Robust.AI

Peak season is in full swing, but that doesn't mean it's on rails in every warehouse. 🎁 Our Director of Solutions, Kyle Detwiler, sums it up: "Peak season is driven by customer profiles and customer buying habits, which are difficult to forecast and predict. So warehouses and DCs still find themselves in very reactive states, despite data or learnings from previous years. And the levers that people have at their disposal around labor, and footprint, are costing more than ever." 💰 During peak season - when people running the holiday show need to shine - you can't have robots adding to the chaos. Carter™ is designed to flex for people, preferences and conditions - even when they are changing drastically, every day. 🦾 Image credit: John Bleau ⭐

"One of our internal principles is Invisible Intelligence. The goal is to make the robot as easy to interact with as possible - not to show off how many PhDs we have building things." Anthony Jules shared this with the folks at Manifest: The Future of Supply Chain & Logistics last week, and it hits the nail on the head for our mentality as a team and our product mission for Carter™. As we kick off what many elevate as a week of gratitude, it's important, as an industry, for us to recognize the people behind, with, using and leading the robots we design and build. Take a moment to appreciate and thank a customer, colleague, manager, partner, etc. And from our team at RobustAI, have a Happy Thanksgiving week! 🦃

A big congrats to the Cobot - Collaborative Robotics, Inc team on launching Proxie! It's truly exciting to see more robots designed to work alongside people entering the market to close out 2024. When asked about Proxie's more simplistic form factor in WIRED's AI Lab piece, Cobot's Brad Porter responded that the "AI isn't there yet" for humanoid solutions, but "Proxie could replace more and more menial tasks that human beings often don’t want to do." Our Co-Founder & CTO, Rodney Brooks adds, “There’s a real need in factories and warehouses for moving things around, but thinking humanoids are going to do it anytime soon is just craziness. Wheels were invented for a good reason.” Will 2025 be a defining year for collaborative robotics? Our team believes so - and we're not alone. cc: Will Knight

"The real heart of collaborative robotics is this notion of using automation for 80-90% of the job and people for 10-20% of the job. That gets you both a better ROI and a better solution because people can provide the context that robots aren't anywhere close to and won't be close to providing for decades - in some cases ever." Our CEO Anthony Jules sat with Pam Simon, Conference Chair & EVP of Manifest: The Future of Supply Chain & Logistics to discuss what it's like building a human-focused robot from the ground up and how Carter™ is uniquely positioned to drive results and a different kind of automation mentality heading into 2025. February is right around the corner, and we can't wait to see everyone at Manifest! Link to the full conversation in the comments 💡

It's important for automation leaders like DHL to educate the market because the market will always look to trailblazers and innovators to inform decisions, see what's working, and avoid what isn't. The Fact remains: Robots can't do it all, and people still make this world go round. "Despite the rise in automation, warehouses remain big employers of humans. Federal data show that nearly 1.8 million people work in this corner of the supply chain." (NYT article below 👇 ) Our team is working closely with Sally Miller and the great people at DHL Supply Chain to deploy Carter™ in the coming months, and we maintain our shared beliefs about the business value of robots WITH people - not in place of people.

"While plenty of column space has been devoted to a future in which humanoid and other robots have entirely replaced their human counterparts, that’s a distant vision, at best. People and robots are going to be working side by side for the foreseeable future, so it’s important to ensure we can do so safely." 💡 Thank you, Brian Heater and TechCrunch for visiting our office to experience Carter™, meet our team, and speak more in-depth on collaboration, safety, and AI with our Co-Founder/CTO Rodney Brooks. 🌟 It's an exciting time to be making #robotsforhumans! 🤖 🤝 Check out the article in the comments 👇

You may work in robotics if this is one of the easiest pangrams to date. #haveagreatweekend

Don't need to think about it. Effortless. Natural extension. Instinctual and fluid. Like all elite performers, warehouse workers are in a state of flow when they feel like this ☝ Designing an interaction to require constant or frequent conscious action is disruptive and costly. There's real power in robots that can blend into the workflow vs. demand attention. In helping workers accomplish more, truly #collaborativerobots don't compete with or ask more from workers throughout their day. Being invisible-in-use directly contributes to ROI because people use and enjoy things that feel natural - which leads to adoption and scale. #RobotsForHumans 🤖 🤝

If a robot needs a "For Dummies" manual, you may need to rethink its design and purpose. People shouldn't have to tax their brains or bodies to jive with robots in their workspace. Robots need to move in concert with workers, complimenting needs and behaviors in ways that are repeatable, intuitive, and satisfying. "Why should I have to change?" Is a powerful question, and the answer should be, "You don't." Carter™ Pro works with and for people 👇 #RobotsForHumans 🤖 🤝

"We have an opportunity now to invent a future where people are the stars of the show and robots are part of the supporting cast of characters." Congrats on a great session at TEDx Palo Alto, Leila Takayama! If anything from robot design to social psychology to warehouse worker satisfaction piques your interest, this is well-worth a listen. Link to Leila's session: 'On designing robots for people' in the comments. 👇 #robotsforhumans