Melonee Smart is the brand new chief product officer of KUKA’s software program and AI group. | Supply: Melonee Smart
Robotics business veteran Melonee Smart has taken a brand new place at KUKA AG. She is now the chief product officer for the corporate’s new software program and synthetic intelligence group in Silicon Valley. Smart stated she has been within the place for about 4 weeks to date.
Smart was beforehand the chief product officer at Agility Robotics. She stepped down from that place in August.
In 2023, Smart joined the humanoid robotics developer as chief know-how officer, and he or she shifted into the chief product officer position in Might 2024. Smart led Agility’s engineering staff along with its newly fashioned product group.
“I took a while off after Agility, after which I began in search of a brand new position,” Smart advised The Robotic Report. “I met with lots of completely different firms, however I ended up assembly with the staff at KUKA, and I bought actually excited in regards to the new software program and AI group that was being put collectively in Silicon Valley. That was clearly one large draw for me, getting to actually give attention to software program and AI with such a big firm.”
Smart has years of expertise within the robotics business. Previous to becoming a member of Agility in 2023, she was the vice chairman of robotics automation at Zebra Applied sciences. Earlier than that, Smart was CEO of cellular robotic maker Fetch Robotics till its acquisition by Zebra in 2021 for $290 million.
Final month, Smart joined the board of advisors at A&Ok Robotics, which develops micromobility platforms.
Smart brings a startup mindset to one of many world’s largest robotics firms
Previous to working with KUKA, a lot of Smart’s expertise has been in constructing firms from the bottom up. Now, she’ll have the chance to innovate with the sources of an industrial automation supplier that introduced in greater than $4 billion in 2024.
“KUKA has such a big put in base of robotic methods, and with the ability to construct on prime of that’s actually thrilling,” stated Smart. “Having been at lots of startups for the final 20 years, you’re all the time ranging from the bottom up. It’s a must to construct your buyer base. It’s a must to construct all of that belief.”
“It’s actually thrilling to come back into KUKA, with that large buyer base, all that belief, and lots of deployed merchandise,” she added. “So after we go and construct these cool new software program methods, we’re constructing on a giant base and capable of transfer quick and do some fairly cool issues.”
On the similar time, nonetheless, Smart plans to convey a few of the startup tradition she’s so aware of to KUKA.
“I’ve seen lots of various things over the past 15 years of deploying robots,” Smart stated. “I’ve had lots of expertise deploying new know-how inside industrial areas, which has its personal distinctive model of enjoyable, and so I do know the place the pitfalls are of deploying new know-how in these conventional automation areas.”
To this point, she has been working to get to know KUKA’s clients.
“The good factor whenever you take a look at KUKA’s clients is that they’re very pragmatic. They wish to clear up actual issues immediately,” Smart stated. “As a roboticist, you’ll be able to spend lots of time in demo land. I feel it’s tremendous thrilling to have the ability to work with clients proper out of the gate, get their suggestions and their opinions, good or unhealthy, in regards to the work that you simply’re doing, and continually enhance.”
What is going to the brand new software program and AI group give attention to?
In her new place, Smart is constructing a staff of software program and AI consultants for KUKA in Silicon Valley.
“We’re constructing a middle of excellence in Silicon Valley,” she famous. “We’re going to be specializing in unifying lots of our software program methods to ensure that we’re creating the suitable surroundings for deploying giant autonomous methods at scale, in order that we are able to grow to be extra autonomous, extra linked, and software-defined as an organization. That’s central to our imaginative and prescient going ahead.”
A lot of the group’s focus shall be on delivering for patrons who anticipate extra from robots than up to now.
“After we take a look at the problem going ahead, extra industrial environments are having extra various kinds of robots, so it’s changing into extra dynamic, extra heterogeneous,” defined Smart. “Our clients are demanding extra from us round making [robotics] simple to make use of, making it extra clever. We wish to principally be capable to meet them and to adapt to those continually altering circumstances and be extra impartial, cellular, linked, and context-aware.”
To this point, the staff is made up of Smart and two different individuals, however KUKA shall be hiring for positions within the new group. candidates can attain out to her for extra data.
“The staff is small. We’re engaged on getting an workplace arrange and getting robots there,” Smart stated. “Proper now, we have now a robotic in somebody’s storage as a result of we’re nonetheless engaged on getting a robotic area. However that’s sort of the custom of Silicon Valley, beginning in somebody’s storage. So, I feel that actually embraces the Valley vibe, and anchors the story round KUKA making an attempt to construct its heart of excellence.”
KUKA to guess on cellular manipulation
Smart has spent a lot of her profession working with cellular robots, whether or not or not it’s the AMRs she developed at Fetch or the humanoids she labored on at Agility. In her opinion, cellular manipulation shall be an growing focus for the business within the coming years.
“I feel that in three to 5 years, cellular manipulation goes to be the place it’s at. Now, I don’t assume anybody actually is aware of precisely what’s going to be the killer format for it, whether or not it’s wheels and arms, legs and arms, one arm, two arms,” stated Smart. “At KUKA, we’re going to be betting round cellular manipulation. We’re nonetheless coming to a full conclusion on what the type of that’s, however I feel that that’s the place the massive bets are going to be positioned within the subsequent three to 5 years,” Smart stated.
For now, nonetheless, Smart shall be conserving her head down and attending to work. She hinted at KUKA popping out with extra data within the new 12 months.
“My objective is to only execute and transfer quick,” Smart stated. “We’re clearly constructing a roadmap. My objective is to principally crush it, get it accomplished as quick as attainable, and ship, ship, ship.”
“It’s a fairly aggressive market on the market proper now,” she acknowledged. “There are lots of completely different individuals constructing options and merchandise for the market, and everybody, not simply KUKA, is on a ticking fuse to be first to market.”
“So, my objective is to get on the market and ship, and supply worth as quick as attainable, and execute on our roadmap as well timed as attainable,” Smart concluded. “Sadly, we’re not prepared to speak about a few of the cooler issues that we’re engaged on, however I hope to have the ability to talk about that within the new 12 months.”
KUKA gives cellular manipulators for transporting supplies, machine tending, inspection, order selecting, and pick-and-place duties. | Supply: KUKA
