In Silicon Valley, robotics is a little fish in a big pond...
But robotics here is still a bigger fish than robotics anywhere else in the world... although robotics elsewhere seems larger because it's in small ponds.
Putting things into perspective - The robotics industry and ecosystem in the SF/SV Bay Area is larger than anywhere else in the world but the size of the tech industry around us makes robotics look small. Everywhere else, robotics gets to be the big fish in a little pond, comparatively speaking, and therefore seems to get a lot more attention. (Potential exception for Beijing/Guangzhou/Shenzhen - but I’m still waiting to see where the real center of gravity for robotics in China is going to be.)
Built Worlds Venture Summit provided some very specific and useful discussions about the difficulties of commercializing robotics in the construction industry. I talked about the difficulty supporting startups over the four-five year line into regular revenue, particularly when investment is scarce and market traction is hard to define.
The demand is strong but there are still too many big gaps between what a robotics startup can provide and what the construction industry is looking for. Audrey Lynch and the BuiltWorlds Analyst Team had some deep dives into the adoption rates and issues across the construction industry in the US. It’s also good to see some initiatives coming out of events like this ie. FormLabs accelerator joint venture between Brick and Mortar VC and BuiltWorlds.
I also took part in three fun interviews this week, where I could talk about what our future with robots could look like, the good and the not so great, with Gary Bolles for the Singularity U Possible Futures Podcast, Jeff Frick for Turn the Lens and Katarzyna Żądło, from At the Meeting Point of Dimensions: How New Technologies Are Changing Reality
If you’re interested in having a talk/presentation about the state of robotics, or on investment in robotics and/or AI, or on standards and guidelines in the emerging robotics ecosystem, then let me know!
Starship Technologies
Today, Starship Technologies, the autonomous robotics delivery company, announced it has completed over 8M autonomous deliveries and driven over 10M miles to thousands of customers around the world delivering groceries, food, and other supplies.
Since its founding in 2014, Starship has quietly led the sidewalk robot category, underscored by this latest milestone with 2000+ robots operating at Level 4 autonomy across 150+ locations in six countries. While other autonomous companies are covering new ground, Starship has been the pioneer outlasting many competitors in the autonomous space–beating out Waymo’s 5M+ driverless trips and Zipline’s 1.45M+ orders to date.
Sharing the blog here (+ images here)
Community news:
Looking for an intern? Or an image processing wiz???
Omelia is looking for work in AI, image processing, AR/VR.
Their portfolio is here: https://owdt-magic.org/
Reva Tagare is a rising junior at Yale University studying Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science. Her passion for robotics began as the mechanical lead for her all-girls high school robotics team at Castilleja High School. She has been working as an undergraduate research intern in Soft Robotics at The Fabratory, Yale University since Sept 2024. She worked as a Production Intern at Matic Robots, in 2024 summer. She is very interested in expanding her experience in robotics this summer. reva.tagare@yale.edu
Call for Robotics Startups
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Call for Speakers: Kat Scott from Open Robotics has posted a call for speakers/projects for ROS by the Bay next meetup on May 1st (probably when they launch Kilted Kaiju, swag and testing party). Contact Kat@openrobotics.org
There are several opportunities for startups at ICRA 2025 - SEE ALL HERE
Apply Now for the Vogue Singapore x BMW Innovation Prize 2025
Brinc is proud to be the programme partner for the Vogue Singapore x BMW Innovation Prize 2025! With a focus on sustainability, technology, and circular innovation, we will be delivering a curated bootcamp on fundraising, commercialization, and brand building to help founders sharpen their go-to-market strategies, access global investors, and tap into real-world growth.
Shortlisted founders will:
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Gain insight from global leaders like Corey Moran (Google) and Annie Lindmark (H&M Foundation)
Receive tailored mentorship and pitch to top investors and industry experts
Applications close April 13, 2025! LEARN MORE & APPLY NOW
The IERA Award is calling for submissions, deadline May 31st, if you are world class in robotics innovation and commercialization. The award is hosted by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) and the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Industry Activities Board. Previous winners include many famous names.
ROSCon Diversity Scholarships! Apply by April 18th
Robotics News
The only way some manufacturing jobs will return stateside is if AI-empowered robots do them - and that’s a good thing - Fortune
US Push to Rival China’s Humanoid Robots Undercut by Trump’s Tariffs - Bloomberg
Trump’s tariffs are putting the robots to work - Business Insider
ABB to spin off world’s second biggest robotics business - Reuters
An Open Source Pioneer Wants to Unleash Open Source AI Robots - Wired
Latina trailblazer wants to use robotics to support human workers, not replace them - BizWomen
DoorDash is now sending food in delivery robots. That’s as good and bad as you think - Fast Company
Robotics company, Revobot, to establish global HQ in Phoenix - AZInno
Farmers develop ‘autofill’ tech so agricultural robots can operate around the clock - ABC News
Robot-operated stores open in Glendale, North Hollywood - NBCLosAngeles
Why Tesla’s turn to robots has divided Wall Street - CNBC
The Future of AI and Robotics Is Being Led by Amazon’s Next-Gen Warehouses - IEEE Spectrum
Rise of the Robots: How robots are changing dairy farms - HAckaday
Smarter dairy farms where robots milk the cows - Fox News
Watch these construction robots 3D print a Walmart extension in just seven days - Archinect
Cosmic Robotics’ robots could speed up solar panel deployments - TechCrunch
Hyundai Putting ‘Tens of Thousands’ of Advanced Robots to Work - Newsweek
Humanoid Robots at Work: What Executives Need to Know - Bain & Company
Robotics Events
Bots&Beer Mountain View - May 7
Online Prototype to Product Workshop - early May
Automate Detroit - May 12-15
ICRA 2025 Atlanta Georgia 17 May - 23 May 2025
SVR Robotics Leadership Summit
Robotics Invest Boston - June 10-11
CVPR Nashville Tennessee - June 11-15
Hard Tech Venture Summit & Startup Manufacturing Workshop - June 18-19
Future Monozukuri Osaka Japan 16 July -19 July 2025
SVR Robotics Investment Summit​
Join the organizing team at Silicon Valley Robotics - bots&beer@svrobo.org
Well said, Andra. - Albert Hu