Design for manufacturing is changing faster than most robotics teams can keep up - and if you are building physical products, this conversation could save you months of rework. Marc Kermisch shares how Protolabs is using AI, simulation, and deep manufacturing expertise to turn CAD files into real parts in as little as 24 hours, while helping engineers avoid the design mistakes that quietly kill speed, quality, and scale. Mike Oitzman and Gene Demaitre sit down with Marc, who has returned to the show since episode 138 with a new role as CTO and AI leader at Protolabs. He explains how the company’s software-driven approach links CAD models directly to manufacturing tool paths, G code, and production workflows across CNC machining, 3D printing, injection molding, and sheet metal - all built around the challenge of helping engineers get parts made faster without sacrificing precision. You’ll discover: - Why Protolabs treats AI as a practical manufacturing tool, not hype - How machine learning helps catch manufacturability issues before a part is ever built - What ProDesk does when it flags ejector locations, tight tolerances, seam issues, and other hidden design risks - How part similarity search and simulation speed up internal decisions for engineers - Where AI is already paying off in visual inspection, cobot programming, and print-box optimization Marc also breaks down the real-world tradeoffs between 3D printing, CNC machining, and injection molding, including when a prototype should stay a prototype - and when it’s time to redesign for production. He gets specific about common failure points like draft angles, wall thickness, shrink, resin changes, tooling assumptions, and the gap between prototype tolerances and production reality. If you’re dealing with robotics, hardware, manufacturing, or any physical product that must move from concept to production, this episode shows what happens when software, AI, and manufacturing expertise work together instead of in silos. It’s especially valuable for founders, roboticists, and engineers who need to make smarter decisions before the first expensive mistake happens. Protolabs is also building for the future of compliance, supply chain resilience, and low-volume production, with a network that helps customers de-risk sourcing, reduce complexity, and stay aligned with regulated industries like defense, aerospace, and medical devices. The result is a rare inside look at how modern manufacturing is evolving - and how the next wave of physical products will get made. Essential listening if you are building hardware, scaling production, or trying to make your robot, part, or process easier to manufacture the first time.

This episode explores how Nomagic is applying AI and robotics to warehouse operations, with a focus on each picking, recovery workflows, and production-grade deployment. Josh Cloer, General Manager for North America, explains why the company leans into “physical AI,” how its systems are designed for always on operations, and why real-world production data matters more than simulation alone. Mike Oitzman and Gene Demaitre also dig into the practical side of automation adoption, from pilot-to-production failures to the pressure on supply chain leaders to move faster without getting stuck in vendor hype. The conversation is especially useful for teams evaluating warehouse robotics, AI-assisted recovery, or flexible automation strategies. Learn more: https://nomagic.ai/

Our guest this week is Derik Pridmore, CEO and co-founder of OSARO. OSARO develops intelligent AI robotics for real-world warehouse automation, delivering scalable fulfillment solutions that optimize throughput, uptime, and overall performance. In this conversation, Pridmore breaks down how warehouse robotics has evolved from limited perception systems to adaptable AI-driven automation. He shares why hardware-agnostic design, continuous learning, and real-world monitoring matter more than flashy demos — and why the biggest breakthroughs in robotics still depend on balancing specificity, reliability, and safety. Learn more: https://www.osaro.com Also this week, cohosts Steve Crowe, Mike Oitzman, and Gene Demaitre discuss the recent news about the FCC announcement to ban foreign legged and mobile robots from import to the U.S. – SPONSORS – This episode is brought to you by Tiger Data Every growing Postgres database eventually hits a wall. Queries slow down, dashboards lag, and teams consider adding a second database. Tiger Data, creators of TimescaleDB, extends Postgres with time-series primitives, columnar storage, and automatic partitioning so your queries stay fast on live data. No pipelines, no migration, no second system. Just Postgres, built for the workload you actually have. Try it free at https://www.tigerdata.com/go/trial?utm_source=content-syndication&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=robotics-ads

In this episode, Doug Pagnutti, Developer Advocate at Tiger Data, discusses how time series databases like TimescaleDB are transforming industrial automation, robotics, and AI applications. He shares insights on integrating these databases with various sensors, managing data at scale, and optimizing performance both on the cloud and on the edge. Key Topics: - The role of time series data in robotics and industrial automation - How TimescaleDB extends PostgreSQL for high-performance time series workloads - Differences between open source and managed cloud versions - Strategies for integrating various industrial controllers and messaging pipelines - Techniques for managing intermittent connectivity with edge devices - Advanced tools like continuous aggregates and data compression for big data - Enabling multimodal data queries with hybrid search stacks - Future applications of time series data in AI-driven environments and energy systems - Best practices for storing telemetry, spatial, and metadata efficiently – SPONSORS – This episode is brought to you by Tiger Data Every growing Postgres database eventually hits a wall. Queries slow down, dashboards lag, and teams consider adding a second database. Tiger Data, creators of TimescaleDB, extends Postgres with time-series primitives, columnar storage, and automatic partitioning so your queries stay fast on live data. No pipelines, no migration, no second system. Just Postgres, built for the workload you actually have. Try it free at https://www.tigerdata.com/go/trial?utm_source=content-syndication&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=robotics-ads

On the show this week, Deise Yumi Asami shares how her AI-enabled robotics startup, Maximo, is transforming solar panel installation and making solar panel installation faster, safer, and more efficient. In this conversation, you’ll hear how robotics, AI vision, and smart field deployment are helping reshape the future of renewable energy infrastructure. Deise also shares the experience of starting a new company from the ground up while being incubated within a larger parent company. Learn how innovation is encouraged and celebrated inside a large organization, and how AES organizes its innovation group. Learn more: https://maxrobotics.ai/ – SPONSORS – This episode is brought to you by Tiger Data Every growing Postgres database eventually hits a wall. Queries slow down, dashboards lag, and teams consider adding a second database. Tiger Data, creators of TimescaleDB, extends Postgres with time-series primitives, columnar storage, and automatic partitioning so your queries stay fast on live data. No pipelines, no migration, no second system. Just Postgres, built for the workload you actually have. Try it free at https://www.tigerdata.com/go/trial?utm_source=content-syndication&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=robotics-ads

Andy Lonsberry is redefining what welding robots can do, and in this conversation, he reveals how AI is pushing manufacturing beyond the limits of traditional automation. In this episode, Mike Oitzman and Gene Demaitre sit down with Andy Lonsberry, CEO of Path Robotics, to explore how his team is using AI, reinforcement learning, and real-time visual feedback to make welding robots smarter, more adaptive, and capable of handling complex real-world conditions. From shipbuilding to infrastructure and other large-scale industrial applications, Andy explains why the future of welding depends on robots that can think, react, and move to the work—not just wait for the work to come to them. They discuss: - The founding story of Path Robotics - Why traditional welding automation plateaued - How AI and reinforcement learning improve weld quality - The role of real-world sensor data in adaptive welding - Why mobile, legged robots open new industrial possibilities - The business model behind Robotics as a Service - What’s next for AI-powered manufacturing If you’re interested in the future of industrial automation, physical AI, and the next generation of robotics, this conversation is a must-listen. Submit your robotic startup for the Startup Showcase: https://www.therobotreport.com/calling-all-robotics-startups-apply-to-robobusiness-startup-alley/ – SPONSORS – This episode is brought to you by Tiger Data Every growing Postgres database eventually hits a wall. Queries slow down, dashboards lag, and teams consider adding a second database. Tiger Data, creators of TimescaleDB, extends Postgres with time-series primitives, columnar storage, and automatic partitioning so your queries stay fast on live data. No pipelines, no migration, no second system. Just Postgres, built for the workload you actually have. Try it free at https://www.tigerdata.com/go/trial?utm_source=content-syndication&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=robotics-ads

In Episode 251 of The Robot Report Podcast, hosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman are joined by special guest Sarah Wynn, Senior Editor for Packaging OEM, to recap their firsthand experiences on the show floor at Automate in Chicago. The conversation traces the industry's shift away from early-stage humanoid hype toward the practical, real-world deployment of Physical AI and edge computing. It then transitions into how software orchestration, digital twins, and advanced kinematics are solving labor shortages and preserving vital manufacturing knowledge. The following innovators, executives, and organizations were highlighted or featured via interview vignettes during the episode: Boston Dynamics & Agility Robotics: Discussed regarding the static floor displays of their respective industrial humanoids, Atlas and Digit. ABB: Featured in a vignette with Craig McDonnell (Managing Director, Business Line Industries, ABB Robotics) discussing Physical AI, AI-powered palletizing, and collaborations with Nvidia. FANUC: Highlighted for real-time motion tracking in assembly, protein processing automation, and natural language robot programming. Sereact: Featured in an interview clip with Mason Coleman (Director of Sales, North America) addressing zero-shot picking, e-grocery trends, and workforce reallocation. Schneider Electric: Discussed for their views on cloud latency limitations and their push for hardware-agnostic, open automation systems. Rockwell Automation: Featured in an audio clip with Ara Surenian (Business Manager, Production Logistics) introducing FactoryTalk Orchestration following their acquisition of OTTO Motors. SEW-EURODRIVE, Festo, & CODI Manufacturing: Noted for their compact, gantry-style robotic cells and packaging line solutions. Vention: Recognized for their prominent and accessible automation platform demos. Kassow Robots: Featured in an interview clip with founder Kristian Kassow, who explained the strategic advantages of 7-axis cobots over traditional 6-axis configurations for mobile manipulators and confined spaces. – SPONSORS – This episode is brought to you by Tiger Data Every growing Postgres database eventually hits a wall. Queries slow down, dashboards lag, and teams consider adding a second database. Tiger Data, creators of TimescaleDB, extends Postgres with time-series primitives, columnar storage, and automatic partitioning so your queries stay fast on live data. No pipelines, no migration, no second system. Just Postgres, built for the workload you actually have. Try it free at https://www.tigerdata.com/go/trial?utm_source=content-syndication&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=robotics-ads

Summary In this episode, we explore the strategic acquisition of Kinisi by Bear Robotics, with Kinisi founder and CEO Bren Pierce. During the conversation, we talk about how this acquisition signals a new era of integration, innovation, and scaling in humanoid robotics and automation. Bren discussed Kinisi’s acquisition by Bear Robotics as a natural fit, since Kinisi began inside Bear’s robotics headquarters and had already built on Bear’s ecosystem. He explained that the deal combines Kinisi’s humanoid robotics expertise, datasets, and manipulation technology with Bear’s mature fleet-management, cloud, manufacturing, and sales infrastructure. A major theme was scaling humanoid robots from prototype to production. Bren emphasized the challenge of collecting affordable training data, which led to the development of a low-cost, robot-agnostic glove and gripper/data-collection system. He said the near-term focus is on making the KR1 reliable in real deployments and proving ROI in warehouses, hotels, restaurants, and other environments with repeatable tasks. Overall, the interview framed the acquisition as a step toward a broader mobile-manipulation platform that could combine robots, AMRs, and WMS integration across multiple industries. Bren described the industry as moving from novelty to serious commercial momentum, but still needing to prove large-scale deployments before humanoid robotics can really take off. Resources & Links: Bear Robotics: https://www.bearrobotics.ai Kinisi – About the acquisition ; https://www.bearrobotics.ai/blog/bear-robotics-to-acquire-kinisi-robotics – SPONSORS – This episode is brought to you by GreyOrange If you're running a warehouse, your robots, people, and systems are only as powerful as their ability to work together. GreyMatter by GreyOrange is the AI-powered warehouse orchestration platform that coordinates every agent on your floor in real time, with over a million optimizations per minute, and delivering up to 4x productivity gains. GreyMatter works with the robots you already have, or with the ones you want. Ready to go beyond your WMS? LEARN MORE AT: https://www.greyorange.com/TheRobotReport/

Explore the cutting-edge developments in Arm’s physical AI space as Drew Henry, EVP of Arm’s physical AI business unit, shares insights on technology innovation, market trends, and the future of robotics and autonomous systems. This episode provides a comprehensive look at how Arm is shaping the future of intelligent robotics, balancing innovative chip design, system architecture, and simulation to push the boundaries of what autonomous systems can achieve. Drew explains that Arm created its new Physical AI business unit to focus on AI embodied in machines, including robotics, autonomous vehicles, trucks, and construction systems. The big idea is that these systems need computing designed around real-world constraints like latency, power, safety, and system-level coordination. – SPONSORS – This episode is brought to you by GreyOrange If you're running a warehouse, your robots, people, and systems are only as powerful as their ability to work together. GreyMatter by GreyOrange is the AI-powered warehouse orchestration platform that coordinates every agent on your floor in real time, with over a million optimizations per minute, and delivering up to 4x productivity gains. GreyMatter works with the robots you already have, or with the ones you want. Ready to go beyond your WMS? LEARN MORE AT: https://www.greyorange.com/TheRobotReport/

In this episode, our guest is Akash Gupta, CEO and co-founder of GreyOrange, a company known for its innovative approach in the warehousing robotics market. Akash discusses the strategic pivot from hardware to software, emphasizing the importance of focusing on fulfillment outcomes rather than just robotic uptime. He explains how GreyOrange has evolved its Grey Matter software to support various warehouse processes and integrate with multiple technologies, highlighting the role of AI and machine learning in enhancing warehouse operations. Akash also shares insights into the challenges and opportunities in the industry, including the importance of digital twins and predictive analytics in optimizing warehouse efficiency. ### – SPONSORS – This episode is brought to you by GreyOrange If you're running a warehouse, your robots, people, and systems are only as powerful as their ability to work together. GreyMatter by GreyOrange is the AI-powered warehouse orchestration platform that coordinates every agent on your floor in real time, with over a million optimizations per minute, and delivering up to 4x productivity gains. GreyMatter works with the robots you already have, or with the ones you want. Ready to go beyond your WMS? LEARN MORE AT: https://www.greyorange.com/TheRobotReport/