If a robotics startup intends to expand, there is a high probability of two questions from potential investors:
- How is generative artificial intelligence being incorporated?
- Is it considered building a species of human being?
The answer to the first is simple. Generative AI will most likely have been integrated into your workflow if you are a robotics company in 2024.
The second requires reflection and saying something like "you know, humanoids have potential, but they are not suitable for this particular challenge." Then you have to try to change the subject quickly. That's not a categorical rebuttal of the form factor, but rather an acknowledgment that, despite investor enthusiasm, it's not the right tool for every job.
It's reasonable to assume we're at the peak of the robotics hype cycle. Many people across the industry were surprised by the recent $675 million increase in figure, which raises the question about the viability of the market.
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At the Supply Chain Fair Modex 2024In Atlanta, there were only a small number of humanoids.
Among the three huge halls of the Georgia World Congress Center, two of them were present.
Agility was the most notable. The company attracted plenty of people all week in a repeat of last year's ProMat event. Digit this time introduced improved hands, new software and a workflow for automobile manufacturing. There has been great progress since last year's event in terms of the product, executive staff, and important ROI discussions.
Digit
In terms of business progress, Agility It's unique. Although discussions about Digit seem less theoretical than most humanoid competencies, there are still questions about how it would work in the real world. At the show, many of the people made sure to use the word “PILOT” (in all caps) to differentiate smaller-scale test deployments from larger-scale adoption deployments. Piloting is not a bad word in this industry, nor is it exclusive to humanoids, it is a common and delicate word related to new technology.
In reality, the pilots should be considered tests. There is a huge chasm between a company that is so committed to a new technology that it overhauls its manufacturing or warehouse processes to incorporate it and one that puts a handful of devices to the test. Of course, the two are connected because the first usually needs the second, but coverage may be too eager to combine the two. There are numerous cases of pilots failing to carry out a large-scale deployment due to a variety of reasons.
The pilots They appear so much because it's usually good for both parties. If there is no validation, the company selling the product receives an obvious interest from a well-established corporation. Meanwhile, the corporation shows shareholders and customers that it possesses the latest technologies that could give it an advantage over others in this cutthroat world of late capitalism. Although it pays to follow the pilots and set important benchmarks for startups, at the end of the day. What really matters are the implementation figures.
Several of the players remained critical regarding the widespread adoption of humanoid robots in the workplace. It's important to take this with a grain of salt and consider the source, as always. If the company makes robotic arms and/or AMRs, also known as autonomous mobile robots, there is much interest in believing that these shape characteristics will continue to dominate the market as they have for decades.
However, compared to last year, there is a change in the conversations. In terms of technology, customer interest, fundraising, and continued hiring of very smart people, these could well be the strides that companies like Agility have made. Whatever the reason, many have softened their skepticism toward humanoids. There were very few negative opinions about the humanoid form factor. The typical response was at a moderate level of optimism.
These same people now see humanoids playing a role in the factory, but rather than completely replacing more traditional single-purpose systems, robots will be used to enhance them. In reality, these devices could replace people in so-called “human-in-the-loop” systems, which require non-mechanical intervention. Maybe it's the right time to start discussing circuit humanoids. For the moment, however, the human factor is essential.
Automation does not replace jobs, people say. Many manufacturers still maintain the belief that people will always have a role to play in this regard. The executive director of Plus One RoboticsErik Nieves explained the meaning of the company's name, noting that "if you want to increase reliability over time, you need to add a human."
This is impossible to predict globally, but it will not prevent you from trying it or having solid and immovable opinions about it. But it is essential to consider capitalist motivations. It begs the serious question: If a company could save a few cents by fully automating its warehouse and manufacturing areas, would it hesitate to do so?
Although they are few and far between, Light Out factories do exist. Since manufacturing is a highly structured environment based on extremely repetitive workflows, it is particularly suited to full automation. But extreme cases will always exist, even if humans are not present on a daily basis. It could be the ideal scenario for humanoids, either operating autonomously or teleoperated, as is the case with reflex, the other humanoid robotics firm present at Modex.
Lights off (of English: L o Dark Factory) is a methodology or philosophy of industrial production, rather than a specific process, it refers to factories that are fully automated and do not require human presence in the factory.
Reflex Robotics
GreyOrange CEO Akash Gupta said: “If you start thinking about Lights Out production, there are always 5% exceptions that need to be handled.” "I think that's the role humanoids will play in storage." They are going to close that 5% gap, which requires a lot of unstructured execution and skill.
Earlier this week, Robert Sun, the founding engineer of Dexterity, said the timelines may not sync up for broader deployments of humanoid robots. He suggested that while form factor could play a big role in the shift to Light Out factories and warehouses, the technology might not be where it needs to be in time for that to make much sense.
Sun explains that when transitioning all logistics and warehousing work to robotic work, humanoids could be a good transition point. «Now that we don't have the human, we will place the humanoid there. We will move to this automated Lights Off factory of lights over time. Therefore, the fact that humanoids are extremely challenging makes it difficult to put them in the transition period.
Here, the timeline is essential. After all, many of these systems are presented as “general purpose,” but anyone who knows space knows that this promise is far from reality. The final question is how profitable these systems can be in the meantime. This is precisely why these pilots are crucial and why a lot of communication has focused on return on investment (ROI).
The form factor is undoubtedly much more adaptable than many or most of the single-purpose systems currently dominating warehouses and factories, giving humanoid robotics companies a lot to promise in the future. However, closing the gap between now and then will require systems that demonstrate their value from the start.
