The Actuator this week is a bit disorganized. There are no significant, continued diatribes, only some musings that I want to write down. I am grateful for doing this weekly newsletter as it compels me to delve into larger thoughts.
Number one on our list is failure. Plenty of different cultures around the world share a similar mentality – our mistakes overwhelm us and cause us to feel embarrassed that we weren’t perfect from the start. Depending on who you are, you will either ruminate on them too much (hi, it’s me), or act as if they never even occurred.
I believe that our internalized concept of individualism in America leads us to be unwilling to accept our errors. We view mistakes as signs of inadequacy and shortcoming. As a nation that lauds individuals who build their own paths and create their own path, it’s difficult for us to comprehend mistakes as necessary in this journey.
Tessa Lau, the co-founder and CEO of Dusty, wrote about the difficulty of hardware in a post from the end of last year. The gist of it was that, with the hundreds of components in even the simplest robot—each of which can have its own problems—the challenge of hardware shows why it’s a hard field. If you think this is something you’d enjoy, have a look at Dusty’s job board—they’re hiring!
One of the greatest advantages of the Tesla Optimus demo was that it displayed the considerable efforts and amount of time it takes to develop a successful product. Even if the end result is eventually achieved, it is a long and difficult process.
I recently referenced the funny “bloopers” video released by Boston Dynamics last year as a demonstration of what other robotics firms can or should do. Although these expertly crafted clips are simply a sneak peek of the whole story, I’m encouraging organizations to be more candid with regards to the difficulties they encounter. We should regard these videos with admiration, as they portray the hard work invested into making a project successful.
Kiwibot were the pioneers when it came to responding; here is a video of them conducting trials.
This is an ongoing offer: send me your clips and tales. Give us a peek into the process. Diminish the exclusiveness a bit. Let’s see the blunders.
Second point is an observation. I’m not exactly sure how much the mentioned Optimus demonstration has contributed to this, but suddenly humanoid robots have become a hot topic. It feels like Tesla’s announcement has either (a) pressured a lot of people to make their moves or (b) offered an opportunity for them to explain why their offerings are superior.
It appears that a significant amount of people have been dedicating themselves to this for a while â a great deal without making it known. I’ve heard about numerous businesses related to this lately. I’m not totally convinced that a multipurpose humanoid entity is feasible yet. I’m open to the concept if it can be made to work, however I’m still searching for a convincing proof that it can be accomplished.
Thirdly, I invested in agtech and construction. These sectors have grown since the development of warehouse/fulfillment technology. Since they are essential to people, they are struggling to hire staff. In the same way that mobile phones contributed parts to modern robotics, autonomous driving has increased opportunities in these areas. Structured areas are much more manageable to maneuver in than streetways.
On Tuesday I asked through LinkedIn to discover which robotics companies were hiring and the response was overwhelming! Within hours I had posted a story and was staying on top of it the rest of the day. I had to close the post because it became too much for me to handle. Don’t fret if your business failed to succeed. I’ll certainly attempt it again in the future.
In my opinion, it’s evident that robotics firms are recruiting employees. As I have previously stated:
It’s fantastic to report that employers are onboarding new staff. Robotics has availed itself of this opportunity due to the prosperity it experienced during the coronavirus crisis. It is a fact that certain leading companies (Alphabet, Amazon) have cut back their robotics-related funding. Moreover, it appears more companies will be either buyouts or will be closing for good.
A lot of money has been invested in automation, giving people the opportunity for a successful future. Although many negative things have recently been reported, these could result in a stronger industry. In spite of this, labor problems remain, and there is still a push from businesses to automate various sectors including fulfillment, construction, healthcare and agriculture.
The following is a compilation of 45 employers seeking new talent:
There are six positions available at Addverb.
There are 21 available positions at Aescape.
Alert Innovation is in need of 14 roles to be filled.
ANYbotics is offering six positions.
AWL Automation is looking to fill three positions.
An architecture with four distinct roles that are performed by automated systems.
Bear Flag Robotics is in need of six positions to be filled.
Boston Dynamics (forty-five jobs)
The Boston Dynamics AI Institute is looking to fill eleven different positions.
Brooks Automation is offering fifty positions.
Chef Robotics is looking to fill thirteen positions.
There are three vacancies at Clearpath Robotics.
Cobalt Robotics is looking to fill three positions.
The position of Dexory involves five distinct roles.
Roles available at Diligent Robotics: nine (9).
Graph (15 positions)
GrayMatter Robotics is looking to fill nine different positions.
Ten Available Positions in the Honest AgTech Industry
There are two positions available for Impossible Metals.
There are 20 positions available in ISEE Artificial Intelligence.
Kewazo has 10 distinct roles.
Kiwibot is offering thirty roles.
Kodiak Robotics has twenty job openings.
There are eighteen openings available at Machina Labs.
Two job openings exist for “Mighty Fly”.
Miso has nine distinct roles.
There are fifteen positions available at Monarch Tractors.
Nidec Motor Corporation has three roles it plays.
Mujin Inc. is in need of 108 people to fill various roles within their robotics division.
OTTO Motors has eighteen roles available.
Path Robotics is offering three job openings.
There are six positions available at Rapid Robotics.
Righthand Robotics is hiring for seven different positions.
Three demanding roles in Technology are present.
Robco is looking to fill a total of 10 job roles.
Sanctuary AI has eighteen different positions available.
Scythe Robotics is in need of 10 positions to be filled.
Symbotic is offering ninety-three different positions.
Telos Health is offering ten different job positions.
The Toyota Research Institute has two positions available.
There are five roles in the Urban Machine.
Green Robotics (7 positions)
Viam Robotics is currently seeking to fill 10 positions.
Ten different characters are portrayed by Whisker.
Zipline is looking to hire fifty individuals for various positions.
This week Plus One Robotics made headlines by raising $50 million in their Series C, bringing their total funding to date to $94 million. CEO Erik Nieves commented that their solid performance validated the need for their product, and the entire process of term sheet to wire took only six weeks due to the involvement of Scale Ventures.
This week, Alphabet X company, Wing, revealed its idea to construct a âDelivery Networkâ based on drones. CEO Adam Woodworth compared the network to ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft, as it will depend on the location of the drones to determine delivery paths.
Until now, the industry has focused on building, testing and changing drones, instead of discovering the best means to use an entire fleet for successful delivery. Wing’s thought process regarding delivery is different; we view effective drone delivery on a big scale as closer to a highly organized data network instead of a classic transportation system. This is comparable to how it is with many other areas of technology. The usefulness of technology, from data centres to smartphones, is dependent on the accompanying software and distribution systems in order to be relevant to organisations and their consumers.
John Deere has officially acquired Boston-based SparkAI, as the agricultural technology robotics company is seeking to create an expansive portfolio. This week, the startup’s CEO as well as its founder, Michael Kohen, affirmed the deal through a LinkedIn post. He also pointed out that the alliance between the two had been in existence for some time.
It is of the utmost importance that growers get more yield with fewer resources, especially on the farm. With this in mind, Deere has dedicated itself to becoming a hub of artificial intelligence and robotics innovation in order to find answers to this need. We are captivated by the purpose of Deere, its aspirations, and its ability to make a difference to the lives of so many people.
A representative of John Deere said to TechCrunch.
The members of SparkAI will be joining John Deere’s Blue River Technology division. SparkAI and Blue River Technology will remain working together to introduce new innovations and develop new features.
Due to disputes between citizens and the councils of Northern California towns San Francisco and Oakland, Los Angeles is currently challenged with queries concerning its own use of police robots. Although these robots are nowhere near advanced enough to cause destruction, there has been enough worry about the LAPD’s possible integration of the Boston Dynamics Spot that a postponement of the vote has been issued, with the new date being two months later.
Many are nervous about the potential effect on disadvantaged groups. “This is something we’ll be using and, eventually, it will meet certain wants and needs,” Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez pronounced at the hearing. “What is the requirement for the Police Department to get a tool with possible capabilities in the future? We are all aware that Black, brown, immigrant communities, and those with fewer resources are frequently the locations where they try out these new technologies.”
Here’s a preview of the Digit head that Agility showed off last year at the TechCrunch Robotics gathering. The group has indicated that they’ll give a clearer view of ProMat in the coming weeks.
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