Erin Rapacki-Bishop, Senior PMM Robotics & Isaac Sim, NVIDIA

Using Simulation for the Scaling of Robotics Systems 

Companies in the commercial and industrial sectors are increasingly turning to robotics automation to reduce costs, improve productivity, and increase operational efficiency. Companies in the consumer sector, too, have turned to robotics technologies to drive their businesses, releasing new products and robotizing existing offerings. Developing these systems, however, is a complex, challenging, and costly undertaking. Thankfully, advanced simulation tools are available to engineers that can speed the design, development, and testing of robotics systems.

In this session, NVIDIA's Erin Rapacki-Bishop will describe the many ways simulation platforms can be used to accelerate the development and deployment of intelligent robotics systems. Specifically, she will describe how simulation can be used to test robot code in photo-realistic, physically accurate environments, as well as model behaviors inside a simulated worksite to ensure the robot performs efficiently within the process flow of a real-world facility. This session is designed as an introduction to photo-realistic 3D simulation for robotics and is appropriate for all levels.

Rory M. Gagon, President & CEO, Romaric Corporation

Beyond Simulation

Deploying an automated solution involving robotic devices to handle material in a manufacturing or warehouse environment can be a high-cost and high-risk operation.

Learn why so many simulation projects fail to properly provide necessary and accurate data, leading to disappointment, frustration, and excuses on all sides after moving unto the production phase of a simulated system. Join industry veteran Rory Gagon, CEO & President of Romaric Corporation as he shares his experience with simulation and emulation in complex automated material handling environments.

Felipe Garcia Lopez, Head of Robotic Systems & Software Engineering at Kärcher

Robot Operations and Scaling Floor Care Robots

With Kira B 50, Kärcher has launched its first full autonomy scrubber drier cleaning robot in the spring of 2022. We will discuss lessons learned in building RobOps teams and workflows to address the challenges of scaling a fleet of autonomous robots in different countries and a variety of target environments: from industrial manufacturing and warehouses to public spaces like retail stores, shopping malls and airports. We'll also address the importance of field experience and performance transparency in order to maintain an ever-evolving software stack and growing robot capabilities.

Cynthia Bell, Senior Manager, Customer Support, Locus Robotics

John Simmons, Head of Product, InOrbit 

Reality Check - Getting to scale

Deploying robots into production environments is a complicated and time consuming problem.  Autonomous navigation, robot localization, and integration with legacy automation systems are all common technical challenges that must be overcome.  Then, after the initial proof of technology / use case has been proven, an entirely new set of challenges is encountered:  How to scale?  This presentation will explore the lessons learned from scaling a fleet of retail inventory robots from 5 locations to over 500 and will highlight how those lessons can be applied generally to succeed at scale.  

Daniel Theobald, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Vecna Robotics

Why interoperability is critical to the warehouse of the future  

The global autonomous mobile robot (AMR) and Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) market is expected to reach $14 billion by 2026, with more than 270 vendors leading the manufacturing and logistics space and over 50,000 warehouses worldwide expected to leverage robots by 2025. However, fleets of robots from multiple vendors work on different operating systems and historically have had no standard way to communicate, share information or coordinate activities – until now.  

 This presentation will explore the first open-source AMR interoperability standards, developed by the MassRobotics AMR Interoperability Working Group, and how they enable robots from multiple vendors to integrate and work together seamlessly to support safe and efficient operations in global factories, warehouses, distribution and fulfillment centers. Join Daniel during this session to learn how these new interoperability standards are paving the way for a more collaborative warehouse of the future.   

RobOpsCon Speakers

The conference had a lineup speakers from leading companies like Nvidia, Locus Robotics, Vecna Robotics, InOrbit, Romaric and others. Full list of speakers and topics is available below.