It was February 2023 when the InOrbit Robot Space opened its doors and what a journey it has been! In the span of a year, this space has transformed from a bold idea into a hub of technological innovation and community engagement. As we celebrate our first anniversary, we're thrilled to reflect on the incredible milestones we've achieved together and look forward to the exciting possibilities ahead.

As robotics continues to evolve, addressing more use cases across many industries, it is critical to apply the best practices for robot operations, or RobOps. Modeled on DevOps, RobOps is a set of principles, processes and tools that guide robot manufacturers, operators and end users in the development and deployment of robots at scale. 

Tesla has disrupted the traditional car manufacturing industry in many ways, and its use of data is no exception. Tesla's cars are equipped with a vast array of sensors and data collection tools. This data is then transmitted to Tesla's servers, where it is analyzed to identify potential issues, optimize performance and improve the user experience.

One of the significant ways that Tesla uses data is through over-the-air updates. Unlike traditional car manufacturers, that require customers to bring their vehicles into the shop for software updates or recalls, Tesla pushes software directly to the cars via a wireless connection. These updates can include improvements to performance, new features and bug fixes, all of which can be deployed quickly and efficiently. The impact is that cars improve over time, helping them maintain their value.

Much has been written about the impact of automation. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, when Luddites destroyed textile machinery to protest new technology that impacted traditional practices, there have been fears of humans being replaced by machines.

The reality is more complex. Automation has definitely affected certain professions and tasks, impacting people to a greater or lesser degree (when was the last time you rode in an elevator with a human operator?). This has resulted in workforce disruptions; however, the overall volume of work continues to grow, creating even more opportunities. Many people now wonder what the impact of automation will be over the next 15 years.

Last year I participated in the A3 conference on Autonomous Mobile Robots & Logistics, in Memphis. The location was no coincidence: Memphis is the global headquarters for FedEx, one of the largest logistics companies, with operations around the world. A highlight for me was being on stage with luminaries in the robotics space, including FedEx’s Aaron Prather.

It’s the start of a new year, and it’s customary to look at the year ahead. In addition, February 1st will mark the start of The Year of the Tiger in the Lunar calendar. 

Over here at InOrbit, we believe that it will also be The Year of the Robot. As companies across industries become more comfortable with the use of autonomous robots to augment their workforce, growth in robotics deployments is accelerating.

Individual instruments in the hands of a professional musician can sound wonderful, but when many different instruments come together in an orchestra or band the result can be awe-inspiring and magical.

We think the same thing can be said about robots and robot operations (RobOps). Individually, a single robot can perform some pretty amazing tasks to help human co-workers with their jobs. But when you add several robots and then add different types of robots to the system performing different tasks, the end result can be an amazing workflow that exponentially scales efficiency for a company.