Happy International Humanoids Day!
Lol all the people now saying 2025 is the year of the Humanoids. In 2023, we started telling you that humanoids were here to stay!
Thank you!
Thank you to everyone who takes the time to tell me that you like reading this newsletter! And deep gratitude to the paid subscribers who help keep our startup activities and events running. There are some more in depth reports and lists coming.
2024 is the Year of the Humanoids.
I can’t say enough about how awesome The Humanoids Summit was. Hopefully you’ll be reading all about it from Robert Little on Linked In or some of the articles and TV coverage generated. I can say that we launched International Humanoids Day on 12/12 and also that in 2025 the Silicon Valley / San Francisco Humanoids Summit will be back on Dec 11th and 12th 2025 AND in London on May 29th and 30th.
I’ve been saying that 2024 is the Year of the Humanoids and we’ve already seen Digit from Agility Robotics on the cover of TIME! The 2023 and 2024 IEEE Humanoids Conference and now the inaugural Humanoids Summit just added icing to the cake. Humanoids are here! Although it’s still a long way to everywhere.
IEEE Robotics Manufacturing Workshop at Circuit Launch Mountain View
40 startup founders and hardware mentors gathered post Humanoids Summit for the IEEE robotics manufacturing workshop at Circuit Launch on Friday. IEEE RAS is rolling these workshops out around the world so let me know if you’d like to join the team or host a workshop.
Circuit Launch is the ultimate hub for hardware innovators, offering state-of-the-art prototyping labs, co-working space, and a thriving community of entrepreneurs. We provide the tools, training, and connections to accelerate your ideas into reality, with locations in Oakland, San Leandro (2025) and Mountain View.
Tour the new facility and check out our Dedicated Desks, Entrepreneur Hot Desks, and Private offices, now available for your next big idea. info@circuitlaunch.com
Some Thoughts on Robotics Startups
Michael Ferguson at Robot & Chisel, 10/01/2024
The Actionable Stuff
Numerous people have asked for startup advice over the years - I have often, wrongly, focused on very narrow things (don’t go cheap on lawyers, etc).
I’m not sure I’ll ever do another robotics company, but here is what my dream founder team would look like for a future robotics startup:
CEO - A domain expert in whatever industry you are selling into. Significant product experience. Should be able to sell - the CEO’s industry connections will basically take the place of hiring a sales team initially.
CTO - Robotics expert, with product experience. In order to properly lead the (hopefully relatively small) engineering organization, and integration of Off-The-Shelf (OTS) components and vendors, the CTO will need a solid grasp of hardware, web/enterprise software, and any other product specific technologies.
Put that team together and then find a real product need - the simpler the better. Robotics people love to over-complicate things. Do you really need a mobile base? Do you really need an arm? Or is there some simpler automation solution that you should be tackling?
Thanks to ROBOT & CHISEL
Send me your community news to share!
Robotics News
Exploring the persistence dominance of human-centered automation in robotics - Erik Nieves in Quality Magazine
The human in the loop: Maximising opportunities for robotics and automation - Food Magazine
Choreorobotics takes center stage at San Francisco Exploratorium - KCRA3
Humanoids Summit in South Bay highlights robots aimed at improving everyday life - ABC7
2025 Predictions: Enterprises, Researchers and Startups Home In on Humanoids, AI Agents as Generative AI Crosses the Chasm - NVIDIA Blog
The Future is Now for Humanoid Robots - PwC Strategy&
Tesla jumps to three year high as Optimus humanoid robots step into the spotlight - Seeking Alpha
Training Machines to Mimic Humans - BBC
Why Germany should bet big on robots - Sifted EU
Switzerland’s Anybotics raiseds $60 million for US expansion - Silicon Republic
Humanoid robots empowers sci-tech fusion in S China's Greater Bay Area - China People’s Daily
China ups the ante on humanoid robotic innovation, applications to boost economy - South China Morning Post
China’s humanoid robot army turns factory into precision-packed powerhouse - Interesting Engineering
Huawei invests $413 million into robotics subsidiary - The Robot Report
With General Motors pulling the plug on Cruise, every American automaker except Tesla has called it quits on robotaxis - Fortune
GM is giving up robotaxis, pivots to personal autonomous vehicles - TechCrunch
The end of Cruise is the beginning of a risky new phase for autonomous vehicles - The Verge
Nuro’s head of design talks autonomous pods - Car Design
Moove partners with Waymo to expand autonomous driving across the US - Global Fleet
Suzuki, Applied AV Unveil Autonomous Logistics Vehicle - IOT World Today
Autonomous battery swapping by U Power - The EV Report
This company is now validating autonomous trucks - Autoweek
Volvo autonomous trucks haul DHL freight through Texas - DC Velocity
AgriRobot Secures Funding to Accelerate Development of Autonomous Agricultural Safety Software - Global AgTech
Endoquest robotic system gets FDA OK to launch clinical trial - MedTechDive
Smarter store labor: Six key benefits of retail robots - ChainStoreAge
Eureka Robotics Raises USD 10.5 Million Series A to Accelerate Deployment of Physical AI for Precision Manufacturing and Logistics - PR Newswire
Pentagon announces new AI office as it looks to deploy autonomous weapons - The Hill
Sikorsky to demonstrate flight autonomy to US Marine Corps - Vertical Mag
Chief of Naval Operations Highlights Robotic and Autonomous Systems with Visit to Orca Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle - America’s Navy
German firm unveils tech to transform military vehicles into autonomous units - The Defense Post
NASA video shows its next Martian helicopter hovering over Mars - Yahoo
Video shows robot welding SpaceX Starship - Futurism
Join us for a thought-provoking conversation about technology and humanity with Silicon Valley Read’s featured authors Charlee Dyroff (Loneliness & Company), Dr. Fei-Fei Li (The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI), and Ray Nayler (The Mountain in the Sea) on January 30th.
Attendees are invited to come early to see two robot dogs and visit the Euphrat Museum of Art, for their special exhibit where artists will be showcased around the theme "Encoding Empathy".
HRI 2025 - March 4-6 Melbourne Australia
In addition to a special “Industry Day” on March 3, 2025, the HRI 2025 conference invites partners to meet with some of the largest organizations in Australia!
This year, the conference theme is “robots for a sustainable world”—we all face the pressing global challenge of achieving sustainability in every facet of our lives; and we want to ensure that robots are part of the solution, not part of the problem.
The HRI conference gathers researchers and practitioners from all over the world to discuss and explore the intersection of robotics and artificial intelligence with our human, social world.
If you commit to sponsorship before December 13th, 2024, your organization could be an HRI 2025 Platinum partner for a 25% discounted rate of ~USD$7,500 (~USD$10,000 value)! Discounted Gold (~USD$6,000), Silver (~USD$3,750), and Bronze (~USD$1,125) packages are also available. Space is limited and first-come-first-served for some partner perks, so confirm your sponsorship now to maximize your benefits!
Details about partner/sponsor packages and à la carte options can be found here: https://humanrobotinteraction.org/2025/partners
IF you are a "supported organization", or small businesses (with fewer than 500 employees), businesses owned by women or socially or economically disadvantaged, nonprofits, and academic research groups, ask about the additional discounts.
Thanks and hope to have your organization represented at HRI 2025! :-)
2025
HRI 2025 Melbourne Australia March 4 - March 6
ProMat 2025 Chicago IL Mar 17 - Mar 20
ICRA 2025 Atlanta Georgia 17 May - 23 May 2025