed from a motor manufacturer and an automation company to a mechatronics company. The Katakyushu, Japan-based business provides servo motors, controllers, AC drives, and industrial robots.

AI opens new possibilities, says Wind River

“AI is opening exciting new pathways,” stated Amit Ronen, chief customer officer at Wind River. “We are pleased to support the next generation of AI-capable robotics from an industry leader such as Yaskawa in combination with Wind River Linux and NVIDIA Jetson.”

“Together with Yaskawa and NVIDIA, we can help teams rapidly innovate in machine learning and AI to deliver more intelligent systems,” he added.

Wind River Linux helps teams develop, deploy, and operate robust, reliable, and secure embedded systems running on a purpose-built Linux operating system, according to Wind River. The Alameda, Ca.-based company said it offers high stability and security to meet high-performance needs for mission-critical applications.

Yaskawa MOTOMAN NEXT gains perception, judgement 

Wind River and Yaskawa Electric said that MOTOMAN NEXT can handle challenging tasks in unstructured environments. This allows it to drive automation into new application areas that were previously challenging because of the need for human-level perception and judgment capabilities. 

MOTOMAN NEXT can execute tasks based on its understanding of changes in its surrounding environment and the system’s status, claimed the companies. This includes accounting for other robots and peripheral devices.

The robot can perform complex tasks, like navigating an optimal path to avoid obstacles or sorting and boxing items of varying color and shape. Yaskawa and Wind River said the robot can also handle tasks with many variables and uncertain elements. 

MOTOMAN NEXT’s autonomous control unit uses Wind River Linux and runs on NVIDIA Jetson Orin, a platform for edge AI, embedded intelligence, and robotics applications. 

NVIDIA said Jetson provides scalable software, a modern AI stack, production-ready ROS packages, and application-specific AI workflows. The company added that it can share AI software and cloud-native workflows while delivering the power-efficiency required for building software-defined autonomous machines and edge AI systems.

The companies added that the combination of Wind River Linux and the NVIDIA Jetson platform enables advanced AI edge applications. 

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Goodbye to the hydraulic version of Atlas and hello to the electric model designed for commercialization. That’s the message from Boston Dynamics Inc., which yesterday retired the older version of its humanoid robot after 15 years of development and today showed a preview of its successor.

“The next generation of the Atlas program builds on decades of research and furthers our commitment to delivering the most capable, useful mobile robots solving the toughest challenges in the industry today: with Spot, with Stretch, and now with Atlas,” said the company in a blog post. Spot is a quadruped used in facilities inspection and other tasks, and Stretch is designed to unload trucks.

Boston Dynamics began with humanoids by sawing one of its pneumatically powered quadrupeds in half back in 2009. By 2016, the Waltham, Mass.-based company showed that its robot could walk, open a door, and maintain its balance while being shoved by a person holding a hockey stick, all without a tether.

Roboticists continued to improve Atlas, giving it a smaller form factor and more sensors, training its artificial intelligence, and enabling it to do increasingly impressive feats. They ranged from parkour and dancing to taking tools through a mock construction site.

In fact, it was that demonstration of Atlas manipulating a plank, picking up a bag of tools, and taking it to a worker that earned Boston Dynamics an RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award. The company will be exhibiting at the RBR50 Showcase at the Robotics Summit & Expo on May 1 and 2.

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Boston Dynamics evolves with the times

As capable as the YouTube darling was, the older version of Atlas still had limitations, both in range of motion and in terms of size and power usage. Boston Dynamics noted that it designed its legged robots to operate in unstructured environments, and it acknowledged that Atlas was initially a research and development project rather than a commercial product.

In the meantime, the company itself changed owners, from Google in 2013 to SoftBank in 2017 and most recently to Hyundai in 2020. Along with those changes came an increasing focus on robots such as Spot and Stretch serving industrial needs. To continue pure research, Hyundai founded the Boston Dynamics AI Institute in 2022.

“The AI Institute recently launched a new version of Spot with an API [application programming interface] designed for researchers,” said Robert Playter, CEO of Boston Dynamics. “We’re talking about how to jointly solve some big challenges — the diversity of manipulation tasks we need to do with this robot [Atlas] is huge, and AI is essential to enabling that generality.”

Playter told The Robot Report that Boston Dynamics needs results within two to three years, while the AI Institute has more of a five-year timeframe.

Robot lessons apply to fleets, new Atlas

“It takes a solid year from a clean sheet to a new robot,” said Playter. “We wanted to know that we could solve essential dexterous manipulation problems before releasing the product.”

Boston Dynamics learned numerous lessons from commercializing Spot and Stretch, he said. It has improved control policies, upgraded actuation, and minimized joint complexity. The new Atlas has three-fingered grippers.

The Orbit fleet management software, which initially applies to indoor deployments of Spot, could also help supervise Stretch and Atlas.

Atlas gets ready for mobile manipulation in industrial settings. Source: Boston Dynamics

“Everything we understood, from the time of launching Spot as a prototype to it being a reliable product deployed in fleets, is going into the new Atlas,” Playter said. “We’re confident AI and Orbit will help enhance behaviors. For instance, by minimizing slipping on surfaces at Anheuser-Busch, we proved that we can develop algorithms and make it reliable.”

“Now, 1,500 robots in our fleet have them running,” he added. “It’s essential for customers like Purina to monitor and manage fleets as a vehicle for collecting data. As we develop and download new capabilities, Orbit becomes a hub for an ecosystem of different robots.”

Safety and autonomy are basic building blocks

Boston Dynamics has considered safe collaboration in its development of the new Atlas. ASTM International is developing safety standards for legged robots.

“We recognized early on that Atlas is going to work in spaces that have people in them,” said Playter. “This sets the bar much higher than lidar with AMRs [autonomous mobile robots].”

“We started thinking about functionally safe 3D vision,” he recalled. “We started with Stretch inside a container, but ultimately, we want it going everywhere in a warehouse. Advanced, functionally safe, remote vision and onboard systems are essential to solving safety.”

While Spot and Atlas are often teleoperated, Playter said this is a necessary step toward greater levels of autonomy.

“Making the robots knowledgeable about different types of objects and how to grasp them, teleoperation is just a tool for providing examples and data to the robot,” he explained. “It’s not a useful way of building intuition, but it’s easier if you can operate robots at a higher and higher level. Like you don’t need to tell Spot where to plant its feet, you don’t want to tell Atlas where to grasp.”

In the new video below, the previous version of Atlas handles automotive parts and real products weighing up to 25 lb. (11.3 kg).

Atlas ready for rivals in the humanoid race

Over the past two years, the number of humanoid robots in development has rapidly grown. It now includes Agility Robotics‘ Digit, Tesla’s Optimus, and Figure AI‘s Figure 01. In the two past weeks alone, Rainbow Robotics, Sanctuary AI, and Mentee Robotics have all made announcements.

Investment has also been flowing to humanoid companies, with 1X Technologies raising $100 million in January, Figure AI raising $675 million in February, and Accenture investing in Sanctuary AI in March.

Humanoid robots have advanced in parallel with generative AI, and Playter said he welcomes the competition.

“There were three seminal events: Boston Dynamics got acquired for $1 billion, interest in Tesla’s robot validated what we’ve done for a long time, and the emergence of new AI holds the promise of generalization of tasks,” he said. “They’ve inspired lots of new players, but having new tech isn’t all you need to have a commercial product. You need to focus on a use case, build a reliable machine, and manufacture it in a way to build a business. We want to avoid a ‘humanoid winter,’ so rollouts have to be real.”

Playter added that practical design and proper implementation of AI will help differentiate robots rather than focusing on making them more human-like. The new version of Atlas demonstrated that point in how it stood up in the video at the top of this article.

“It’s not talking to a robot that moves the needle, but whether you can build a robot that eventually does 500 tasks,” he said. “Anthropomorphism blows things out of perspective. We did not want a human-shaped head for Atlas. We want people to remember it’s a machine and that it can move in ways humans can’t.”

The financial stability of the businesses involved will also be relevant for commercial success, said Playter. 

“It takes sustained investment; these are expensive products to launch,” he noted. “Having products already out helps build momentum.”

Atlas is humanoid — to a point. Source: Boston Dynamics

When will we see the new robot in the wild?

Boston Dynamics will begin testing the all-electric version of Atlas with parent company Hyundai and select partners next year, said Playter.

“We’re beginning in their factory,” he told The Robot Report. “In addition to the target application of a lot of parts movement — a special kind of logistics in automotive production — I think that will evolve as the dexterity of the robots improves over time.”

“We see robots in the workplace as an evolution, a continuum from Spot to Atlas,” asserted Playter. “Each product in the series informs the launch of the next.”

“Industries will have to figure out how to adapt and incorporate humanoids into their facilities,” he said. “We’ll actually see robots in the wild in factories beginning next year. We want a diversity of tasks.”

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Electric Sheep is vertically integrating its field operations team with autonomous mowers. | Credit: Electric Sheep

This year, the annual RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards added new categories: Application of the Year, Startup of the Year, and Robot of the Year. We received numerous submissions for some incredible startups innovating in some interesting markets. The Robot Report‘s team chose autonomous landscaping company Electric Sheep Robotics as the inaugural RBR50 Startup of the Year.

The San Francisco-based company has a novel business plan that is immediately bringing in revenue while it takes its time to evolve the underlying technology. This is different from many robotics businesses, which simply sell or lease systems to integrators and end users.

“We are honored to be recognized by WTWH Media’s Robotics Group with this inaugural award. I want to also acknowledge our dedicated team at Electric Sheep that are passionate about creating the most advanced robotics that can change an often overlooked industry,” stated Nag Murty, co-founder and CEO of Electric Sheep. “We are doing things differently than other robotic companies by using AI and ML at a higher level for localization and high-level control. We are scaling physical agents across the country to care for our outdoor spaces.”

Founded in 2019, Electric Sheep has grown to over 100 employees, and it has raised more than $25 million in funding to date, according to Crunchbase.

You can also learn more about Murty’s entrepreneurial philosophy and Chief Technology Officer Michael Laskey’s design principles on a recent episode of The Robot Report Podcast.

Acquisitions add data for autonomy AI

Electric Sheep develops autonomous robots for outdoor maintenance. Its flagship robot is an autonomous mower backed by the company’s ES1 foundation model.

Based on recent advances in generative AI, ES1 is a learned-world model that enables reasoning and planning for the Verdie robot. ES1 powers both the RAM robot for mowing and now Verdie for edging and trimming lawns and bushes and blowing leaves.

In addition, Electric Sheep acquired four landscaping companies last year and said that this is a key part of its long-term plan. This strategy isn’t just about revenue. The businesses it acquires can also use ES1 and provide crucial data to make the model more effective.

This information can help improve Electric Sheep’s operations, enabling its robots to start working as soon as they arrive at a job site. 

Since taking this two-pronged approach to development and business, the company reported that its sales have grown eightfold. Electric Sheep has set itself apart from other startups by making sure it always has money coming in and by finding a unique way to get important data about its business.

Meet Electric Sheep at the Robotics Summit & Expo 

This year’s RBR50 award winners will be celebrated at the Robotics Summit & Expo, which will be on May 1 and 2 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Electric Sheep will be demonstrate its newest robot powered by ES1, Verdie, the RBR50 showcase on the expo floor.

Attendees at the 2024 Robotics Summit and Expo at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center will have an opportunity to meet members of Electric Sheep’s executive team. Co-founder and CEO Nag Murty will present a session titled “Startup Survival Guide to Lean Times” at 2:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 2.

Murty will be joined by Oliver Mitchell, partner of ff Venture Capital; Fiona O’Donnell McCarthy, principal of True Ventures; and Steve Crowe, executive editor of robotics at WTWH Media. This panel will share tips from experienced investors and robotics companies on what they’re looking for and attendees will learn how organizations can navigate the challenging path to commercialization.

In addition, tickets are available for the first RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards Gala, which will be at the end of Day 1 of the event. The Robotics Summit & Expo will be the biggest yet, with keynotes and sessions from leading companies, more than 200 exhibitors, up to 5,000 attendees, a Women in Robotics Breakfast, and a Robotics Engineering Career Fair.

Co-located events include DeviceTalks Boston, which focuses on medical devices, and the inaugural Digital Transformation Forum. which will focus on manufacturing. Registration is now open for the Robotics Summit.

Learn from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and many more.

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Two Autopicker mobile manipulators in a warehouse aisle. Source: Brightpick

This year, the annual RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards added new categories: Application of the Year, Startup of the Year, and Robot of the Year. We received numerous submissions, but the Autopicker system from Brightpick stood out for automating both mobile manipulation and each picking.

Other robots combining mobility with manipulation have come and gone, from Fetch and Freight to Swift, in part because getting to commercially viable levels of reliability has been challenging. Not only has Autopicker added newer artificial intelligence to the mix, but it has also been deployed in existing customer warehouses.

“On the AI side, this was not possible five to six years ago,” Jan Zizka, co-founder and CEO of Brightpick, told The Robot Report. “Serious breakthroughs enable machine learning to generalize to unseen items.”

Autopicker learns with each pick

Autopicker combines a mobile base, a robotic arm, machine vision, and AI for e-commerce order fulfillment. The system reduces the need for warehouse associates to travel with carts, thanks to its patented design, which enables it to pick items from standard shelving and place them in either of two totes.

Brightpick said Autopicker can pick groceries, cosmetics, electronics, pharmaceuticals, apparel, and more with 99.9% accuracy. Its AI algorithms have been trained on more than 500 million picks to date, and they are improving with each pick, added the company.

Announced in February 2023, the system also supports pallet picking, replenishment, dynamic slotting, buffering, and dispatch. It can store up to 50,000 SKUs, said Brightpick. It also offers a goods-to-person option for heavy or hard-to-pick items, and Autopicker can raise its bins to waist height for ergonomic picking.

In the past year, customers such as Netrush and Rohlik Group began deploying the company’s latest system. Autopicker is available for direct purchase or through a robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) model.

See Brightpick at the Robotics Summit & Expo 

Cincinnati-based Brightpick is a unit of Bratislava, Slovakia-based machine vision provider Photoneo s.r.o. The company said its systems can “enable warehouses of any size to fully automate order picking, consolidation, dispatch, and stock replenishment.”

Brightpick, which has more than 200 employees, claimed that its robots take only weeks to deploy and can reduce labor assigned to picking by 98% and picking costs by half. In January 2023, the company raised $19 million in Series B funding for its U.S. expansion, and it said demand for Autopicker has been strong.

This year’s RBR50 award winners will be celebrated at the Robotics Summit & Expo, which will be on May 1 and 2 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Brightpick will be part of the RBR50 showcase on the expo floor.

In addition, tickets are available for the first RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards Gala, which will be at the end of Day 1 of the event. The Robotics Summit & Expo will be the biggest yet, with keynotes and sessions from leading companies, more than 200 exhibitors, up to 5,000 attendees, a Women in Robotics Breakfast, and a Robotics Engineering Career Fair.

Co-located events include DeviceTalks Boston, which focuses on medical devices, and the inaugural Digital Transformation Forum. which will focus on manufacturing. Registration is now open for the Robotics Summit.

Learn from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and many more.

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The AMD Versal AI Edge and Prime Gen 2 are next-gen SoCs. Source: Advanced Micro Devices

To enable more artificial intelligence on edge devices such as robots, hardware vendors are adding to their processor portfolios. Advanced Micro Devices Inc. today announced the expansion of its adaptive system on chip, or SoC, line with the new AMD Versal AI Edge Series Gen 2 and Versal Prime Series Gen 2.

“The demand for AI-enabled embedded applications is exploding and driving the need for solutions that bring together multiple compute engines on a single chip for the most efficient end-to-end acceleration within the power and area constraints of embedded systems,” stated Salil Raje, senior vice president and general of the Adaptive and Embedded Computing Group at AMD.

“Based on over 40 years of adaptive computing leadership in high-security, high-reliability, long-lifecycle, and safety-critical applications, these latest-generation Versal devices offer high compute efficiency and performance on a single architecture that scales from the low end to high end,” he added.

For more than 50 years, AMD said it has been a leading innovator in high-performance computing (HPC), graphics, and visualization technologies. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company noted that billions of people, Fortune 500 businesses, and scientific research institutions worldwide rely on its technology daily.

Versal Gen 2 addresses three phases of accelerated AI

Advanced Micro Devices said the Gen 2 systems put preprocessing, AI inference, and postprocessing on a single device to deliver accelerated AI. This provides the optimal mix for accelerated AI meet the complex processing needs of real-world embedded systems, it asserted.

• Preprocessing: The new systems include FPGA (field-programmable gate array) logic fabric for real-time preprocessing; flexible connections to a wide range of sensors; and implementation of high-throughput, low-latency data-processing pipelines.
• AI inference: AMD said it provides an array of vector processes in the form of next-generation AI Engines for efficient inference.
• Postprocessing: Arm CPU cores provide the power needed for complex decision-making and control for safety-critical applications, said AMD.

“This single-chip intelligence can eliminate the need to build multi-chip processing solutions, resulting in smaller, more efficient embedded AI systems with the potential for shorter time to market,” the company said.

Learn from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and many more.

AMD builds to maximize power and compute

AMD said its latest systems offer up to 10x more scalar compute compared with the first generation, so the devices can more efficiently handle sensor processing and complex scalar workloads. The Versal Prime Gen 2 devices include new hard IP for high-throughput video processing, including up to 8K multi-channel worflows.

This makes the scalable portfolio suitable for applications such as ultra-high-definition (UHD) video streaming and recording, industrial PCs, and flight computers, according to the company.

In addition, the new SoCs include new AI Engines that AMD claimed will deliver three times the TOPS (trillions of operations per second) per watt than the first-generation Versal AI Edge Series devices.

“Balancing performance, power, [and] area, together with advanced functional safety and security, Versal Series Gen 2 devices deliver new capabilities and features,” said AMD. It added that they “enable the design of high-performance, edge-optimized products for the automotive, aerospace and defense, industrial, vision, healthcare, broadcast, and pro AV [autonomous vehicle] markets.”

“Single-chip intelligence for embedded systems will enable pervasive AI, including robotics … smart city, cloud and AI, and the digital home,” said Manuel Uhm, director for Versal marketing at AMD, in a press briefing. “All will need to be accelerated.”

The Versal Prime Gen 2 is designed for high-throughput applications such as video processing. Source: AMD

Versal powers Subaru’s ADAS vision system

Subaru Corp. is using AMD’s adaptive SoC technology in current vehicles equipped with its EyeSight advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS). EyeSight is integrated into certain car models to enable advanced safety features including adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and pre-collision braking.

“Subaru has selected Versal AI Edge Series Gen 2 to deliver the next generation of automotive AI performance and safety for future EyeSight-equipped vehicles,” said Satoshi Katahira. He is general manager of the Advanced Integration System Department and ADAS Development Department, Engineering Division, at Subaru.

“Versal AI Edge Gen 2 devices are designed to provide the AI inference performance, ultra-low latency, and functional safety capabilities required to put cutting-edge AI-based safety features in the hands of drivers,” he added.

Vivado and Vitis part of developer toolkits

AMD said its Vivado Design Suite tools and libraries can help boost productivity and streamline hardware design cycles, offering fast compile times and enhanced-quality results. The company said the Vitis Unified Software Platform “enables embedded software, signal processing, and AI design development at users’ preferred levels of abstraction, with no FPGA experience needed.”

Earlier this year, AMD released the Embedded+ architecture for accelerated edge AI, as well as the Spartan UltraScale+ FPGA family for edge processing.

Early-access documentation for Versal Series Gen 2 is now available, along with first-generation Versal evaluation kits and design tools. AMD said it expects Gen 2 silicon samples to be available in the first half of 2025, followed by evaluation kits and system-on-modules samples in mid-2025, and production silicon in late 2025.

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NEURA has developed cognitive robots in a variety of form factors. Source: NEURA Robotics

Talk about combining robotics and artificial intelligence is all the rage, but some convergence is already maturing. NEURA Robotics GmbH and Omron Robotics and Safety Technologies Inc. today announced a strategic partnership to introduce “cognitive robotics” into manufacturing.

“By pooling our sensor and AI technologies and expertise into an ultimate platform approach, we will significantly shape the future of the manufacturing industry and set new standards,” stated David Reger, founder and CEO of NEURA Robotics.

Reger founded the company in 2019 with the intention of combining sensors and AI with robotics components for a platform for app development similar to that of smartphones. The “NEURAverse” offers flexibility and cost efficiency in automation, according to the company.

“Unlike traditional industrial robots, cognitive robots have the ability to learn from their environment, make decisions autonomously, and adapt to dynamic production scenarios,” said Metzingen, Germany-based NEURA. “This opens new application possibilities including intricate assembly tasks, detailed quality inspections, and adaptive material handling processes.”

Omron has sensor, channel expertise

“We see NEURA’s cognitive technologies as a compelling growth opportunity for industrial robotics,” added Olivier Welker, president and CEO of Omron Robotics and Safety Technologies. “By combining NEURA’s innovative solutions with Omron’s global reach and automation portfolio, we will provide customers new ways to increase safety, productivity, and flexibility in their operations.”

Pleasanton, Calif.-based Omron Robotics is a subsidiary of OMRON Corp. focusing on automation and safety sensing. It designs and manufactures industrial, collaborative, and mobile robots for various industries.

“We’ve known Omron for quite some time, and even before I started NEURA, we had talked about collaborating,” Reger told The Robot Report. “They’ve tested our products, and we’ve worked together on how to benefit both sides.”

“We have the cognitive platform, and they’re one of the biggest sensor, controllers, and safety systems providers,” he added. “This collaboration will integrate our cognitive abilities and NEURAverse with their sensors for a plug-and-play solution, which everyone is working toward.”

Omron Robotics’ Olivier Welker and NEURA’s David Reger celebrate their partnership. Source: NEURA

Collaboration has ‘no limits’

When asked whether NEURA and Omron Robotics’ partnership is mainly focused on market access, Reger replied, “It’s not just the sales channel … there are no really big limits. From both sides, there will be add-ons.”

Rather than see each other as competitors, NEURA and Omron Robotics are working to make robots easier to use, he explained.

“As a billion-dollar company, it could have told our startup what it wanted, but Omron is different,” said Reger. “I felt we got a lot of respect from Olivier and everyone in that organization. It won’t be a one-sided thing; it will be just ‘Let’s help each other do something great.’ That’s what we’re feeling every day since we’ve been working together. Now we can start talking about it.”

NEURA has also been looking at mobile manipulation and humanoid robots, but adding capabilities to industrial automation is the “low-hanging fruit, where small changes can have a huge effect,” said Reger. “A lot of things for humanoids have not yet been solved.”

“I would love to just work on household robots, but the best way to get there is to use the synergy between industrial robotics and the household market,” he noted. “Our MAiRA, for example, is a cognitive robot able to scan an environment and from an idle state pick any known or unknown objects.”

MAiRA cognitive robot on MAV mobile base. Source: NEURA Robotics

Ease of use drives NEURA strategy

NEURA and Omron Robotics promise to make robots easier to use, helping overall adoption, Reger said.

“A big warehouse company out of the U.S. is claiming that it’s already using more than 1 million robots, but at the same time, I’m sure they’d love to use many more robots,” he said. “It’s also in the transformation from a niche market into a mass market. We see that’s currently only possible if you somehow control the environment.”

“It’s not just putting all the sensors inside the robot, which we were first to do, and saying, ‘OK, now we’re able to interact with a human and also pick objects,'” said Reger. “Imagine there are external sensors, but how do you calibrate them? To make everything plug and play, you need new interfaces, which means collaboration with big players like Omron that provide a lot of sensors for the automation market.”

NEURA has developed its own sensors and explored the balance of putting processing in the cloud versus the edge. To make its platform as popular with developers as that of Apple, however, the company needs the support of partners like Omron, he said.

Reger also mentioned NEURA’s partnership with Kawasaki, announced last year, in which Kawasaki offers the LARA CL series cobot with its portfolio. “Both collaborations are incredibly important for NEURA and will soon make sense to everyone,” he said.

NEURA to be at Robotics Summit & Expo

Reger will be presenting a session on “Developing Cognitive Robotics Systems” at 2:45 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 1, Day 1 of the Robotics Summit & Expo. The event will be at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, and registration is now open.

“I’ll be talking about making robots cognitive to enable AI to be useful to humanity instead of competing with us,” he said. “AI is making great steps, but if you look at what it’s doing, like drawing pictures or writing stories — these are things that I’d love to do but don’t have the time for. But if I ask, let’s say, AI to take out the garbage or show it a picture of garbage, it can tell me how to do it, but it’s simply not able to do something about it yet.”

NEURA is watching humanoid development but is focusing on integrating cognitive robotics with sensing and wearables as it expands in the U.S., said Reger. The company is planning for facilities in Detroit, Boston, and elsewhere, and it is looking for leadership team members as well as application developers and engineers.

“We don’t just want a sales office, but also production in the U.S.,” he said. “We have 220 people in Germany — I just welcomed 15 new people who joined NEURA — and are starting to build our U.S. team. In the past several months, we’ve gone with only European and American investors, and we’re looking at the Japanese market. The U.S. is now open to innovation, and it’s an exciting time for us to come.”

Learn from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and many more.

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Here are the top 10 most popular stories on The Robot Report this past month. Subscribe to The Robot Report Newsletter or listen to The Robot Report Podcast to stay updated on the latest technology developments.

10. Robotics Engineering Career Fair to connect candidates, employers at Robotics Summit

The career fair will draw from the general robotics and artificial intelligence community, as well as from attendees at the Robotics Summit & Expo. Past co-located career fairs have drawn more than 800 candidates, and MassRobotics said it expects even more people at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center this year. Read More

9. SMC adds grippers for cobots from Universal Robots

SMC recently introduced a series of electric grippers designed to be used with collaborative robot arms from Universal Robots. Available in basic and longitudinal types, SMC said the LEHR series can be adapted to different industrial environments like narrow spaces. Read More

8. Anyware Robotics announces new add-on for Pixmo unloading robots

Anyware Robotics announced in March 2024 an add-on for its Pixmo robot for truck and container unloading. The patent-pending accessory includes a vertical lift with a conveyor belt that is attached to Pixmo between the robot and the boxes to be unloaded. Read More

7. Accenture invests in humanoid maker Sanctuary AI in March 2024

In its Technology Vision 2024 report, Accenture said 95% of the executives it surveyed agreed that “making technology more human will massively expand the opportunities of every industry.” Well, Accenture put its money where its mouth is. Accenture Ventures announced a strategic investment in Sanctuary AI, one of the companies developing humanoid robots. Read More

6. Cambrian Robotics obtains seed funding to provide vision for complex tasks

Machine vision startup Cambrian Robotics Ltd. has raised $3.5 million in seed+ funding. The company said it plans to use the investment to continue developing its AI platform to enable robot arms “to surpass human capabilities in complex vision-based tasks across a variety of industries.” Read More

5. Mobile Industrial Robots launches MiR1200 autonomous pallet jack

Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are among the systems benefitting from the latest advances in AI. Mobile Industrial Robots at LogiMAT in March 2024 launched the MiR1200 Pallet Jack, which it said uses 3D vision and AI to identify pallets for pickup and delivery “with unprecedented precision.” Read More

4. Reshape Automation aims to reduce barriers of robotics adoption

Companies in North America bought 31,159 robots in 2023. That’s a 30% decrease from 2022. And that’s not sitting well with robotics industry veteran Juan Aparicio. After working at Siemens for a decade and stops at Ready Robotics and Rapid Robotics, Aparicio hopes his new startup Reshape Automation can chip away at this problem. Read More

3. Mercedes-Benz testing Apollo humanoid

Apptronik announced that leading automotive brand Mercedes-Benz is testing its Apollo humanoid robot. As part of the agreement, Apptronik and Mercedes-Benz will collaborate on identifying applications for Apollo in automotive settings. Read More

2. NVIDIA announces new robotics products at GTC 2024

The NVIDIA GTC 2024 keynote kicked off like a rock concert in San Jose, Calif. More than 15,000 attendees filled the SAP Arena in anticipation of CEO Jensen Huang’s annual presentation of the latest product news from NVIDIA. He discussed the new Blackwell platform, improvements in simulation and AI, and all the humanoid robot developers using the company’s technology. Read More

1. Schneider Electric unveils new Lexium cobots at MODEX 2024

In Atlanta, Schneider Electric announced the release of two new collaborative robots: the Lexium RL 3 and RL 12, as well as the Lexium RL 18 model coming later this year. From single-axis machines to high-performance, multi-axis cobots, the Lexium line enables high-speed motion and control of up to 130 axes from one processor, said the company. It added that this enables precise positioning to help solve manufacturer production, flexibility, and sustainability challenges. Read More

The post Top 10 robotics news stories of March 2024 appeared first on The Robot Report.

Our featured guest on the show this week is Jamie Lee, managing partner at Tamarack Global. Tamarack Global emerged on our radar last month as one of the investors who participated in the recent Series B funding round for Figure AI.

After meeting Lee for research for those news stories, we invited him to come onto the podcast and share his investment thesis and the reasons why they are so bullish about humanoids, Figure AI, and especially founder and CEO Brett Adcock.

The heart of Tamarack’s investment philosophy centers around investing in strong leaders who hire strong teams and build solutions for very large markets. But you’ll also learn about Jamie’s pragmatic philosophy for evaluating proposals and some of the danger signals that he looks for when evaluating a potential investment.

News from the week

Viam raised $45 million in Series B funding

Viam has been quiet after all of the news last year, but Viam is building a modular, interoperable, and open-source software platform that works across all hardware and any fleet of machines. Viam stated that the funding will enable it to accelerate partnerships, drive commercial innovation, and further develop its platform.

Accenture announced an investment in Sanctuary AI

Sanctuary is building humanoids with embodied intelligence and they’ve always tightly focused on hand-eye coordination and manipulation over the bipedal walking aspects of humanoid robots. The investment in Sanctuary is the latest move by Accenture to build out a robotics strategy.

In January 2024, Accenture and Mujin created a joint venture to help bring robotics to the manufacturing and logistics industries. Called Accenture Alpha Automation, the new venture is owned 70% by Accenture and 30% by Mujin. The new company, called Accenture Alpha Automation, combines Mujin’s industrial robotics expertise with Accenture’s digital engineering and manufacturing service, Industry X.

Sanctuary has published a series of videos of its robots “doing stuff” on YouTube. These videos illustrate the development path of the two-armed humanoid as well as the AI behind the robots’ decision-making.

NYC takes steps to allow robotaxis in NYC

New York took its first steps towards allowing robotaxis this week and announced new safety requirements and permitting guidelines for companies looking to test their self-driving cars on public roads. 

Even with the city’s newfound interest in testing, autonomous vehicle (AV) commercialization in New York is difficult. It is one of the hardest cities for AVs to navigate due to its pedestrian-filled streets, unpredictable vehicle traffic, and sensor-disrupting bright lights.

The post Team and TAM: the keys to investing in robotics appeared first on The Robot Report.

3PL expert Sean Pineau will share his insights into automation and AI in the warehouse. Source: Locus Robotics

Artificial intelligence promises to revolutionize robotics and industries including supply chain and logistics. For all of the hype around generative AI, robotics developers, integrators, and warehouse operators need to separate the facts from fiction. At the 2024 Robotics Summit & Expo, Locus Robotics will offer some help in demystifying AI in the warehouse.

Sean Pineau, head of third-party logistics (3PL) segments at Locus Robotics, will present a session on “AI in the Warehouse: What You Really Need to Know” at 1:45 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 1. He will discuss the considerations and potential benefits and impacts of implementing AI in the warehouse.

Pineau will also explain what “embodied AI” is, what is and is not AI, and how warehouse managers can optimize their operations with AI and robotics.

Sean Pineau, Locus Robotics

Speaker to discuss robots and AI in the warehouse

Pineau has a decade’s experience in leadership roles in the materials handling industry. He said his time at Dematic and Crown Equipment Corp. provided a deep understanding of automation.

In 2021, Pineau became an account executive focusing on the retail vertical market at Locus Robotics. The Wilmington, Mass.-based company is a leading provider of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).

In recognition of his results-driven approach, relentless dedication, and strategic acumen, Locus recently appointed Pineau as head of 3PL segments.

About the Robotics Summit & Expo

The 2024 Robotics Summit & Expo will be the largest ever, according to WTWH Media, which also produces Mobile Robot Guide and The Robot Report. The event will be at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on May 1 and 2.

It will include up to 5,000 attendees, more than 200 exhibitors, various networking opportunities, a Women in Robotics breakfast, a career fair, an engineering theater, a startup showcase, and more!

New to the summit is the RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards Gala. It will include a cocktail hour, a plated dinner, photo opportunities, and the chance to hear from the Robot of the Year, Startup of the Year, and Application of the Year winners.

Each RBR50 winner will receive two complimentary tickets to the Robotics Summit and RBR50 gala. A limited number of tickets is available to attendees, but they’re selling fast!

The Robotics Summit will be co-located with DeviceTalks, an event focused on medical devices, and the inaugural Digital Transformation Forum. Registration is now open for the event.

Learn from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and many more.

The post Separate fact from fiction about AI in the warehouse at the Robotics Summit appeared first on The Robot Report.

Viam is a tool for developing software that comes with the cloud services necessary to prototype and build robots quickly. | Source: Viam

Viam, which offers a software platform for smart machines, yesterday announced that it has raised $45 million in Series B funding. This latest round brings the company’s total funding to date to $87 million.

Eliot Horowitz, co-founder and former chief technology officer of MongoDB, founded Viam in 2020. The New York-based company said the latest investment will enable it to accelerate enterprise partnerships, drive commercial innovation, and further develop its open-source platform.

“This investment affirms Viam’s commitment to innovation and strengthens our vision to empower developers with intuitive, powerful, and flexible tools that help transform the way software powers hardware,” stated Eliot Horowitz, founder and CEO, Viam. “Whether you’re in IoT [Internet of Things], robotics, smart home, or industrial automation, we’re empowering the next generation of startups, developers, and enterprises to move quickly and build better.”

Learn from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and many more.

Viam provides platform for scalable development

Despite recent advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning and the prevalence of cloud and edge computing, software made to manage hardware has only made moderate gains, according to Viam.

This kind of software has been stymied by proprietary systems specific to individual machines, sensors, and equipment, the company asserted. This has led to complex constraints that frustrate developers, impede growth, and stifle progress, it said. 

Horowitz has experience in enterprise cloud computing from MongoDB, which is a source-available, cross-platform, secure, high-availability cloud database solution. That company said it is integrated into a number of enterprise applications used every day by millions of people.

Horowitz said he established Viam with the intent of establishing a similar platform for robotics development. He foresaw the need for software based on safe and performant cloud-computing principles as robotics progressed from point solutions to connected swarms of mobile robots and cloud-monitored systems.

Viam is a modular, interoperable, and open-source software platform that works across all hardware and any fleet of machines. In addition, its open architecture can remove costly and complex barriers to working with physical devices, the company claimed.

All of these features can speed up developer velocity and democratize access to open data. Viam added that this data can be used to inform AI and accelerate innovation in critical sectors such as industrial manufacturing, energy, and climate. 

Startup to invest in partnerships

Viam’s platform became generally available in May 2023. Since then, the company said it has been working with global enterprises and startups of all sizes to substantially accelerate time to market, decrease risks, increase developer velocity, improve operational efficiency, and craft modern end-user experiences.

Viam said it can help improve customer satisfaction and deliver increased revenue. Its Series B round included participation from previous investors Union Square Ventures and Battery Ventures. 

“Viam’s open architecture represents a paradigm shift that will bring the promises of robotics to the devices we use every day,” said Albert Wenger, partner at Union Square Ventures, in a release. “We’re thrilled to continue partnering with Viam in this exciting next chapter.”

This funding followed Viam’s announcement that it is working with the Whale and Vessel Safety Taskforce (WAVS). The partners will establish an open-source data-collection program and AI system for North Atlantic Right Whale conservation efforts.

They said the project showcases how the platform can be used for open data to drive collaboration and transparency. It will also demonstrate how Viam brings AI and actuation to the edge.

In addition, the company works with industrial, automation, and innovation teams to keep machines running smoothly on the edge. Viam said it’s working to enable device-to-cloud data pipelines to help manufacturers with real-time data monitoring, predictive maintenance, and remote diagnostics. 

The post Viam brings in $45M to accelerate enterprise partnerships appeared first on The Robot Report.