The Robot Report Podcast

Summary

In this episode, we explore the strategic acquisition of Kinisi by Bear Robotics, with Kinisi founder and CEO Bren Pierce. During the conversation, we talk about how this acquisition signals a new era of integration, innovation, and scaling in humanoid robotics and automation.
Bren discussed Kinisi’s acquisition by Bear Robotics as a natural fit, since Kinisi began inside Bear’s robotics headquarters and had already built on Bear’s ecosystem. He explained that the deal combines Kinisi’s humanoid robotics expertise, datasets, and manipulation technology with Bear’s mature fleet-management, cloud, manufacturing, and sales infrastructure.
A major theme was scaling humanoid robots from prototype to production. Bren emphasized the challenge of collecting affordable training data, which led to the development of a low-cost, robot-agnostic glove and gripper/data-collection system. He said the near-term focus is on making the KR1 reliable in real deployments and proving ROI in warehouses, hotels, restaurants, and other environments with repeatable tasks.
Overall, the interview framed the acquisition as a step toward a broader mobile-manipulation platform that could combine robots, AMRs, and WMS integration across multiple industries. Bren described the industry as moving from novelty to serious commercial momentum, but still needing to prove large-scale deployments before humanoid robotics can really take off.
Resources & Links:
Bear Robotics: https://www.bearrobotics.ai
Kinisi – About the acquisition ; https://www.bearrobotics.ai/blog/bear-robotics-to-acquire-kinisi-robotics

– SPONSORS –

This episode is brought to you by GreyOrange
If you're running a warehouse, your robots, people, and systems are only as powerful as their ability to work together.
GreyMatter by GreyOrange is the AI-powered warehouse orchestration platform that coordinates every agent on your floor in real time, with over a million optimizations per minute, and delivering up to 4x productivity gains.
GreyMatter works with the robots you already have, or with the ones you want.
Ready to go beyond your WMS?
LEARN MORE AT: https://www.greyorange.com/TheRobotReport/

Explore the cutting-edge developments in Arm’s physical AI space as Drew Henry, EVP of Arm’s physical AI business unit, shares insights on technology innovation, market trends, and the future of robotics and autonomous systems.
This episode provides a comprehensive look at how Arm is shaping the future of intelligent robotics, balancing innovative chip design, system architecture, and simulation to push the boundaries of what autonomous systems can achieve.
Drew explains that Arm created its new Physical AI business unit to focus on AI embodied in machines, including robotics, autonomous vehicles, trucks, and construction systems. The big idea is that these systems need computing designed around real-world constraints like latency, power, safety, and system-level coordination.

– SPONSORS –

This episode is brought to you by GreyOrange
If you're running a warehouse, your robots, people, and systems are only as powerful as their ability to work together.
GreyMatter by GreyOrange is the AI-powered warehouse orchestration platform that coordinates every agent on your floor in real time, with over a million optimizations per minute, and delivering up to 4x productivity gains.
GreyMatter works with the robots you already have, or with the ones you want.
Ready to go beyond your WMS?
LEARN MORE AT: https://www.greyorange.com/TheRobotReport/

In this episode, our guest is Akash Gupta, CEO and co-founder of GreyOrange, a company known for its innovative approach in the warehousing robotics market.
Akash discusses the strategic pivot from hardware to software, emphasizing the importance of focusing on fulfillment outcomes rather than just robotic uptime.
He explains how GreyOrange has evolved its Grey Matter software to support various warehouse processes and integrate with multiple technologies, highlighting the role of AI and machine learning in enhancing warehouse operations.
Akash also shares insights into the challenges and opportunities in the industry, including the importance of digital twins and predictive analytics in optimizing warehouse efficiency.
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– SPONSORS –

This episode is brought to you by GreyOrange
If you're running a warehouse, your robots, people, and systems are only as powerful as their ability to work together.
GreyMatter by GreyOrange is the AI-powered warehouse orchestration platform that coordinates every agent on your floor in real time, with over a million optimizations per minute, and delivering up to 4x productivity gains.
GreyMatter works with the robots you already have, or with the ones you want.
Ready to go beyond your WMS?
LEARN MORE AT: https://www.greyorange.com/TheRobotReport/

Winston Leung explains that QNX is enhancing safety for physical AI-based robots through its innovative microkernel architecture, which is designed for safety-critical applications. QNX architecture provides a reliable and deterministic platform, crucial for real-time control and decision-making in robotics. By partnering with industry leaders such as NVIDIA and Intel, QNX ensures its operating system is optimized for high-performance computing platforms, thereby enabling robust safety and security measures.
Additionally, QNX's focus on integrating cybersecurity with functional safety standards underscores its commitment to protecting robots operating in human environments.
Winston Leung is Senior Strategic Alliances Manager at QNX, where he manages key strategic partner relationships and programs to expand the company’s product portfolio and ecosystem. He delivers strategies and thought leadership in functional safety, real-time performance, and reliability for embedded systems across robotics, medical, and transportation sectors.

Download QNX’s Inside the Robot: https://qnx.software/en/reports/inside-the-robot?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=the-robot-report&utm_campaign=fy27-q2-inside-the-robot
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– SPONSORS –

This episode is brought to you by GreyOrange
If you're running a warehouse, your robots, people, and systems are only as powerful as their ability to work together.
GreyMatter by GreyOrange is the AI-powered warehouse orchestration platform that coordinates every agent on your floor in real time, with over a million optimizations per minute, and delivering up to 4x productivity gains.
GreyMatter works with the robots you already have, or with the ones you want.
Ready to go beyond your WMS?
LEARN MORE AT: https://www.greyorange.com/TheRobotReport/

Summary
In this episode, the Robot Report editorial team reunites to recap the major highlights, central themes, and networking events from the recent Robotics Summit and Expo in Boston. Steve Crowe breaks down key presentations, including Brian Gerkey's insights on Open Robotics AI integration as well as the Open Source Robotics Alliance (OSRA). The team also recaps Mikell Taylor's practical framework for deploying reliable, "worthy" robots. Finally, they share highlights from the closing keynote interview with Noland Arbaugh, the world's first Neuralink patient, who discussed his groundbreaking journey with brain-computer interface technology.
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– SPONSORS –

This episode is brought to you by Yamaha Robotics Group (YRG) — driving the future of smart automation.
Yamaha’s Linear Conveyor Modules and Advanced Operator Interfaces are helping engineers push efficiency and flexibility further than ever.
And let’s face it: the PLC isn’t going anywhere — it’s evolving.
LEARN MORE AT: https://hs.yrginc.com/therobotreport

This episode is brought to you by maxon USA.
If you’re designing robots beyond controlled factory cells, mobile manipulators, quadrupeds, or humanoids maxon is worth a stop at the Robotics Summit in Boston.
At the show, maxon is exhibiting its High Efficiency Joint (HEJ) portfolio: fully integrated robotic joints that combine motor, gearing, electronics, and sensing in a compact unit.
Built for cyclic loads, impacts, and continuous operation, HEJ joints are designed for real‑world robotics.
LEARN MORE AT: https://www.maxongroup.com/en-us