In Episode 212 of The Robotic Report Podcast, hosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman recap the main robotics information of the week. Becoming a member of them the present this week is Scott Kuindersma, vp of robotics analysis at Boston Dynamics.
Scott Kuindersma, VP of robotics improvement, Boston Dynamics
Kuindersma discusses the event and testing of enormous habits fashions (LBMs) for the Atlas humanoid robotic. Boston Dynamics‘ group collected 20 hours of teleoperation knowledge to coach LBMs, which generalize manipulation duties.
The group demonstrated the LBMs with Atlas performing bi-manual manipulation duties, equivalent to selecting and inserting elements for the corporate’s Spot quadruped. The method concerned knowledge assortment, annotation, mannequin coaching, and analysis.
Kuindersma additionally discusses the significance of simulation knowledge and human demonstration knowledge. Boston Dynamics’ plans embrace testing Atlas in Hyundai services and exploring AI-centric outcomes to reinforce humanoid manipulation and dynamic behaviors.
Present timeline
- 05:43 – Information of the week
- 27:17 – Dialog with Scott Kuindersma, VP of robotics analysis at Boston Dynamics
Information of the week
Serve Robotics acquires belongings of Voysys to assist autonomous supply
Serve Robotics has acquired the belongings of Phantom Auto Inc. and its subsidiary, Voysys AB, for about $5.75 million in money. This acquisition will improve Serve’s know-how stack with Voysys’ low-latency video streaming capabilities, supporting the expansion of Serve’s autonomous supply robotic fleet.
Voysys will allow the Serve Robotics group to take care of distant monitoring video of robots within the area, which is one thing that each area autonomous robotic wants.
“Dependable connectivity to allow teleoperation or tele-assist is fairly essential to Stage 4 as you scale a fleet into many various cities, many various neighborhoods,” stated Dr. Ali Kashani, co-founder and CEO of Serve Robotics. “We’re in 5 cities already, and we’re on observe to be in six by the top of the yr.”
“So having this be dependable as you deploy 2,000 robots was tremendous essential,” he instructed The Robotic Report. “It was an issue we completely needed to clear up.”
Zoox bets huge, launches robotaxi service on Vegas Strip
Amazon subsidiary Zoox has launched its robotaxi service to the general public on and across the Las Vegas Strip. Rides are free and accessible via the Zoox app, which may be downloaded on each iOS and Android units, the firm stated.
Zoox stated it could possibly produce as much as 10,000 of those autos a yr in its manufacturing facility.
The Foster Metropolis, Calif.-based firm can also be testing its purpose-built robotaxis in San Francisco and Foster Metropolis. Throughout the testing section, its autos are open to Zoox staff so the corporate can refine the using expertise. It has additional plans to check in Austin and Miami.
AWS RoboMaker shuts down after failing to realize traction
Amazon Internet Companies (AWS) has formally discontinued RoboMaker, its cloud-based robotics simulation platform. This marks the top of a service that appeared to be misaligned from the beginning.
RoboMaker provided cloud simulation at scale via the open-source Gazebo physics engine. The system made it potential to spin up hundreds of randomized environments and generate cross/fail metrics throughout them.
RoboMaker customers have been inspired to pivot to AWS Batch. The corporate instructed The Robotic Report that Batch stands out as RoboMaker’s various with its multi-container assist, permitting a number of containers to run in a single job. AWS wrote a weblog for these trying to transition off of RoboMaker.
The Robotic Report spoke with a number of sources, who wished to stay nameless. They stated the product was misaligned with market wants and clearly didn’t acquire sufficient traction. One supply who beforehand labored for RoboMaker stated the product was “spun up,” primarily for iRobot.
“It labored effectively for iRobot,” the supply stated. “However there wasn’t a lot due diligence to see if it was helpful for anybody else available in the market.”
A cobot isn’t a cobot anymore
Pal of the present Aaron Prather, director of ASTM Worldwide‘s Robotics and Autonomous Methods Program, introduced that the revised ISO 10218 (2025) – the flagship worldwide robotic security normal – pointedly omits any definition of “collaborative robotic.”
Prather went on to state that in a broadcast FAQ, the requirements committee makes it clear: “The phrases ‘collaborative robotic’ and ‘collaborative operation’ is not going to be discovered within the revised ISO 10218. ‘Collaborative utility’ is used as an alternative, as solely the precise use of the robotic may be designed, examined, and confirmed as a collaborative utility.”
In different phrases, you gained’t discover the phrase cobot within the new ISO rulebook in any respect. The American Nationwide Requirements (ANSI/A3) adopted go well with. The up to date ANSI/RIA R15.06-2025 (the U.S. industrial robotic security normal tailored from ISO 10218-1/-2:2025) likewise eschews the time period “collaborative robotic,” changing it with the extra exact idea of a collaborative utility.
Catch the most recent on humanoid improvement at RoboBusiness 2025. Be part of Deepu Talla, vp of robotics and edge AI at NVIDIA, for a keynote titled “Bodily AI for the New Period of Robotics.”
