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The Spoon

Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

Michael Wolf

Join Us Today as We Explore Future Scenarios of an AI-Powered Food System

Ever think about all the different scenarios that AI could ultimately unleash on our food system?

Us too, so we decided to invite noted food futurist Mike Lee to talk about it on our latest edition of the Food AI Co-Lab.

Join us today at 8:30 Pacific to explore the different scenarios that AI could unleash upon us.

In this session, we’ll discuss

  • AI & Regenerative Food Systems – How can technology help restore biodiversity, improve soil health, and create more resilient agricultural ecosystems?
  • Personalized Nutrition & Food Sovereignty – Can AI make food systems more inclusive, culturally relevant, and tailored to individual health needs while ensuring accessibility for all?
  • Circular Economy – How can AI-driven solutions reduce food waste, optimize supply chains, and create more efficient, closed-loop food systems?
  • Ethics & AI in Food – As technology advances, how do we ensure that food innovation remains fair, transparent, and truly benefits people and the planet?

You can watch it below or join us on our interactive Livestream to ask Mike questions!

Exploring Future Scenarios of an AI-Powered Food System

Trump, RFK Jr., and the FDA Overhaul: A Food Truths Deep Dive with Helena Bottemiller Evich

In a recent episode of the Food Truths podcast, host Eric Schulze sat down with Helena Bottemiller Evich, longtime food policy and food system journalist, to discuss the changes taking place at the FDA under the new administration and the just-appointed head of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Evich, the founder and editor-in-chief of Food Fix, has spent over 15 years tracking the intricacies of food regulation, giving her unique insight to decipher the early signals that come from the agency responsible for overseeing 80% of the U.S. food supply.

According to Evich, the FDA (which is under the department of HHS) is undergoing one of the most significant shakeups in its history, marked by mass layoffs, regulatory uncertainty, and a leadership philosophy that prioritizes aggressive restructuring over continuity. Evich says the administration has adopted an approach akin to “creative destruction,” implementing indiscriminate firings and buyouts that have disproportionately affected the agency’s food regulatory functions.

“If there is a strategy to how they are firing people at FDA, and what the like long-term plan is, I have not seen it,” said Evich.

Mixed Signals for MAHA

One of the casualties of these cuts that concerns Evich the most is within the FDA’s Post-Market Assessment Office, which was responsible for reviewing food chemicals already on the market. Many of the employees in this department were newer hires, making them particularly vulnerable to mass layoffs. This move, she argued, could significantly slow down efforts to strengthen oversight of food additives—a key issue that has been gaining bipartisan attention.

While the indiscriminate firings, such as those in the office that review food chemicals additives, may align with the shock and awe approach being deployed across government agencies by the Trump administration, it also runs at cross purposes with one of the key Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) policy goals of RFK Jr., which has oversight of the FDA, CDC, and NIH in his new role.

While contradictory and self-defeating political maneuvers are nothing new to Trump’s chaotic style of governance, Evich thinks Trump is likely to back RFK Jr. to enforce some of these efforts despite the cutbacks. Kennedy’s push to reduce chemical additives and support for other traditionally more progressive concerns led to Trump adopting some of these issues, which Evich believes helped him at the ballot box.

“I think even President Trump’s most ardent critics would acknowledge that one thing he’s really good at is detecting where there’s energy,” said Evich. “And MAHA has shown itself to be like an animating force. And there are some people who think that the RFK endorsement of Trump and the adoption of MAHA as part of the Trump platform helped get Trump over the finish line in November.”

Impact on the Future of Food Landscape

Schulze and Evich also discussed how the administration’s priorities might affect food innovation, particularly in areas like cultivated meat and precision fermentation. Given the administration’s apparent preference for a “back-to-nature” approach to food, Evich expressed skepticism about whether emerging food technologies would receive strong support.

“There seems to be a real strain of naturalism in this administration,” she said. “If you’re championing raw milk and calling for the removal of synthetic food additives, it’s hard to see how that aligns with embracing new food technologies.”

She also noted that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s recent ban on cultivated meat could indicate how other conservative-led states might approach food innovation under this administration.

The Road Ahead for the FDA

Looking forward, Evich emphasized that much remains uncertain. The confirmation of Dr. Marty Makary as FDA Commissioner will be a key development to watch, as he has expressed concerns about antibiotic resistance, the microbiome, and ultra-processed foods. Meanwhile, the newly formed MAHA Commission, tasked with examining the drivers of chronic disease, could shape the administration’s long-term food policy.

“I’m going to be watching really closely for what Marty Makary says in his confirmation hearing,” said Evich. “He’s the FDA commissioner pick, and he has said a lot about food—easily, he has more of a food record than any modern FDA commissioner. He has lots of food mentions in his book. He’s really concerned about antibiotic resistance, the microbiome, ultra-processed foods, and food allergies. Watching Marty Makary, what he says, and watching this MAHA commission—who’s on it, what they’re looking at—is key. This is supposed to be in the first 100 days, and I believe they have to issue recommendations within 180 days.”​

“The big question,” Evich said, “is whether this administration will actually implement stronger food regulations or whether this will just be rhetoric that ultimately leads to little action.”

It was a really good conversation with lots of insights about potential directions for the future of the FDA and other key departments overseeing food and health, so take a listen! You can subscribe to the Food Truths podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

What The Heck is RFK Jr. Doing at the FDA?

Impulse Opens Up Battery-Integrated Appliance Technology as It Attempts to Become Platform Player

Impulse Labs announced an interesting move this week just ahead of the big KBIS trade show next week, unveiling a modular power electronics platform designed to bring battery technology to a variety of home appliances. As part of the announcement, Impulse announced a strategic partnership with THOR Kitchen, the first of what the company hopes to be many partnerships with appliance manufacturer as it opens up its technology for others.

The idea behind Impulse (and others like Copper) is to put a big enough battery in your induction stove (and now other appliances) to enable you to not only install it without having to hire an electrician to rewire your home but also to create what is essentially a power wall-by-committee.

“If you think about your home like an energy ecosystem, appliances shouldn’t just be consuming power—they should be managing and storing it,” said D’Amico on The Spoon podcast. ” We’ve proven this with cooktops, but the potential is far bigger. Bit by bit, you fractionally build out a whole home battery solution from parts from individual appliances.”

And now, with its new platform and partnership with THOR, we’re starting to understand how big an idea it is. D’Amico and Impulse see a broad application for its platform, from ovens and refrigerators to washing machines and water heaters—each with the potential to reduce energy costs, enhance grid resilience, and simplify home electrification.

Impulse says the new platform leverages the ingredients for its Cooktop – a high-capacity battery storage, custom inverters, and precision temperature control – to offer up to 10kW per heating element, degree-level precision temperature control, ability to adapt to standard 120V or 240V circuits for straightforward setup, compatibility with a variety of international electrical standards, and resiliency to maintain functionality during power outages.

According to the announcement, the market for battery-integrated appliances is expanding rapidly, driven by advancements in smart home technology and the growing demand for energy independence. The U.S. Department of Energy (at least before January) has called for a fivefold increase in distributed energy resources, such as home batteries, by 2030 to meet energy efficiency and grid stability goals.

“Impulse’s battery-integrated Cooktop represents a leap forward in making home appliances not only tools, but also essential components to a holistic energy system,” said Kyle You, Managing Director at THOR.

Fast-Growing Restaurant Chain MOTO Pizza Is Building an End-to-End Pizza Robot

Last month in Las Vegas, we sat down with one of our favorite restaurateurs, Lee Kindell of MOTO Pizza, to discuss his vision for the future of restaurants. Lee was in town to speak onstage at CES about the industry’s direction, so we made sure to catch up with him for a one-on-one interview.

One revelation that surprised us during our conversation was that MOTO is developing an end-to-end pizza robot—one that automates the entire process, from dough preparation to boxing the finished pizza.

“Our robot is going to be fully autonomous,” Kindell explained. “It takes the pizza from refrigeration, brings it out, proofs it, tops it, cooks it, finishes it, cuts it, and boxes it. So that’s what we’re building right now. It’s truly end-to-end, and that’s what excites me the most.”

As someone who loves both pizza and robotics, I was intrigued by MOTO’s move to develop its own technology. To clarify, I asked Kindell directly about his plans. He confirmed that MOTO is indeed building a fully automated pizza-making solution—one that could potentially integrate with existing automation partners, such as Picnic (Picnic’s pizza robot adds sauce, cheese, and toppings but doesn’t handle cooking, cutting, or boxing).

MOTO has been expanding rapidly, entering new cities and sports venues. Kindell, who started as a hands-on pizzaiolo mixing dough by hand, became a firm believer in automation after an arm injury forced him to adopt a mixer. That moment reshaped his perspective—he realized that automation wasn’t just about efficiency; it was a tool to scale his business while maintaining quality.

Now, Kindell and MOTO are taking that mindset a step further, developing an end-to-end pizza robot to help the fast-growing chain keep up with demand and reach more customers than ever before.

You can watch our full conversation below.

Moto's Lee Kindell on Using AI & Robotics to Make Pizza

Jack Bobo: Don’t Let Your Ideology Muddle The Message About Your Food Product

In the second episode of Food Truths on our newly announced Spoon Podcast Network, Eric Schulze sits down with Jack Bobo, Executive Director of the Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies at UCLA, to dive into the complexities of food production, consumer psychology, and the evolving alternative protein market. But my biggest takeaway? The food industry needs to do a much better job of communicating with consumers—and that means factoring in consumer psychology from the very beginning, not as an afterthought.

As Bobo said on LinkedIn about the episode: “How we communicate innovation can mean the difference between acceptance or rejection, progress or pushback.”

A Career Rooted in Food and Policy

The conversation starts with a look back at Jack’s career trajectory, which started on a self-sustaining farm in Indiana. He initially pursued environmental science and law in school, but his career trajectory eventually landed him at the U.S. State Department, where he discovered that agriculture was at the root of significant environmental challenges like deforestation and water consumption. This realization that sustainable food production could be a solution rather than a problem set him on a path to influence global food policy.

After a decade at the State Department working on agricultural biotechnology, sustainability, and food security, Bobo moved into the private sector, focusing on innovative food technologies. Now, as the head of UCLA’s Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies, he’s not just analyzing market forces—he’s navigating the competing narratives in food and ag tech, working to bridge divides through science and psychology to reshape how food, innovation, and sustainability are discussed.

Consumer Psychology and Food Communication

One of Bobo’s biggest takeaways from his time at the State Department was how psychology shapes public perceptions of food. He found that leading conversations with science and technology would often alienate consumers instead of persuading them. Instead, he turned to behavioral science, cognitive psychology, and marketing strategies to better understand how people make food choices.

“Science at the beginning of the conversation just polarizes the audience,” Bobo said. “Those who agree with you, agree more. But those who don’t actually push further against you. The key is to frame messages in ways that connect emotionally and align with people’s existing values.”

Bobo argues that many alternative protein companies fail because they focus too much on their mission and not enough on the sensory experience of their products. Consumers buy food for taste, convenience, and price—not for environmental impact or technological novelty. The key to winning them over is to offer indulgent, satisfying products and market them in a way that aligns with existing consumer food preferences rather than trying to convert them through ideology.

While the alternative protein industry has made strides, Bobo believes many companies have miscalculated their approach.

“Most people won’t buy your product because they believe what you believe,” he said. “They will buy it in spite of it. You need to get your personal beliefs out of the way and let them enjoy your product without feeling like they have to adopt a new ideology.”

He also discussed unnecessary conflicts with the traditional meat and dairy industries. The biggest competitor to dairy, Bobo argues, isn’t plant-based milk—it’s bottled water. Similarly, alternative proteins should focus less on replacing meat and more on coexisting within a diverse food system.

At UCLA, Bobo aims to tackle the growing tensions in food debates by applying behavioral science to communication strategies. He hopes to foster collaboration across the food industry and reduce the polarization that often slows progress. By better understanding consumer psychology, he believes companies can introduce sustainable and nutritious food innovations more effectively—without alienating the very consumers they’re trying to reach.

You can listen to the full conversation on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also watch the full conversation below. If you like this, make sure to subscribe to Eric’s new podcast and leave a review!

Can We Actually Feed the World?

Kiwibot Takes Cracker Barrel to the SuperBowl as Sidewalk Robot Startups Eye New Revenue Streams

Last fall, sidewalk delivery robot pioneer Kiwibot acquired mobile vehicle advertising firm Nickelytics, for $25 million.

At the time, the move seemed a bit out of left field, but in reality, it makes strategic sense. By acquiring Nickelytics, Kiwibot is unlocking a new revenue stream in out-of-home (OOH) advertising—not just on its fleet of 500 delivery robots, but also through Nickelytics’ existing ad formats, including car wraps, truck-based ads, and digital placements in ride-share vehicles.

The move also allows Kiwibot to give OOH advertising-interested brands some pretty cutting-edge features. By integrating its route mapping technology with Nickelytics’ data analytics, Kiwibot enables advertisers to track impressions and engagement more effectively. With a presence across 20+ states, the company can target high-traffic zones with precision.

And what better way to showcase this capability than at the Super Bowl? Kiwibot is deploying 50 branded robots near the Caesars Superdome to promote Cracker Barrel Cheese. These bots won’t just be rolling billboards—they’ll also distribute free cheese samples to game-bound fans. While the Super Bowl is known for over-the-top advertising stunts, Cracker Barrel is taking a different approach. Instead of spending $8 million on a 30-second TV spot, the brand is betting on novelty, hoping for social media buzz and earned media coverage.

Kiwibot, founded in 2017, is part of a broader trend among autonomous delivery companies diversifying their business models. Its peers are making similar moves—Starship is ramping up its own ad-services business, while Serve Robotics is expanding into back-of-house automation through its acquisition of Vebu and the development of its Autocado robot.

While Amazon Struggles With Futuristic Retail, Sam’s Club is Doubling Down on Computer-Vision To Aid Store Exits

An interesting set of stories came out over the past week, which showed how two retail giants are leveraging technology to help consumers get out of the store faster.

One one hand, you have Amazon halving its Go store count to 16 locations, shifting focus to licensing its “Just Walk Out” technology to third-party retailers.

On the flip side, Walmart’s bulk membership club Sam’s Club is investing more heavily to use computer vision to aid shoppers to get out of the store faster.

The key difference? Sam’s Club is using computer vision for receipt verification. Previously, members had to stop at the exit while associates manually checked receipts, causing bottlenecks. Now, cameras at the exit automatically scan carts and verify purchases, allowing members to walk out without interruption. AI works in the background to refine accuracy, while employees are freed up to assist shoppers rather than policing receipts.

Contrast this with Just Walk Out, which is Amazon’s effort to eliminate the checkout experience all together which, it appears for many people, is still too weird and feels a little to close to shoplifting.

As I wrote last year, Just Walk Out is “a radically tech-forward evolution of checkout, but one in which Amazon appears to have widely overestimated just how many people would use it and how easy it would be to implement. Self-checkout fits most shoppers’ needs when they are in a hurry, and there aren’t that many situations where consumers feel they need to skip checkout altogether.”

A New Report Details Promise (and Challenges) of Canada’s Food & Ag Tech Ecosystem

The Canadian food and agtech ecosystem is experiencing significant growth, according to a new report published today by the Canadian Food Innovation Network.

The report, which dives deep into specific sectors, funding, sector sizing, key challenges and opportunities, says the Canadian agrifoodtech ecosystem lags behind global leaders in both funding and company concentration. According to the report, USD $1.6 billion has been invested in the sector since 2018, with plant-based proteins emerging as Canada’s largest food tech domain, valued at USD $1.7 billion in 2023. However, compared to its global peers, which tend to allocate just 17% of total agrifoodtech investments into agtech, Canada is a bit over-indexed in agtech with 44% of investments compared to 56% invested in food tech (56%).

Despite a total investment in food tech that is smaller relative to its global peers, the report says Canada is establishing itself as a hub for plant-based proteins, biotech-enabled functional foods, and upcycled ingredients:

“The Plant-Based sector is the most significant, comprising 26% of the Canadian food tech ecosystem (investment), compared to 14% globally. This is followed by Functional Foods & Drinks, representing 12% of companies, and Biotech/ Synthetization—primarily focused on specialty ingredients —with 7% of the Canadian food tech ecosystem. All three domains are also amongst the top five most represented globally.“

According to the report, the Canadian food and ag tech ecosystem faces key challenges relative to the US and other markets, the biggest of which is a lack of private capital. Only 40% of food tech investment rounds are backed by venture capital, compared to 60% in the UK and US. This means a heavy reliance on public grants, which comprise nearly 30% of total funding. This is much higher than in the UK (5%) and US (8%). Other challenges include limited scaling resources due to the country’s large geography and lower overall population density, a fragmented regulatory environment and lack of a national food tech strategy.

Despite these challenges, Canadian Food Innovation Network CEO Dana McCauley is optimistic about the sector’s future.

“These challenges are daunting: labour shortages, supply chain vulnerabilities, climate change, and slow rates of innovation threaten the resilience and sustainability of our food system. Yet, Canada’s foodtech ecosystem is rising to the occasion. By leveraging its unique strengths in plant-based proteins, biotech-enabled functional foods, upcycled ingredients, and beyond, the sector is driving transformative innovations that enhance sustainability, boost economic productivity, and create jobs across the country.”

If you’d like to read the full report, you can find it on the CFIN website.

Bonsai’s Announcement Shows Momentum for ‘Physical AI’ in Food & Ag Continues Post-CES

While NVIDIA’s taken a beating the last couple of weeks with the industry-shaking release of DeepSeek, company CEO Jensen Huang’s talk at CES about how AI models are now extending to help us gain a better understanding of our physical world continues to be a tailwind behind those startups levering AI for robotics, computer vision systems and more in a variety of industries.

Including agriculture. Sure, Bonsai’s round was probably nailed down before CES but the announcement’s big emphasis on physical AI was undoubtedly influenced by the big buzz coming out of the big tech show. Bonsai, which makes AI-driven autonomous systems for harsh farming environments, announced last week they’ve secured $15 million in Series A funding to enhance its software, expand its platform, and accelerate commercialization.

The company’s flagship technology, Visionsteer, enables autonomous navigation and data analysis in orchards, even in challenging conditions such as dust, darkness, and uneven terrain. The company says it has over 40 deployed units and has collected data from more than 500,000 acres, which it says translates into lower costs, increased yields, and operational insights previously unavailable through traditional farming methods.

You can check out the company’s hero reel of their computer vision below.

Bonsai 2024 Introduction Video

FirstBuild’s Latest Funky Kitchen Gadget is a Device Which Feeds & Manages Your Sourdough Starter

In a world where many kitchen appliance brands have downsized or eliminated their innovation arms, FirstBuild, the device innovation and incubation for GE Appliances, is generating (and building) more ideas than ever.

The group, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, has developed 104 products and features, with 37 making their way into the GE Appliances portfolio. Along the way, it has raised over $5.2 million through crowdfunding and built a community of 245,000 builders who submit ideas, vote on projects, and occasionally back them financially.

Unlike traditional corporate R&D departments, FirstBuild invites its community of makers, engineers, and consumers to contribute ideas and test prototypes in its 35,000-square-foot makerspace at the University of Louisville. This approach has led to some viral hits, including the Opal Nugget Ice Maker, which launched on Indiegogo and raised $2.8 million before a prototype was even completed. FirstBuild was also the birthplace of the Arden indoor smoker, a CES 2024 hit that is rapidly gaining a fanbase in the grilling community.

Sourdough Sidekick - Design Reveal (UPDATE)

FirstBuild’s latest project is designed for home bakers who love sourdough but don’t want the hassle of maintaining a starter. Currently in prototype stage, the Sourdough Sidekick automates the feeding process, ensuring the starter stays healthy and ready without the daily commitment. While traditional methods require constant attention, FirstBuild claims the Sidekick can sustain a starter for up to seven days, adapting to the home baker’s schedule. The device features a built-in flour hopper, water tank, and a smart dispensing system that measures and delivers the right amounts to keep the starter thriving. It will also monitor ambient kitchen conditions, making adjustments as needed to optimize fermentation.

Of course, FirstBuild’s Sidekick isn’t the first smart sourdough manager on the market. Fred Benenson, former head of data for Kickstarter, created Breadwinner during the pandemic, a smart sourdough monitoring device that tracks a starter’s growth and notifies bakers when it reaches peak activity, ensuring optimal baking times. Priced at $50, Breadwinner features real-time monitoring and smart notifications, allowing bakers to receive alerts via email, pop-ups, or SMS.

The Sidekick, in contrast, is more of a full-fledged automated feeder and management appliance, offering a more hands-off approach. Given its more advanced functionality, it’s likely to come at a significantly higher price than Breadwinner’s affordable $50 price tag.

While the sourdough craze of the pandemic has certainly cooled, my guess is there are still far more home bakers today than there were five years ago and there’s a good chance rising food prices may even spark a new wave of would-be bread bakers looking to make fresh loaves at home. If that’s the case, FirstBuild’s Sourdough Sidekick could arrive at just the right time to offer enthusiasts an easy way to feed both their baking obsession and their hungry starters.

After More Than a Decade, Wireless Power For The Kitchen Is Set to Become a Reality

It has been almost a decade since we at The Spoon began covering efforts to establish a wireless power standard for the kitchen.

Our coverage started when the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) released its first white paper announcing plans to bring wireless power to kitchen appliances. Until then, the consortium was primarily known for developing the Qi standard, which enabled wireless phone charging. However, in February 2017, WPC revealed its vision to extend this technology to blenders, mixers, and other small appliances, aiming to eliminate power cords.

Eight years is a long time, but the push for wireless power in the kitchen actually began nearly four years earlier, in 2013, when Philips and Haier urged WPC to explore a kitchen standard. It would take nearly four more years for the initiative to gain traction among WPC members.

Given the lengthy lead-up to developing a kitchen standard, it’s no surprise that when WPC formally announced its efforts in 2017, the group was (overly) optimistic about when products would hit the market. “We could be looking at products out next year,” Hans Kablau, head of the WPC Kitchen standard, told me at the time.

While those products didn’t arrive in 2018, they now appear to be finally arriving in 2025. After unveiling its first Ki-compliant products in 2024, Midea plans to launch its Celestial Flex Series—which includes a blender, steamer, and kettle—this year. The company has yet to announce pricing, but representatives at WPC’s CES booth confirmed they expect the products to ship in 2025..

You can watch a demo at the WPC booth below:

A Look at The Cordless Power Tech Coming to Market in 2025

Other early Ki products, equipped with integrated transmission coils, are expected to include induction cooktops. However, WPC envisions the technology being installed beneath various countertop surfaces in the long run. The Ki standard is designed to work with non-metal surfaces such as marble, slate, granite, laminate, and wood.

Given its decade-plus gestation period, it’s not surprising that other startups have also attempted to integrate wireless power into appliances and kitchen surfaces. Last year, I covered Cloen, a Spanish startup that developed Cloen Cordless Technology (CCT)—a dual induction plate system capable of both heating cook zones and wirelessly powering countertop appliances. Since last year, Porcelanosa has featured Cloen’s technology in custom-designed kitchen countertops and furniture. The company is also working on a line of cordless countertop appliances under the BeCordless brand.

Another company, Kitchenery, has also been developing wireless power transfer technology and cordless cooking appliances. At CES, Kitchenery debuted its induction kettle, aimed at the RV and marine industries. The company is also partnering with appliance brands and OEMs to integrate its power-receiving system into various products. Kitchenery expects to begin shipping its Quantum energy pad and silent blender this year.

Watch our interview with CEO Akshay Bhuva below.

Kitchenery at CES 2025

The emergence of wireless power for the kitchen reflects a broader trend: technology is receding into the background as kitchens become more streamlined and functional. Advancements in AI, voice and gesture interfaces, and miniaturization are driving this transformation. Now, after more than a decade of development, wireless power is poised to play a key role in this shift.

A Conversation With Bear Robotics’ John Ha on LG Deal and The Future of The Company

“But the really important story is not about 51% acquisition. It’s more about we are acquiring their robotics business,” said Ha. “Among LG conglomerates, we’re the ones who’re going to carry on with the robotics business globally. And that’s, I think, the really major news item.”

That Bear was inheriting LG’s robotics business was hinted at in the coverage, but in our interview John made it clear that Bear will be steering the strategy and technology development going forward for the entire company.

Another surprise from our interview? That Bear is planning to still IPO in the future.

From Ha: “We have enough funding to put into R&D, and then we’re planning for an IPO as our next step. We can probably break even in two to four years.”

A key component of the partnership will be adapting Bear Robotics’ platform to develop robots for additional sectors, including factories, warehouses, and even the home. While LG has previously shown consumer-friendly robotic concepts at events such as CES, Ha believes Bear Robotics’ software expertise will likely accelerate the commercialization of home-oriented robots.

“For us to get into new areas and make breakthroughs is so much easier now…LG has a lot of plans for the home. We can help them save time and improve their products to get to market faster.”

Ha noted that because Bear was one of the pioneers in this space of service robots, he believes his company can serve as a well-established partner for other robotics companies that want to integrate their solutions into new verticals.

“We are opening our platform,” said Ha. “We already have around a little bit over five companies working together. They’re using our platform to build their robotics applications. And they can sell through our network. They can use our installation service or tech support. It’s still early stage, but I think it makes sense

Subscribers to Spoon Plus can watch the full conversation and read the transcript to our interview with John Ha.