Humanoids and yet more humanoids

And Uber's Travis Kalanack is aiming at automating food production

Dec 04, 2023

Starting off with a summary of the whiplash you get trying to understand where the US is at with factories, manufacturing and robots. Anecdotally, I hear that a lot of robotics companies are setting up their manufacturing, or plan to in the US, including but not limited to Agility Robotics of course. The EV industry is a great tailwind too.

But first, congratulations to the REC Foundation (and Nancy McIntyre - a tireless advocate for diversity in robotics) for creating the Southwest Native American Showcase. Helping us fill those 2.5 million STEM jobs more equitably.

TOKYO, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Japanese robot maker Yaskawa Electric (6506.T) is considering investing around $200 million in the United States, its president said, with an eye to making its industrial robots there for the first time.

The investment would follow other manufacturers from allied nations moving to build capacity in the U.S. as Washington tries to boost high-end manufacturing and strengthen its control over supply chains amid trade tension with China.

We’re investing in America. We’re investing in Americans. And it’s working.

Since I took office, my Investing in America agenda has led to a manufacturing boom that’s attracted over $600 billion — $600 billion in private investment from private companies in America and around the world in manufacturing and industries of the future. - President Biden from Whitehouse Briefing

WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - U.S. manufacturing remained subdued in November, with factory employment declining further as hiring slowed and layoffs increased, more evidence that the economy was losing momentum after robust growth last quarter.

The survey from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) on Friday followed on the heels of data on Thursday showing moderate growth in consumer spending and subsiding inflation in October. Economic activity is cooling as higher interest rates crimp demand. Most economists, however, do not expect a recession next year and believe the Federal Reserve will be able to engineer the hoped-for "soft landing."

Closed factories almost never reopen.

So when Jason Vassar heard last month that his shuttered auto factory plans to restart, he considered it a “blessing.” The Stellantis plant that laid him off in March had agreed to resume production and rehire its workers to help end a nationwide strike against the company. It even pledged to build a $3.2 billion battery factory next door, encouraged by the prospect of federal manufacturing subsidies from the Biden administration. - Washington Post

The United States has experienced a striking surge in construction spending for manufacturing facilities. Real manufacturing construction spending has doubled since the end of 2021 (Figure 1).^[1] The surge comes in a supportive policy environment for manufacturing construction: the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and CHIPS Act each provided direct funding and tax incentives for public and private manufacturing construction.

We explore the surge along three key dimensions:

The boom is principally driven by construction for computer, electronic, and electrical manufacturing—a relatively small share of manufacturing construction over the past few decades, but now a dominant component.
Manufacturing construction is one element of a broader increase in U.S. non-residential construction spending, alongside new building for public and private infrastructure following the IIJA. The manufacturing surge has not crowded out other types of construction spending, which generally continue to strengthen.
Finally, we put the trend in international context. While it can be difficult to compare such granular data across countries, the surge appears to be uniquely American—not mirrored in other advanced economies. - US Treasury

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Quick Reads:

Silicon Valley’s $445 million robot pizza revolution that wasn’t - The zesty tale of Zume Pizza, one of the biggest flops in Silicon Valley history - Fast Company

Scoop: Travis Kalanick is Building Restaurant Robots With Help of Uber’s Former Head of Self-Driving Cars - The Spoon

Are consumers ready for robots at their doorsteps? - Northwestern Now

Where are all the robot trucks? - The Verge

Contra Costa County to install 28 mile micro-transit system with autonomous vehicles - ABC7

The installed base of construction equipment OEM telematics systems will reach 11 million units worldwide by 2027 - IOT Business News

Robotics Q&A with Meta’s Dhruv Batra - TechCrunch

The 4 next big things in robotics and automation for 2023 - Fast Company

How robotics can help manufacturers optimize the future - Chief Executive

US lawmakers seek probe of Chinese drone maker Autel Robotics - Reuters

AI, autonomous systems, and digital connectivity could help ships cut emissions - Business Insider

World’s largest robots can help airlines cut carbon emissions - Freethink

Leading the underwater robotics revolution - EP&T