Automate 2023 Recap And The Receding Horizon Problem

“Thirty million developers” are the answer to driving billion-dollar robot startups, exclaimed Eliot Horowitz of Viam last week at Automate. The hushed crowd of about 200 hardware entrepreneurs listened intensely to MongoDB‘s founder and former CTO (a $20Bn success story). Now, Horowitz aims to take the same approach that he … Read More

2023: The Year of Tombot – The Robo Dog

Hands down, the robot story of 2022 was the San Francisco Police Department’s decision, and subsequent retraction, to order a fleet of killer robots. The highly-debated proposal tried to set nerves at ease by stating: “Robots will only be used as a deadly force option when the risk of loss … Read More

Robotic Startup Now Cuisine Takes On Ghost Kitchens And Drone Deliveries

The robotics industry is at an inflection point where the baton is being passed from the scientists to the practitioners. In historical terms, we are witnessing the Edisons of the world harness the innovations of the likes of Faraday to create life changing businesses and wealth. Automation has moved from … Read More

Are Robo-Butlers Really Handy?

As all of us are spending more time confined in our domiciles, robo-maids could not be a more timely concept. Last month, Sebastian Seung, President of Samsung Research, unveiled at (virtual) CES 2021, Handy – the autonomous butler. Seung described his innovation as “an extension of you in the kitchen, … Read More

Augean Robotics: Mechanizing Food Production From Farm To Table

It spanned over 120 feet and took up a considerable area inside the already overpacked robotics section of the Las Vegas Convention Center, leaving many to wonder, ‘What on earth is a tractor doing at CES?’ Ever the since the acquisition of the artificial intelligence startup Blue River Technologies for … Read More

The PropTech Report: An Open Frontier For Hardware Entrepreneurs

Two constants have guided my professional life: venture capital and real estate. Every year, I eagerly await to see which portfolio will produce greater returns. Today, in the  words of the great (fictional) New Yorker George Louis Costanza, “Worlds are colliding!”  Enertiv, a New York Angels investment, keeps growing with … Read More

Privacy Data Guidelines For Mechatronic Innovators

A harem of scantily-dressed women blazed across Tuesday’s New York Post cover proudly modeling the latest in affordable cell phone technology courtesy of Pablo Escobar’s brother, Roberto. The tabloid quipped that mobile apps today are more addicting than cocciaine. China (among other data junkies) is counting on this dependency to … Read More

The 5G Report Card, Building Today’s Smart IoT Ecosystem

The elephant in the room loomed large two weeks ago at the inaugural Internet of Things Consortium (IoTC) Summit in New York City. Almost every presentation began apologetically with the refrain, “In a 5G world…” practically challenging the industry’s rollout goals. At one point Brigitte Daniel-Corbin, IoT Strategist with Wilco … Read More

A 360 Degree View Of Incubating Mechatronics

Last month, private equity giant Blackstone Group announced the acquisition of Colony Capital for $5.9 billion, a deal that encompasses 60 million square feet of warehouse space across 465 facilities. Blackstone is reported to manage now over $250 billion worth of property worldwide, and the Colony purchase comes on the … Read More

Reinventing The Wheel, Autonomously

As I pen this article, Walmart is already ushering in the Holiday season with its “Early Deals” dropping online tonight at midnight (five weeks before Black Friday). Since more than half of US consumers prefer e-commerce over brick-and-mortar stores, close to 40% plan to start checking off Santa’s list by … Read More