How Dusty Robotics Is Rewriting Construction | Tessa Lau on Startup Lessons & Layout Automation
Automated Podcast 44:39
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How do you build a robotics company that transforms an entire industry?
In 2018, Dusty Robotics quite literally got in on the ground floor of automating the $2 trillion U.S. construction industry. Founder and CEO Tessa Lau discusses the ups and downs of those early days, and what it means to go from engineer to executive.
Key Moments
00:00: The “check-writing robot” lesson in bad automation
02:07: Falling into startups (and leaving IBM for Willow Garage)
03:37: Why Willow alumni create startups
05:25: Being impact-driven vs. academic robotics
06:24: Introversion, public speaking, and CEO growth
07:34: Protecting Dusty’s “secret sauce”
08:56: What Dusty figured out that others couldn’t
10:36: Translating past robotics failures into better component selection
11:31: Building in public on real construction sites
13:38: Why construction has been slow to adopt robotics
14:52: Being 10× better: first-principles design
17:15: Avoiding the “hammer looking for a nail” trap
19:42: Timing markets and technology adoption
20:32: Living on construction sites to find the real problem
23:24: Giving up coding to become a CEO
27:52: Transitioning from building code to building companies
30:41: Democratizing robotics like the iPhone
31:57: Dusty’s real product: a seven-stage workflow, not just a robot
33:53: Eliminating construction quality degradation
35:24: Standardizing installation and using QR codes on every floor
37:07: Early union pushback and Dusty’s “concierge” phase
40:02: Why layout is the most important job on a site
41:31: Creating new tech-forward construction jobs
41:58: What Dusty expands into next
43:49: “Vibe construction” and the future of automated building
Follow Tessa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessalau/
Work with Dusty Robotics: https://www.dustyrobotics.com/
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 2018, Dusty Robotics quite literally got in on the ground floor of automating the $2 trillion U.S. construction industry. Founder and CEO Tessa Lau discusses the ups and downs of those early days, and what it means to go from engineer to executive.
Key Moments
00:00: The “check-writing robot” lesson in bad automation
02:07: Falling into startups (and leaving IBM for Willow Garage)
03:37: Why Willow alumni create startups
05:25: Being impact-driven vs. academic robotics
06:24: Introversion, public speaking, and CEO growth
07:34: Protecting Dusty’s “secret sauce”
08:56: What Dusty figured out that others couldn’t
10:36: Translating past robotics failures into better component selection
11:31: Building in public on real construction sites
13:38: Why construction has been slow to adopt robotics
14:52: Being 10× better: first-principles design
17:15: Avoiding the “hammer looking for a nail” trap
19:42: Timing markets and technology adoption
20:32: Living on construction sites to find the real problem
23:24: Giving up coding to become a CEO
27:52: Transitioning from building code to building companies
30:41: Democratizing robotics like the iPhone
31:57: Dusty’s real product: a seven-stage workflow, not just a robot
33:53: Eliminating construction quality degradation
35:24: Standardizing installation and using QR codes on every floor
37:07: Early union pushback and Dusty’s “concierge” phase
40:02: Why layout is the most important job on a site
41:31: Creating new tech-forward construction jobs
41:58: What Dusty expands into next
43:49: “Vibe construction” and the future of automated building
Follow Tessa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessalau/
Work with Dusty Robotics: https://www.dustyrobotics.com/
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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