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We held our ArticulATE food robotics and automation conference this past week, and at the risk of sounding immodest — we put on a heckuva show! The day was jam-packed with nearly 20 sessions and featured a host of cutting-edge startups from around the world.
If you missed it, don’t worry! It’s a perfect excuse to join our Spoon Plus membership service, where you can watch recorded versions of all the sessions and read through our premium market reports and deep dives. If you’re just looking for some highlights from the show right now, then you’ve come to the right place, because here are my top three takeaways from ArticulATE:
Our robot future is actually happening now. Robots are no longer the stuff of science fiction. Autonomous, semi-autonomous and teleoperated vehicles are on our roads and in our skies right now. Manna is currently making 50 – 100 drone deliveries a day in Galway, Ireland and prepping its next location. Tortoise’s delivery robot is in trials with Safeway. Kitchen robots from Mukunda Foods are being used in restaurants right now and there are a host of standalone robot chefs from Karakuri, YPC Technologies, Gastronomous and RoboEatz coming to market soon.
Adding Robots isn’t just about labor. Human labor shortages was an issue brought up throughout the day (though the reasons behind our current labor shortage are not so cut and dry), but automating work isn’t just about labor. Pizza robots like those from xRobotics and Picnic also reduce overage costs because they dispense a precise amount of ingredients every time with no waste. Robots are also being employed because of climate change. As Bear Flag Robotics said during the agriculture panel, farms in the mid-west are looking at robots to maximize shrinking grow seasons.
Just wait for 5G. As cool as robots and autonomous vehicles are now, they will seem tame compared with what happens when 5G networks become the norm. Faster data speeds, lower latency and increased reliability, improved cellular networks will unlock even more potential from future robots. They will be able to process more information, react faster to changing conditions (important when you’re on public streets!) and experience fewer connection outages.
These are just a few of the takeaways, I could go on all day about what I learned at the show, but you don’t want to spend that much time reading a newsletter. However, if you attended or spoke at ArticulATE, I’d love to hear your take! What did you think? Drop me a line and let me know, we’ll take all your feedback and make ArticulATE 2022 an even bigger and better conference (especially since it will, fingers crossed, be in person).
More Headlines
Kellogg’s Bowl Bot Cereal Robot, Based on Chowbotics Tech, Debuts at Two Universities – The repurposed Sally robot dispenses cereal, a variety of milks, fruits, yogurt and more.
Freight Farms Launches Its Greenery S Vertical Farm System – The new system can adjust light spectrum, intensity and duration according to the needs of each individual crop, plus greater controls for elements like humidity and cooling, as well as more cameras and expansion room for sensors.
A Spanish Dairy Company Has Launched a Startup Incubator to Help Cultured Milk Companies – The program will select and work with startups hoping to change the dairy industry through the development of alternative proteins.
SOUND Nutrition Uses Ultrasonic Waves to Craft Protein Bars – One benefit to using sounds waves to form the bars is that no fillers or binders are needed.
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