Season 1 of The Robot Report Podcast

On Episode 9 of The Robot Report Podcast, we talk re-skilling coal miners with Kathy Walker of the eKentucky Advanced Manufacturing Institute, and maxon's crucial role in the Perseverance Rover mission to Mars. We also discuss the return of Jibo and Boston Dynamics' partnership with Ford.

Re-skilling coal miners; Jibo returns; Perseverance Rover heads for Mars

We discuss the state of autonomous trucking with Kodiak Robotics and get its take on middle-mile logistics. We also hit on former Google executive Anthony Levandowski heading to prison for stealing trade secrets from Waymo, walking Spot from 3,000 miles away, and we catch up with The Ventilator Project.

Kodiak Robotics & autonomous trucks, Anthony Levandowski going to jail

We talk to Veo Robotics' Patrick Sobalvarro about how robotics can help solve today's manufacturing challenges. We discuss Amazon scooping up vacant retail spaces, iRobot getting tariff relief, and a Starship delivery robot driving straight into a canal. We also take you inside our teleoperation of Boston Dynamics' Spot robot from nearly 3,000 miles away.

Show Notes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKMeMb9CF8E
https://www.facebook.com/search/posts/?q=Bex%20Morgan&epa=SERP_TAB

Veo on manufacturing challenges; tele-operating Spot; Amazon goes to the mall

We talk to Qualcomm's Dev Singh about the affects 5G and edge computing are having on robotics. We also touch upon Qualcomm's involvement in NASA's Mars 2020 Mission. Gene and Steve recap the latest news and robotics investments trends and talk about the economics of delivery robots with Kiwibot's David Rodriguez.

Qualcomm’s Dev Singh on 5G, edge robotics; do delivery robots make economic sense?

We talk about all things mobile robots with Jason Walker, CEO & Co-founder of Waypoint Robotics. He discusses his affinity for ROS, how his experience as a racecar engineer prepared him for robotics, and why mobile manipulation is a trend to watch. We also catch up with Thomas Visti, who recently stepped down as CEO of Mobile Industrial Robots, to learn about his next chapter helping Danish entrepreneurs.

Waypoint Robotics’ Jason Walker on mobile robots; Thomas Visti’s next chapter

Oliver Mitchell, venture partner at ff Venture Capital, talks all things robotics investments. We discuss current robotics trends, how startups can deal with COVID-19, the autonomous vehicle bubble and more. And are Amazon delivery drones finally coming to the US? We discuss the impact of Amazon's recent FAA approval.

Robotics investment trends with Oliver Mitchell; are Amazon drone deliveries coming?

Daniel Theobald, founder & CEO of Vecna Robotics and a founder of MassRobotics, joins us to talk about his passion for agriculture and the state of autonomous mobile robots. We also recap robotics investments and acquisitions from August 2020 and check in with Brady Watkins, Senior VP & GM at SoftBank Robotics America.

Vecna’s Daniel Theobald, August robot deals, SoftBank’s Brady Watkins

Ayanna Howard and Monroe Kennedy III, academic co-leads of Black in Robotics, discuss diversity and inclusion issues in the robotics industry. They share their personal journeys, challenges they overcame, and what can be done to level the playing field for minorities in robotics and engineering fields.

Black in Robotics’ Ayanna Howard, Monroe Kennedy III on diversity & inclusion

Sarcos Robotics' Ben Wolff joins us to discuss the challenges and opportunities of full-body exoskeletons. We talk about Uber's self-driving car division reportedly being low on cash. And Clearpath Robotics' Dave Niewinski is back to chat about developing ROS support for Boston Dynamics' Spot quadruped.

Sarcos’ Ben Wolff, Uber ATG low on fuel, ROS on Spot

Doug Teany, COO, Corindus Vascular Robotics discusses robotic-assisted surgery, 5G hype vs. reality, and being acquired by Siemens Medical Solutions for $1.1 billion. We also talk about Helen Greiner joining a gardening robotics startup, privacy issues with Amazon Ring's indoor security drone and more.

Amazon’s security drone, life-size Gundam & robotic-assisted surgery

Georg Stieler gives us an inside look at China's robotics industry, we catch up with Motional CTO Laura Major on all things robotaxis, and Toyota Research Institute is developing a ceiling-mounted gantry robot for your kitchen.

Demystifying China’s robotics industry, Motional talks robotaxis, TRI previews kitchen robot

Tessa Lau, founder and CEO of Dusty Robotics, updates us on the FieldPrinter building layout robot. She discusses how the company pivoted away from its initial product idea, its custom localization, mapping and navigation technology, building relationships with builders, and scaling its field operations team.

We also discuss the expansion of Waymo's driverless robotaxi program around Phoenix. Where will the service head to next and when? We discuss.

Bert Swift and Blair Locke, CEO & Co-founder of Coapt, join us to discuss the state of robotic prosthetics. Bert, who lost an arm to childhood cancer, shares his story and how a robotic prosthetic has changed his life.

What's next for Waymo's robotaxis, Dusty Robotics' Tessa Lau, robotic prosthetics with Coapt

Dave Evans, Founder and CEO of Fictiv, discusses the importance of a company's manufacturing and supply chain ecosystems. We breakdown case studies from Hebi Robotics and Gecko Robotics. We're also joined by Marc Alba of NTT Disruption, which is the new owner of the Jibo social robot. Marc updates us on the current status of the robot and the new direction in which it's headed.

Fictiv’s Dave Evans on designing robots for manufacturability; inside Jibo’s revival

Mike Tremblay, president and CEO of Invest Ottawa, takes us inside the new Area X.O R&D facility that hopes to advance Canadian robotics. We also list the world's spookiest robots, and catch up with Buck Jordan, President and Chairman of Miso Robotics, to discuss the expanded trials with White Castle and the future of food automation.

Inside Canada’s robotics ecosystem, world’s spookiest robots, Miso’s restaurant robots

We break down the fallout between Bossa Nova and Walmart with Simbe Robotics' Brad Bogolea. Andrew Smith, CEO and Founder of Outrider, joins the show to discuss the challenges and opportunities of developing level 4 autonomous yard trucks.

Inside the Bossa Nova-Walmart fallout; autonomous yard trucks with Outrider

We break down why Softbank is reportedly looking to sell Boston Dynamics to Hyundai for upwards of $1B. Hyundai would be the third owner of Boston Dynamics in the last 7 years. What's the reason for the sale: slow commercialization from Boston Dynamics, soured investments from Softbank or both? We discuss.

We're also joined by Aaron Prather, FedEx's senior advisor of technology, research and planning, to discuss FedEx's growing use of robotics, his work on mobile robot interoperability, advice for startups, and his thoughts on Boston Dynamics and more.

Why Softbank is shopping Boston Dynamics; FedEx's Aaron Prather

We talk to Dextrous Robotics CEO and co-founder Evan Drumwright about its approach to automating the unloading of box trucks. This might be the next big problem for robotics companies to solve, and Dextrous is taking a unique approach. 

We also discuss the remake of Short Circuit and share our all-time favorite robotics movies. Other discussions include recent robotics investments, Motional's Level 4 autonomous vehicles coming to Nevada and a new study analyzes the ongoing robots vs. jobs debate.

Dextrous Robotics exits stealth; how robots impact the future of work

Jud Kauffman and Joe Wolfel, co-founders of Austin, Texas-based startup Terradepth, are building autonomous submarines for deep ocean exploration. Its long-term goal is to build the Google Earth of the ocean. They discuss the challenges and opportunities of Terradepth's mission and how their Naval experience is playing a vital role.

We also chat with Nader Elm, CEO and co-founder of Exyn Technologies. Exyn is a spin-off of the GRASP Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania that builds autonomous drones that are operating in GPS-denied environments such as mines.

Autonomous submarines for ocean exploration; drone autonomy with Exyn Technologies

Aurora's acquisition of Uber's self-driving unit takes center stage on episode 27. We break down the acquisition and try to figure out why Aurora would have purchased Uber's troubled self-driving unit.

We also catch up with Joel Reed, the interim executive director of the Pittsburgh Robotics Network. Joel updates us on the status of the cluster, tells us about some interesting companies to watch, his daily sightings of autonomous vehicles, and how the cluster has handled the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why did Aurora buy Uber ATG?; Robotics thriving in Pittsburgh

What robotics company had a better 2020 than Boston Dynamics. Michael Patrick Perry, Boston Dynamics' VP of business development, joins the podcast discuss the company's massive year and, of course, being acquired by Hyundai Motor Group for $880 million.

We also catch up with Dr. Timothy Chung, program manager for the DARPA Subterranean Challenge. Tim takes us inside the recently completed Cave Circuit Virtual Competition and shares some of the lessons that were learned.

Boston Dynamics talks about its big year, Hyundai acquisition

Join Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman each week for discussions with leading roboticists, innovative robotics companies, and other key members of the robotics community.