In Episode 171 of The Robotic Report Podcast, co-hosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman study the most recent video from XPENG, displaying the Iron humanoid robotic working on the ground of the firm‘s automation manufacturing plant.
Featured interview with Swiss-Mile
Within the featured interview this week, Oitzman and Eugene Demaitre interview Marko Bjelonic, co-founder and CEO of Swiss-Mile, discussing its quadruped robotic that mixes wheels and legs for enhanced mobility. They discover the evolution of the robotic from educational analysis to a industrial product, the engineering challenges confronted, and the distinctive functionalities that set it aside.
The dialogue additionally covers potential purposes in safety and logistics, the significance of autonomy in robotics, and the longer term route of Swiss-Mile as a technology-focused firm.
Present timeline
- 1:13 – Boston Dynamics humanoid video dialogue
- 9:27 – Information
- 25:37 – Interview with Marko Bjelonic, co-founder and CEO of Swiss-Mile
Information of the week
2025 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards open for nominations
Now you can submit nominations for the 2025 RBR50 innovation awards. They may acknowledge expertise and enterprise improvements in calendar yr 2024, and the awards are open to any firm worldwide that produces robotics or automation.
The classes embrace:
- Applied sciences, merchandise, and providers: This class contains major or utilized analysis specializing in robotics and supporting applied sciences reminiscent of movement management, imaginative and prescient, or machine studying. It additionally contains new merchandise and enterprise, engineering, or expertise providers.
- Enterprise and administration: This class covers initiatives positioning an organization as a market chief or a company as an essential thought chief within the robotics ecosystem. Important mergers and acquisitions are related, as are provider, companion, and integrator relationships.
- Functions and markets: The RBR50 may also acknowledge improvements that enhance productiveness, high quality, and cost-effectiveness, in addition to people who automate new duties.
As well as, the 2025 RBR50 awards will have fun the next:
- Startup of the 12 months
- Software of the 12 months
- Robotic of the 12 months
- Robots for Good Award
The deadline for submissions is Friday, Dec. 20, 2024.
iRobot lays off one other 105 staff
iRobot, maker of the favored Roomba robotic vacuum, has layed off one other 105 staff as a part of its restructuring plans. The variety of staff being let go represents 16% of iRobot’s world workforce as of Sept. 28. For the reason that begin of 2024, iRobot has decreased its world workforce by almost 50%.
There are a number of causes iRobot, which has bought greater than 50 million robots worldwide, is struggling. One of many primary causes is the failed acquisition from Amazon, which was known as off earlier in 2024. Amazon needed to accumulate iRobot for $1.7 billion, however the deal was finally known as off as a result of regulators stated the deal would limit competitors. Amazon paid iRobot $94 million to terminate the deal.
Bodily Intelligence raises $400M for basis fashions for robotics
Bodily Intelligence has raised $400 million to proceed its growth of AI for a variety of robots. The corporate acknowledged that basis fashions that may management any robotic to carry out any process “are nonetheless of their infancy.” It stated it’s engaged on the information and partnerships to pretrain these fashions and allow new ranges of dexterity and bodily functionality.
Bodily Intelligence raised $70 million in seed financing earlier this yr, and the corporate instructed The Robotic Report that its valuation has risen to $2.4 billion. Jeff Bezos, government chairman of Amazon, led the corporate’s newest funding spherical, together with Thrive Capital and Lux Capital.
Pipedream Labs deploys underground supply system in Texas drive-thru
Pipedream’s robotic operates by pipes to maneuver ready meals from a fast service restaurant (QSR) to finish customers in, say, a industrial constructing. The pipe is like two to a few toes in diameter with a observe, and the automated shuttles can carry a tote from the restaurant out to numerous pickup areas. It’s fastened infrastructure, nevertheless it’s utterly underground and out of the climate.
The corporate’s acknowledged imaginative and prescient is that this infrastructure can be put in place in an city setting, and help the logistics of supply between the QSR location and varied company campuses.Pipedream stated it will probably drastically cut back supply occasions and streamline restaurant operations. Sturdy monetary backing has fueled fast development, it stated.
Podcast sponsored by RGO Robotics
The present this week is sponsored by RGO Robotics
Is your autonomous cell robotic (AMR) struggling in dynamic environments? Is your corporation caught as a result of it takes months to fee a brand new web site?
RGo Robotics’ Notion Engine is revolutionizing the AMR enterprise by superior Imaginative and prescient AI notion expertise. In contrast to conventional options, The corporate’s software program permits AMRs to adapt to altering environments and navigate advanced areas with unprecedented accuracy and the commissioning course of is shorter and easier.
Main AMR firms are enhancing their fleets with RGo’s AI-powered notion, enabling their groups to speed up use of superior AI capabilities like basis fashions and digital twins.
Don’t let outdated navigation maintain your corporation again.
To be taught extra about RGO’s options, go to: https://www.rgorobotics.ai/
