In Episode 251 of The Robot Report Podcast, hosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman are joined by special guest Sarah Wynn, senior editor at Packaging OEM, to chat about their experiences on the show floor at Automate last month.

They describe the robotics industry’s shift away from early-stage humanoid hype toward the practical, real-world deployment of physical artificial intelligence (AI) and edge computing. The editors also discuss how software orchestration, digital twins, and advanced kinematics are solving labor shortages and preserving vital manufacturing knowledge.

Featured companies and individuals from Automate 2026

The following innovators, executives, and organizations are highlighted or featured via interview vignettes from Automate 2026:

• Boston Dynamics and Agility: Discussed regarding the static floor displays of their respective industrial humanoids, Atlas and Digit.
• ABB Robotics: Craig McDonnell, managing director of business line industries, ABB Robotics, talked about physical AI, AI-powered palletizing, and collaborations with NVIDIA.
• FANUC: Highlighted real-time motion tracking in assembly, protein processing automation, and natural language robot programming.
• Sereact: In an interview clip, Mason Cole, director of sales for North America, addressed zero-shot picking, e-grocery trends, and workforce reallocation.
• Schneider Electric: Shared its views on cloud latency limitations and its push for hardware-agnostic, open automation systems.
• Siemens: Explained its hybrid edge/cloud approach, use of NVIDIA Omniverse for synthetic data training, and Eigen Engineering Agent platform.
• Rockwell Automation: An audio clip with Ara Surenian, business manager for production logistics, introduced FactoryTalk Orchestration following the acquisition of OTTO Motors.
• SEW-EURODRIVE: The Automate attendees noted the compact, gantry-style robotic cell.
• The Raymond Corporation: The company cited its focus on moving workers into higher-value roles.
• Mech-Mind: Offered a CAD-free, real-time bin-picking demonstration of clear, varied bottles.
• Vention: Its automation demonstrations were recognized for their accessibility.
• Kassow Robots: In an interview clip, founder Kristian Kassow explained the strategic advantages of 7-axis cobots over traditional 6-axis configurations for mobile manipulators and confined spaces.

Show timeline

• 24:00 – Ara Surenian, business manager, production logistics, Rockwell Automation
• 31:48 – Mason Cole, director of sales, North America, Sereact
• 34:50 – Christian Kassow, founder, Kassow Robots
• 41:27 – Craig McDonnell, managing director of business line industries, ABB

Sponsors

Thanks to our sponsors who make this content possible.

Every growing Postgres database eventually hits a wall. Queries slow down, dashboards lag, and teams consider adding a second database.

Tiger Data, creators of TimescaleDB, extends Postgres with time-series primitives, columnar storage, and automatic partitioning so your queries stay fast on live data. No pipelines, no migration, no second system. Just Postgres, built for the workload you actually have.

Learn more at: tigerdata.com/go/trial

To learn how you can sponsor a future episode of The Robot Report Podcast, contact: Jami Brownlee at [email protected]

Would you like to be a guest on a future episode? Contact Mike Oitzman at [email protected]