Field robotics with Stratom Inc and inside standards at ASTM

In Episode 154 of The Robot Report Podcast, editors Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman discuss the news of the week.

Stratom President and CEO Mark Gordon joins us today on the podcast. Stratom is a military contractor that makes robots for various divisions of the US armed forces.
The company has also expanded to the commercial sector with its field robotics solutions, including applications such as mining and construction.

Listen in as our friend of the show Aaron Prather, from ASTM, sits down with Meghan Ziemba of Mavens of Manufacturing to continue our interview series from the Robotics Summit this spring.

Show timeline

• 8:18: News
• 20:08: Interview with Mark Gordan, President and CEO of Stratom, along with Zach Savit, Stratoms Senior Manager of Business Development.
• 49:00: Interview by Meghan Ziemba, Mavens of Manufacturing, with Aaron Prather, from ASTM International.

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In the news this week

1. Waymo updates software after robotaxi drives into telephone pole
   • Waymo is issuing a voluntary software recall for all of its 672 robotaxis after one autonomously drove into a telephone pole in Phoenix, Ariz. last month. This is Waymo’s second-ever recall. The Verge first reported the new software recall. During the incident, which took place on May 21, an empty Waymo vehicle was driving to pick up a passenger. To get there, it drove through an alley lined on both sides by wooden telephone poles that were level with the road, not up on a curb. The road had longitudinal yellow striping on both sides to indicate the path for vehicles. As the vehicle pulled over, it struck one of the poles at a speed of 8 MPH, sustaining some damage. Waymo says no passengers or bystanders were hurt.
2. Robot sales in North America dip 6% in Q1
   • A3 said robot sales in North America were down 6% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Companies purchased 8,582 robots from January through March for a total of $494 million, A3 said. In Q1 2023, North American companies ordered 9,168 units for a total of $597 million.
   • North American robot orders declined by 30% in 2023 after two years of record sales.
   • North American companies purchased 31,159 robots in 2023, compared with 44,196 ordered in 2022 and 39,708 in 2021. A3 attributed the 2023 slowdown to “obvious issues” such as a slow U.S. economy, higher interest rates, and even the over-purchasing of robots in 2022 from supply chain concerns.
   • Robot sales to non-automotive companies increase: While overall orders decreased during Q1 2024, orders from non-automotive companies grew 16% over Q1 2023, A3 said. Non-automotive customers ordered 4,096 robots in Q1 2024, which accounted for 48% of total orders.
3. Leading tractor manufacturers hosting annual hackathon
   • John Deere, CNHI, and AGCO, held the annual CyberTractor Challenge. This event encourages college students to try to breach the security of both the firms’ cloud-based solutions and physical hardware such as tractors, smart tools, and different IoT devices. JD has done this for the last two years, this year they formed a non-profit organization with their competitors CNHI and Agco and are running this as a non-proprietary event. This is an innovative example of how hackathons can improve the product, while also enabling outreach to a new generation of engineers, it’s a great idea.

Links from the show:

Video: Humanoid chauffeur put in the driving seat for robotaxi future