• The Startup Launch Pad Blasts Off At Automate 2017

    What does Magic Johnson and a twenty foot robot have in common? You guessed it, Automate 2017. While this might seem like an odd pairing, it accurately reflects the current state of the robotics industry. Already 2017 is on pace to beat last year’s $19 billion investment record, with the recent announcements of Intel’s… Listen ⇢

    The Startup Launch Pad Blasts Off At Automate 2017
  • Last Mile Delivery Goes To Robotic Mules

    Lior Ron has had quite a ride since founding Otto less than a year ago; within three months of his official launch, Uber acquired the autonomous truck startup for more than $680 million. Ron, a former Google executive, told me this week that he started Otto as a socially conscious company to end… Listen ⇢

    Last Mile Delivery Goes To Robotic Mules
  • Is Robot Virtual Reality Just Hype?

    Virtual Reality (VR) could be one of the most overhyped technologies since the introduction of 3D televisions. However, Juliano Pinto would be the first to rebut that criticism. Pinto, a paraplegic, is part of a new brain-machine interface study that reteaches the brain to walk using virtual reality and robotic exoskeletons. Pinto is… Listen ⇢

    Is Robot Virtual Reality Just Hype?
  • Machines Eradicating Cancer

    At the SxSw Interactive Conference in Austin this week, Former Vice President Joe Biden challenged all innovators to think BIGGER. Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Task Force , established last January, brings together 20 government agencies and more than 70 private-sector companies with one aim – “eliminate cancer as we know it.” Even the most unorthodox medical collaborators… Listen ⇢

    Machines Eradicating Cancer
  • Robots As Living Organisms?

    This week was a big week for shape shifters. In Japan, researchers at Tohoku University and Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology announced that it had successful developed a shape-shifting molecular robot. The amoeba-like robot uses biomolecules, such as DNA and protein, to integrate molecular machines into an artificial cell membrane.… Listen ⇢

    Robots As Living Organisms?
  • Preparing For The End Of Moore’s Law

    Last Thursday night, in a packed room of over 100 professionals, Nuzha Yakoob shared with the hushed crowd how nature is the greatest innovator. Ms. Yakoob showcased Festo Robotics’ bionic zoo from elephant nose-inspired end-effectors to grippers modeled after chameleon tongues. My personal favorite are the robotic ants that collaborate over the… Listen ⇢

    Preparing For The End Of Moore’s Law
  • Universal Income vs. Robot Tax

    At next week’s RobotLab event in New York City, the topic will be The Societal Impact of Robotics. The first speaker, David Rose of Singularity University, plans to address automation’s job disruption. While this subject matter has been featured in practically every article about robotics, what is lacking are real solutions to preventing seismic shifts… Listen ⇢

    Universal Income vs. Robot Tax
  • Autonomous Boats By 2020

    My twitter feed was abuzz this week with news of a Russian spy boat miles off the coast of Connecticut’s US Naval Submarine Base in Groton. This would’ve been a good time to test the Navy’s newest weapon – the Sea Hunter – an autonomous marine defense system (shown below). The concept of an encounter between autonomous and manual vessels waging battle is a… Listen ⇢

    Autonomous Boats By 2020
  • The Mechanical Silent Spring

    Trump’s Chinese hoax had quite a week with temperatures plummeting over 40 degrees overnight followed by a foot of snow. I write this post buried in a blizzard, as the wind is whipping around my windows. The rattling of glass is a reminder of how often we humans ignore the reality of science. Thankfully,… Listen ⇢

    The Mechanical Silent Spring

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My goal for this book is to help you at a pivotal point in your ideation process and, at the same, introduce you to a cadre of potential mentors. Through interviews with some of the most respected luminaries in this field, I aim to help fortify your resolve to follow your passions and build a billion-dollar company. The chapters of this book have been organized like field guide, as if you are setting out on a trip in the wild. Just like it’s essential to satiate yourself before scaling mountains, fast-tracking your innovation into the hands of early adopters is vital for achieving success on Main Street.

“Oliver Mitchell is among the world’s leading thinkers about robots and robotics. He is also one of the world’s leading visionaries about how humans think about robots, invest in robotics, and build robotics companies. …. The reader gets to be the beneficiary of Oliver’s creation of a new knowledge ecosystem.” – Dan Burstein, New York Times bestselling author of 15 nonfiction books, and Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Millennium Technology Value Partners.

“This book … [draws] from interviews with industry experts who share firsthand experiences from real-world ventures, the author distils invaluable lessons from both their successes and failures. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to my students and colleagues involved in robotics research and education as an exceptional resource for guiding their entrepreneurial pursuits.” Katsuo Kurabayashi, Professor and Chair, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, USA.