What Makes a Robot Actually Useful at Work?
Automated Podcast 38:52
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Talk about humanoid robots is everywhere, but how useful are they in industrial settings?
In this live episode of Automated, Brian Heater talks with Mikell Taylor, former Amazon Robotics leader and current head of General Motors’ Autonomous Robotics Center. Recorded in front of an audience at A3’s Business Forum, the conversation dives into safety, collaboration, automation at scale, and why the best robots don’t necessarily look like us.
From Amazon’s Proteus AMR to GM’s next generation of manufacturing automation, this episode cuts through the hype and focuses on what actually works in the real world.
Key Moments:
00:00 Why humanoid robots might be the wrong tool
02:30 Lessons from failed robotics startups
06:45 The robotics “family tree” (iRobot, Willow Garage, MIT)
12:00 Amazon’s Proteus and working safely alongside humans
17:00 Why removing fences is harder than it looks
21:00 What Rethink Robotics got right, and wrong
26:00 The VC obsession with complexity
30:45 GM’s Autonomous Robotics Center explained
35:15 When (and if) humanoid robots will actually work
37:40 The robot prom date (yes, really)
Connect with Mikell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikelltaylor/
Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at podcast@automate.org.
You can find the transcript and more episodes of Automated at automate.org/podcast.
Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation. Subscribe today on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
You can also find us on:
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/
Subscribe to the Automated Newsletter: https://www.automate.org/automation/newsletter-automation-roundup
In this live episode of Automated, Brian Heater talks with Mikell Taylor, former Amazon Robotics leader and current head of General Motors’ Autonomous Robotics Center. Recorded in front of an audience at A3’s Business Forum, the conversation dives into safety, collaboration, automation at scale, and why the best robots don’t necessarily look like us.
From Amazon’s Proteus AMR to GM’s next generation of manufacturing automation, this episode cuts through the hype and focuses on what actually works in the real world.
Key Moments:
00:00 Why humanoid robots might be the wrong tool
02:30 Lessons from failed robotics startups
06:45 The robotics “family tree” (iRobot, Willow Garage, MIT)
12:00 Amazon’s Proteus and working safely alongside humans
17:00 Why removing fences is harder than it looks
21:00 What Rethink Robotics got right, and wrong
26:00 The VC obsession with complexity
30:45 GM’s Autonomous Robotics Center explained
35:15 When (and if) humanoid robots will actually work
37:40 The robot prom date (yes, really)
Connect with Mikell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikelltaylor/
Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at podcast@automate.org.
You can find the transcript and more episodes of Automated at automate.org/podcast.
Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation. Subscribe today on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
You can also find us on:
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/
Subscribe to the Automated Newsletter: https://www.automate.org/automation/newsletter-automation-roundup
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