In Episode 174 of The Robot Report Podcast, we feature an interview with Andrew Clare, chief technology officer of Nuro Inc. It’s a short workweek in the U.S. with the Thanksgiving holiday, so we skipped the news this week and went straight into the interview with Clare.
He discusses the company‘s evolution in the autonomous vehicle space, focusing on its Nuro Driver technology. Clare elaborates on Nuro’s expansion of its business model to include partnerships with automotive OEMs and the potential market for AI-based driving.
Clare also highlights the challenges of urban versus highway driving, the importance of safety culture, and the technology stack required for autonomous vehicles. We also touch on the differences between SAE Level 4 and Level 5 autonomy, as well as the future direction of Nuro in integrating hardware and software.
Show timeline
- 8:12 – Interview with Andrew Clare
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News of the week
We’ll discuss the latest news after the Thanksgiving holiday.
2025 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards open for nominations
You can now submit nominations for the 2025 RBR50 innovation awards. They will recognize technology and business innovations in the calendar year 2024, and the awards are open to any company worldwide that produces robotics or automation.
The categories include:
- Technologies, products, and services: This category includes primary or applied research focusing on robotics and supporting technologies such as motion control, vision, or machine learning. It also includes new products and business, engineering, or technology services.
- Business and management: This category covers initiatives positioning a company as a market leader or an organization as an important thought leader in the robotics ecosystem. Significant mergers and acquisitions are relevant, as are supplier, partner, and integrator relationships.
- Applications and markets: The RBR50 will also recognize innovations that improve productivity, quality, and cost-effectiveness, as well as those that automate new tasks.
In addition, the 2025 RBR50 awards will celebrate the following:
- Startup of the Year
- Application of the Year
- Robot of the Year
- Robots for Good Award
The deadline for submissions is Friday, Dec. 20, 2024.
Podcast sponsored by RGo Robotics
The show this week is sponsored by RGo Robotics Inc.
Is your autonomous mobile robot (AMR) struggling in dynamic environments? Is your business stuck because it takes months to commission a new site?
RGo Robotics’ Perception Engine is revolutionizing the AMR business through advanced Vision AI perception technology. Unlike traditional solutions, The company’s software enables AMRs to adapt to changing environments and navigate complex spaces with unprecedented accuracy and the commissioning process is shorter and simpler.
Leading AMR companies are enhancing their fleets with RGo’s AI-powered perception, enabling their teams to accelerate use of advanced AI capabilities like foundation models and digital twins.
Don’t let outdated navigation hold your business back.
To learn more about RGo’s solutions, go to: https://www.rgorobotics.ai/
Maybe of interest 2U. GM has stopped funding development of the Cruise self-driving taxi. Other car OEMs have also struggled with projects to come up with driverless vehicles. Ford and Volkswagen already shut down Argo AI, their self-driving car joint venture. Uber that sold its autonomous taxi division is now working together with Waymo, famous for its deep pockets. How deep do they need to be? We need a similar revolution in Personal Mobility as what drove Personal Communication. More specifically, a reformat that will provide clarity where algorithms have failed to do so. There’s the preconceived, yet broadly shared idea to make cars, as we know them today and are being produced by carmakers, drive themselves. Ignored is to think the other way around: have the best possible car match available AV technology. There is much more to this way of thinking. For instance, there’s a lobby underway to slash regulations in general, and regarding self-driving in specific (Elon Musk). Does this mean that pedestrians and cyclists are forced to accept greater responsibility for their own safety, and a shift in liability away from the car?