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Automation is the culmination of determination in innovation
📣 Topics of the Day 📣
What's better than being better than the 148th company on a list?
My laser is bigger than yours!
No more walking into walls while using VR
Tech of the Day: Robotic Surgeries
⭐ Job Posting of the DAY! ⭐
A robot for the people?!
What's better than being the 148th company on a list?
148th isn't bad but to best that....be 147th like the team at Cobalt Robotics. They made 147th on the Deloitte Technologies Fast 500 list. This ranking is based on a 979% fiscal year revenue growth from 2018-2021. Those are great results for a company so congrats to Cobalt Robotics. But...the inner business analyst in me is wondering what kind of messed up metric is that?! So there are 2 things that caught my eye about this press release.
First off..Cobalt Robotics. They seem to be doing something pretty good but basic. Looks like they have a security robot that can roam and also be manually controlled/interfaced with by a human. You know how when you go into a facility you have to sign in on the little touchscreen? They put that on a stick and wheels and called it a robot. This reminds me of Knightscope but not as tough. Knightscope is like robocop and Cobalt Robotics is like a mall cop. Kudos to Cobalt for the progress but they need to do a mash up with Ascento Robotics and now you would have a stair climbing security robot that you could mount a taser onto.
The second thing that really bugs me about the press release is this Deloitte Fast 500 list. Here's the skinny on it. First you have to apply to it, be in biz for at least 4 years, min revenue of $50K(2018), current revenue of $5M (2021). And the formula for the growth is ((2021revenue - 2018revenue)/2018revenue)X100. So lets play with this. Let's say you have 2018 revenues of $50K, what does that mean for 2021 revenues at the 979% growth rate? About $560K, but then you don't make the list. Now here's the hack if you really wanted to top the chart of this list. First sandbag your revenue for the next year aside from $50K. Then hit $10M in revenue within the next 2 years. That would give you basically 200,000% growth based on this formula. If making the top of this list is super exciting to you and you're going to plan your business around this then stop. Don't make a business. No one really cares if you make this list. It's simply a pay for recognition list.
You get a laser blaster, you get a laser blaster and YOU get a laser blaster
At first I envisioned something like playing laser tag and paintball in one. You know, get hit by a laser and it just leaves a little burn mark that reminds you of how tough you are. I wasn't even close.
The laser blaster is basically a sandblaster given nuclear power. So think of a handheld sand blasting machine but instead of sand you use a laser to clean parts. I've seen tons of videos of this type of tech but nothing that would be for industrial use and high volume. Looks like Emerson Automation is the first big company to buy this tech from Laser Photonics. So does this mean we're getting close to a household use laser? How about a laser to cut your steak instead of a steak knife?
Tech of the Day: Robotic Surgeries
The robots are coming for your blood!
I can't help watch these robotic surgery videos. Kind of like the pimple popper videos they quench my thirst for gruesome but also feed my tech addiction.
I remember first hearing about this tech when I applied for a job at daVinci Systems. Basically you have a trained surgeon that sits at a console watching a video feed from the robotic head and manipulating surgical tools. But you have to watch the video and check it out to really appreciate it. The robotic setup is crazy looking! Like some kind of huge sci-fi mechanical spider eating away are a human body. There are tons of benefits to this tech. The patient suffers less because the procedures require smaller incisions to get into the body/affected area, equaling less pain medication. Since surgeons are seated and being robotically assisted there is less fatigue. Plus the video feeds can be transmitted to multiple monitors and that allows remote doctors to participate in a procedure.
What's next for this tech? Imagine a surgeon getting into your body and having a heads up display identifying your various body parts, monitoring for the tiniest of blood loss, and feeding them an unprecedented amount of information. With ML and AI coming into the mix surgeries will become lower risk with higher success rates.
Cookies for closers Plug of the Day
This week's shameless plug of the day is pretty awesome if you're a super nerd like myself! Where do you go to get all your robot and robot supply needs filled? How about a super awesome place like Robot Shop!! This time around I just asked for a lifetime supply of gearmotors instead of gummy bears or pretzels as form of payment. This sites really cool and you'll go down a rabbit hole spending hours checking out all the cool tech they have for sale.
Want your company to be featured? Sign up HERE
Leveling Up VR
What's the worst thing about VR? Aside from feeling nauseous after 10 mins? Having to stay within a confined area so you don't bash your face into a wall. Well some awesome guys are working to solve this problem! So put on your vr headset and imagine a virtual world where you can actually walk around for hours? Imagine exploring a virtual landscape by actually walking.
Right now the system looks like a bit of a death trap but hey which limb severing prototype doesn't? I think this is a brilliant idea and frankly why hasn't Meta built something already? Seems like the real next progression for the metaverse. One where you can actually interact in all dimensions. If these guys building the walking system really want to level up they should work on an exoskeleton that interacts with VR so you can do things like jump, sit, lean, and of course walk and run. What if we could have virtual races too??
Happy Saturday!
If you want to help us pay the bills check out our directory of robotics and automation companies.
JOB POSTING OF THE DAY
Want to work for a giant in the automation business? Need to stake a claim as an automation expert on your resume? Wnat to check the box that you had a reason to go to Milwaukee? Join Rockwell Automation. They're looking for a project manager to interface between clients and their internal teams, like sales, ops, finance.
Have feedback or want to contribute? Catch us on Twitter. @robotsrcoming or email us at [email protected]
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