Audrow Nash Podcast Audrow Nash

How do we bring manufacturing back to the United States? What role do robotics and AI play in this vision?

You'll like this interview if you're interested in the future of manufacturing in the United States and how robotics and AI are shaping it.

With Edward Mehr from Machina Labs.

EPISODE LINKS
- Full transcript: https://audrow-nash-podcast.github.io/transcripts/7-an-exciting-vision-of-american-manufacturing-with-robotics-and-ai.html
- Machina Lab's Website: https://machinalabs.ai/
- Machina Lab's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/machina-labs/
- Edward Mehr's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-mehr/

PODCAST LINKS
- Watch and discuss on 𝕏: https://www.x.com/audrow
- Watch or listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/74jWpWiLwsasY2QHtDcl8I
- Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/audrow-nash-podcast/id1716486786
- Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@audrow
- Main podcast site: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/audrow1
- RSS Feed: https://anchor.fm/s/e2666f60/podcast/rss
- Full transcripts: https://audrow-nash-podcast.github.io/transcripts
- Podcast Github: https://github.com/audrow-nash-podcast

OUTLINE
(0:00) - Start
(0:29) - Episode intro
(1:51) - Introducing Edward and Machina Labs
(7:33) - AI in manufacturing
(15:19) - Using data for better models than physics-based models
(18:51) - Capturing data + modeling
(34:45) - About Machina Labs
(39:15) - Machina Lab's funding
(45:11) - Being in LA
(47:16) - Why make a company that is 10x better than alternatives
(58:43) - What if you weren't venture funded?
(1:02:53) - Or growing quickly
(1:10:26) - Humanoids: challenges + Elon Musk
(1:20:54) - AI trends: transformers + hallucinations
(1:35:32) - Thoughts on manufacturing
(1:42:15) - Advice to get involved in manufacturing

What is the Open Source Robotics Alliance (OSRA) and how is it pioneering a sustainable open source ecosystem for robotics?

You'll like this interview if you're interested in the open source robotics ecosystem and how it's evolving.

With Geoff Biggs from Open Robotics and Tully Foote from Open Robotics and Intrinsic.

EPISODE LINKS
- Full transcript: https://audrow-nash-podcast.github.io/transcripts/6-osra-pioneering-a-sustainable-open-source-ecosystem-for-robotics.html
- OSRA's website: TODO
- Open Robotics' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/open-source-robotics-foundation/
- Open Robotics' website: https://www.openrobotics.org/

PODCAST LINKS
- Watch and discuss on 𝕏: https://www.x.com/audrow
- Watch or listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/74jWpWiLwsasY2QHtDcl8I
- Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/audrow-nash-podcast/id1716486786
- Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@audrow
- Main podcast site: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/audrow1
- RSS Feed: https://anchor.fm/s/e2666f60/podcast/rss
- Full transcripts: https://audrow-nash-podcast.github.io/transcripts
- Podcast Github: https://github.com/audrow-nash-podcast

OUTLINE
(0:00) - Episode intro
(2:47) - Willow Garage and Open Robotics Lore
(5:38) - Player and ROS lore
(9:06) - Willow Garage and the Birth of Open Robotics
(13:17) - Tully and Geoff's roles in Open Robotics
(22:13) - Why make ROS 2
(24:39) - Player and ROS 2
(25:42) - Towards a robot revolution
(29:16) - Gazebo for robot simulation
(34:39) - OpenRMF project at Open Rob
(38:22) - Important, but often forgotten: Open Robotics' infrastructure
(44:42) - Open Robotics before the Intrinsic Acquisition
(47:38) - Big steps for the ROS community we can take because of Intrinsic (Zenoh)
(51:41) - Rust for robotics
(53:27) - Intrinsic's acquisition of Open Robotics
(58:31) - OSRF since the Intrinsic acquisition of OSRC
(1:01:33) - How former OSRC folks contribute to OSRF now
(1:04:28) - Announcing OSRA!
(1:07:27) - Motivation for OSRA
(1:15:20) - Merit-based contributors
(1:18:06) - OSRA Consortium
(1:20:23) - Why companies might want to join the OSRA consortium
(1:23:55) - OSRA membership types
(1:29:18) - Meritocratic contributors + how to mentor and get involved
(1:32:26) - Mentorship process
(1:34:25) - The value of contributing to open source software
(1:39:19) - OSRA's badging system for contributors
(1:42:52) - Educating more people to be roboticists
(1:47:26) - Robotics in the next 5 years
(1:52:10) - Why open source?
(1:55:36) - Final thoughts

What are trends in robotics investment?

You'll like this interview if you're interested in the macro trends in robotics and how investors see the space.

With Sanjay Aggarwal from F-Prime Capital.

EPISODE LINKS
- Full transcript: https://audrow-nash-podcast.github.io/transcripts/5-the-state-of-robotics-report-in-2024-early-days-but-great-potential.html
- 2024 State of Robotics report: https://fprimecapital.com/robotics
- Sanjay Aggarwal's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjaykaggarwal/
- F-Prime Capital's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/f-prime-capital-partners/
- F-Prime Capital's Website: https://fprimecapital.com/

PODCAST LINKS
- Watch and discuss on 𝕏: https://www.x.com/audrow
- Watch or listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/74jWpWiLwsasY2QHtDcl8I
- Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/audrow-nash-podcast/id1716486786
- Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@audrow
- Main podcast site: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/audrow1
- RSS Feed: https://anchor.fm/s/e2666f60/podcast/rss
- Full transcripts: https://audrow-nash-podcast.github.io/transcripts
- Podcast Github: https://github.com/audrow-nash-podcast

OUTLINE
(0:00) - Episode intro
(2:13) - Introducing Sanjay and F-Prime
(4:40) - Sanjay's background
(11:31) - Investing in Autonomous Vehicles then industrial robots
(15:29) - F-Primes portfolio of robotics companies
(26:55) - A new type of robotics founder
(28:21) - Humanoids
(35:04) - F-Prime's State of Robotics report
(39:29) - Macro forces for declining investment cash
(46:32) - Why are companies not IPO'ing lately?
(48:51) - High interest rates and how that effects the VC business model
(55:02) - Challenges in raising B & C investment rounds
(1:04:31) - Why we're in the early days in robotics
(1:09:23) - Will labor shortages affect robotics investments?
(1:12:00) - How reliable should systems be? + Human-in-the-loop
(1:17:20) - Common pitfalls to avoid for your robotics company
(1:20:27) - How to make your company VERY attractive to investors
(1:23:36) - Biggest challenges in robotics
(1:25:44) - Opportunities for new robotics companies
(1:27:53) - How would you start a new robotics company?
(1:32:12) - How to pick a good investor for your series A?
(1:34:39) - Trends in the robotics industry
(1:40:28) - Future of robotics

Can something shake up an industry and not disrupt the people working in it?

Bluewhite Robotics is trying to do just that.

You'll enjoy this interview if you're interested in robots in agriculture or the ethics of disruptive technology.

With Ben Alfi from Bluewhite Robotics.

EPISODE LINKS
- Full transcript: https://audrow-nash-podcast.github.io/transcripts/4-making-disruptive-tech-not-disruptive-exciting-uses-for-robots-on-farms.html
- Bluewhite Robotics' Website: https://www.bluewhite.co/
- Bluewhite Robotics' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bluewhite/
- Ben Alfi's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-alfi-aaa6b1146/

PODCAST LINKS
- Watch and discuss on 𝕏: https://www.x.com/audrow
- Watch or listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/74jWpWiLwsasY2QHtDcl8I
- Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/audrow-nash-podcast/id1716486786
- Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@audrow
- Main podcast site: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/audrow1
- RSS Feed: https://anchor.fm/s/e2666f60/podcast/rss
- Full transcripts: https://audrow-nash-podcast.github.io/transcripts
- Podcast Github: https://github.com/audrow-nash-podcast

OUTLINE
(0:00) - Episode Intro
(1:09) - Introducing Ben Alfi and Bluewhite Robotics
(3:53) - Outfitting a tractor with Bluewhite's tech
(8:52) - What types of jobs are they automating?
(11:12) - How do you do localization? What sensors do you use?
(18:41) - Adding sensors to the tractor's tools + levels of support
(23:36) - Being a full solution for agriculture companies
(25:14) - Sending data to the cloud
(31:43) - Configuring their robot's behavior + onboarding
(34:54) - Working with farm equipment dealerships
(38:01) - Spiral development
(40:32) - Scaling their operation
(44:46) - How large is the tractor market?
(48:14) - Labor shortages and people not wanting to be farmers
(56:43) - Future of unmanned tractors
(1:07:14) - Data as a Service + Fellowship
(1:13:21) - Blending into the agruculture culture
(1:17:58) - Making systems safe
(1:21:48) - Recent Series C investment round
(1:23:48) - Working with the community
(1:29:26) - Episode outro

"Can I pay you to automate this?"

Stefan Seltz-Axmacher kept getting asked the same question about automating industrial vehicles, so he co-founded Polymath Robotics.

You'll like this interview if you're interested in the challenges and opportunities for mobile robots in industrial spaces.

With Stefan Seltz-Axmacher and Ilia Baranov from Polymath Robotics.

EPISODE LINKS
- Full transcript: https://audrow-nash-podcast.github.io/transcripts/3-easy-autonomous-navigation-for-industrial-vehicles-because-people-keep-asking-for-it.html
- Polymath Robotics' website: https://www.polymathrobotics.com
- Polymath Robotics' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/polymath-robotics/
- Polymath Robotics' 𝕏: https://twitter.com/PolymathRobots
- Polymath Robotics' Github: https://github.com/polymathrobotics
- Stefan Seltz-Axmacher LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanseltzaxmacher/
- Ilia Baranov's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iliabaranov/
- Info on the Automate It! podcast: https://www.polymathrobotics.com/blog/podcast-launch

PODCAST LINKS
- Watch and discuss on 𝕏: https://www.x.com/audrow
- Watch or listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/74jWpWiLwsasY2QHtDcl8I
- Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/audrow-nash-podcast/id1716486786
- Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@audrow
- Main podcast site: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/audrow1
- RSS Feed: https://anchor.fm/s/e2666f60/podcast/rss
- Full transcripts: https://audrow-nash-podcast.github.io/transcripts
- Podcast Github: https://github.com/audrow-nash-podcast

OUTLINE
(00:00:00) - Start
(00:02:47) - Introducing Stefan, Ilia, and Polymath Robotics
(00:04:33) - Let's stop reinventing the wheel
(00:23:11) - Is your code open-source?
(00:26:34) - Why focus on mobile robots?
(00:29:20) - Stefan's experience starting Starsky Robotics
(00:33:45) - A good task to automate and not get lit on fire
(00:36:29) - Integrating with sensors
(00:39:15) - Approaching the problem from another side than most robotics startups
(00:42:57) - Ambitions for Polymath Robotics
(00:47:58) - Running a different kind of business with fewer hats
(00:50:22) - Stefan's bankrun t-shirt campaign
(00:54:30) - How Polymath plans to grow
(00:57:14) - How Polymath uses machine learning
(01:01:30) - Big and expensive vehicles are easier to automate?
(01:07:45) - Thoughts on AI and Machine Learning
(01:15:40) - Making safety certified systems
(01:27:12) - Live demo!
(01:31:52) - Web tools and robotics
(01:38:57) - Automate It podcast
(01:49:57) - Advice for getting involved in robotics
(01:54:27) - Stefan's former startup experience and path to Polymath
(02:00:54) - Thoughts on side projects
(02:04:50) - What Stefan and Ilia are excited about in robotics

Will humanoid robots and AI take your job?

It's a question I've been hearing a lot. So, to get some perspective, I talked with Agility Robotics' CTO, Melonee Wise.

You'll like this interview if you want to understand the bleeding edge of robotics and AI and where we'll first see humanoid robots.

EPISODE LINKS
- Full transcript: https://audrow-nash-podcast.github.io/transcripts/2-will-humanoid-robots-take-your-job-challenges-opportunities-and-timeline.html
- Agility's website: https://agilityrobotics.com/
- Agility's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/agility-robotics

PODCAST LINKS
- Watch and discuss on 𝕏: https://www.x.com/audrow
- Watch or listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/74jWpWiLwsasY2QHtDcl8I
- Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/audrow-nash-podcast/id1716486786
- Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@audrow
- Main podcast site: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/audrow1
- RSS Feed: https://anchor.fm/s/e2666f60/podcast/rss
- Full transcripts: https://audrow-nash-podcast.github.io/transcripts
- Podcast Github: https://github.com/audrow-nash-podcast

OUTLINE
(00:00:00) - Start
(00:00:31) - Episode introduction
(00:01:42) - Introducing Melonee + Agility Robotics
(00:03:44) - Introducing Digit
(00:05:17) - How’d Melonee to join Agility?
(00:09:13) - Pivoting from curb to doorstep delivery
(00:11:34) - Why Humanoids?
(00:16:18) - How does Digit compare to people?
(00:19:01) - Ethics of humanoid robots
(00:25:09) - LLMs automation and white collar jobs
(00:37:35) - Robot factory + suppliers in North America
(00:42:53) - Reestablishing a trade class in the US
(00:53:17) - Digit’s hands
(00:55:55) - Thoughts on humanoids
(01:01:45) - Timeline for humanoids
(01:05:56) - What if you had your own ChatGPT?
(01:08:35) - Best time to be in robotics or worst time?
(01:10:07) - Advice for new roboticists
(01:13:10) - Amazon trials
(01:15:27) - Agility Robotics in the next 2-5 years
(01:18:42) - Humanoids and spreadsheets? Is this the tipping point?
(01:21:20) - What are you excited about in robotics now?
(01:23:42) - Wrapping up