Forbes: “Truly Smart Robots Know When To Ask For Help”

“Truly Smart Robots Know When To Ask For Help”

Marco Annuziata, Senior Contributor of Forbes Manufacturing analysis, interviewed Daniel Theobald, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Vecna Robotics to discuss successful applications of supply chain automation to improve efficiency and the importance of human-robot collaboration.

It is no secret that manufacturing and warehousing companies are battling an unprecedented rise in demand in conjunction with staff shortages, and supply chain disruptions. (Allow me to be the 100^th person to remind you to do your holiday shopping early this year.) Daniel Theobald explains that a pragmatic focus on human-robot collaboration is the best way to overcome supply chain challenges. According to Theobald, what sets Vecna Robotics’ autonomous mobile robot (AMR) solutions apart is advanced software and an ambitious vision articulated in three key principals:

1. Focus robotic applications in areas where they can yield the biggest benefits now.
2. Maximize productivity by optimizing the unique skill sets of humans and robots.
3. Understand how robots can best collaborate with human workers and reorganize operations accordingly.

AMR software provides robots with the awareness and autonomy to adapt to unplanned situations. Smart robots accumulate knowledge about their environment from each other and continuously improve fleet performance. They also know when to ask for help: when they face a problem, they alert human colleagues for local or remote assistance. Implementing automation in diverse use cases and collecting data to improve resiliency will improve efficiency across the supply chain.