2022 in Review: The Year in Robotics

Our guest in this episode is Giovanni Campanella, the Industrial Automation and Robotics General Manager at Texas Instruments (TI). In this conversation, co-host Mike Oitzman speaks with Campanella about TI's extensive portfolio in industrial automation and robotics, highlighting key product lines and the company's collaboration with various robotics companies. Giovanni shares insights into the challenges of designing humanoid robots, the evolving demands in robotics, and the importance of safety in design. They also explore the expansion of robotics into new sectors such as healthcare and agriculture, and how TI engages with engineers to provide tailored solutions. The conversation concludes with a look at future trends in robotics and the skills needed for systems engineers in this rapidly changing field. ### Our sponsor this week is SDPSI. Let’s dive into the critical role of precision, quality, and alignment in robotics design and assembly. At SDP/SI, our engineering experts go beyond the standard manufacturing process by reviewing your designs before production, offering cost-effective, space-saving solutions that streamline your entire assembly process. Discover how we help robotics companies achieve unprecedented accuracy and efficiency. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how SDP/SI can elevate your robotics applications. Discover the difference! Visit https://sdp-si.com/ to learn more.

This episode comes to you live from the expo floor of the 2025 Robotics Summit and Expo in Boston. Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman recap the event and Mike talks to several friends of the show from the show floor. We catch up with Aaaron Prather, from ASTM. Then Mike talked to Amos Miller from Glidance before his session on personal robotics. Finally, we learn about the upcoming production release from Tatum Robotics founder Samantha Johnson. ### Our sponsor this month is SDP-SI Let’s dive into the critical role of precision, quality, and alignment in robotics design and assembly. At SDP/SI, our engineering experts go beyond the standard manufacturing process by reviewing your designs before production, offering cost-effective, space-saving solutions that streamline your entire assembly process. Discover how we help robotics companies achieve unprecedented accuracy and efficiency. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how SDP/SI can elevate your robotics applications. Discover the difference! Visit https://sdp-si.com/podcast/index.php

Our guest this week is Angus Pacala, CEO and Co-founder of Ouster Lidar. In this conversation, Pacala, discusses the advancements in lidar technology, particularly the introduction of their new 3D zone monitoring feature. He explains the benefits of 3D lidar over traditional 2D systems, emphasizing safety and flexibility in industrial applications. The discussion also covers the evolution of Ouster's hardware, the importance of software-defined capabilities, and the future growth potential in various markets, including humanoid robotics. Pacala highlights the challenges of cost reduction and the need for innovation to stay competitive in the rapidly evolving landscape of lidar technology. ### Our sponsor this week is 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

Featured interview this week: Rob Marshick, Enidine National Sales Manager The team also covers the news from the week, including the ABB Robotics spinout announcement; the Hugging Face/Pollen Robotics acquisition; and various autonomous trucking and mobile robotics product announcements. ### Our sponsor this week is 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 guests this week are Nick Thompson, CEO and co-founder of BOW, and Daniel Camilleri, CTO and founder of BOW. BOW is a robotics platform that aims to simplify the development of robotic applications. They discuss the challenges in the robotics industry, the features of the BOW SDK, and the company's business model. The conversation also touches on partnerships, the integration with ROS, and the future of robotics, particularly in relation to AI and task-oriented development. Our sponsor this week is 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

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.