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Automated with Brian Heater

Automated with Brian Heater

De : Association for Advancing Automation
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Get a direct line to the biggest names and brightest minds in robotics, Physical AI, and automation. Automated with Brian Heater brings you long-form conversations and unfiltered insights into how we got here, where we’re going, and what’s behind the technologies that are shaping how we live and work.

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  • Andie Zhang on Why Industrial Robots Still Beat Humanoids

    Andie Zhang on Why Industrial Robots Still Beat Humanoids
    Oct 7 2026
    Humanoid robots are receiving more attention than almost any other form of physical AI. But Andie Zhang says factory buyers still care more about speed, precision, reliability, safety, and ROI than a human shape.In this episode of Automated, recorded at the inaugural Davos Tech Summit, Brian Heater speaks with Andie, Global Portfolio and Technology Manager for Collaborative Robots at ABB, about why industrial robot arms are not going away, where humanoids still fall short, and how physical AI can unlock factory tasks that traditional automation cannot solve.Andie explains why the form of a robot should follow the job it needs to perform. Humanoids are designed to do many different things, but that versatility does not automatically make them the best option for industrial manufacturing. When a specialized robot can complete the same task faster, more precisely, and at a lower cost, companies have little incentive to pay for additional joints or capabilities that do not improve the application.The conversation also explores how physical AI can expand automation without replacing the systems already working reliably inside factories. Structured and repetitive tasks can still be handled through traditional programming. AI becomes valuable when robots must work in unstructured environments, interpret sensor information, adapt their behavior, or handle flexible objects that cannot be positioned the same way every time.Andie describes how simulation, digital twins, synthetic images, and AI vision are helping manufacturers prepare and test automation systems before deploying them on-site. She also explains how ABB developed an AI-based system that can recognize and pick flexible clothing packages, a task that has traditionally required large numbers of workers because every package looks and behaves differently.Brian and Andie also discuss why labor shortages are accelerating automation around the world. After visiting more than 100 customer plants, Andie says manufacturers consistently turn to robots because they cannot find enough qualified workers. She shares how cobots are helping experienced welders teach robots to perform repetitive welds, allowing companies to increase productivity without removing those workers from the process.They also examine the safety questions surrounding humanoids, the difficulty of developing dexterous five-finger hands, and the importance of making increasingly complex robots usable for factory workers and system integrators.Finally, Andie reflects on becoming the first person responsible for cobots at ABB, building an internal robotics incubator, taking robots directly to small businesses, and creating more opportunities for women and people with transferable skills to enter the robotics industry.Connect with Andie Zhanghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/andiezhang/Learn more about ABB Roboticshttps://www.abb.com/global/en/areas/roboticsExplore ABB collaborative robotshttps://www.abb.com/global/en/areas/robotics/products/robots/collaborative-robotsLearn more about RobotStudio HyperRealityhttps://www.abb.com/global/en/areas/robotics/innovation/robotstudio-hyperrealityWe’d love to hear from you.Have thoughts or guest suggestions?Reach us at podcast@automate.org.You can find the transcript and more episodes of Automated at automated.fm.Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation.Subscribe today and leave a review on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the Automated Newsletter.https://www.youtube.com/@automatedpodcasthttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/automated-with-brian-heater/id1837762221https://open.spotify.com/show/60olq6brlBEIJWggx2fMR6https://www.automate.org/automation/automated-newsletterYou can also find us on:LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/
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    1 h et 1 min
  • Karen Panetta on Digital Twins, Inclusive AI and Engineering for Impact

    Karen Panetta on Digital Twins, Inclusive AI and Engineering for Impact
    Sep 30 2026

    AI should not be judged only by how advanced it is. It should also be judged by who it helps and who its designers remembered to include.


    In this episode of Automated, Brian Heater speaks with Karen Panetta, Distinguished Professor and Dean for Graduate Education at Tufts University and founder of Nerd Girls, about using engineering, robotics, and artificial intelligence to solve problems with real human impact.


    Karen traces that philosophy back to student projects involving a solar car and Thacher Island, where her team helped power historic lighthouses with solar energy. The goal was never simply to build one car or install one system. It was to show young engineers that the same technical skills could move from one application to another and improve people’s lives.


    That approach now runs through her work in food safety, firefighting, traffic management, marine health, infrastructure, and assistive technology. Some projects have become startups, while others serve populations too small to attract traditional investment. Karen explains why universities remain essential when an important problem does not come with an obvious market.


    The conversation also explores her early work at Digital Equipment Corporation, the simulation tools that helped lay the foundation for digital twins, and the moment at NASA Langley when software she was accustomed to testing in isolation began controlling real jet and propulsion hardware.


    Brian and Karen also discuss bias in physical AI, accessibility, and the business cost of designing for only one kind of user. From early crash-test dummies to modern interfaces, Karen argues that excluding people with different bodies, abilities, or ways of learning is both a design failure and a missed market.


    Her larger message is simple: engineering is not reserved for people who fit one academic mold. Creativity, imagination, determination, and a willingness to work across disciplines are what turn technology into meaningful change.


    Learn more about Karen Panetta at Tufts University:
    https://engineering.tufts.edu/about/undergraduate-and-graduate-deans/dean-karen-panetta


    Learn more about Nerd Girls:
    https://nerdgirls.com/


    Explore Karen Panetta’s research:
    https://www.karenpanetta.com/


    We’d love to hear from you. Have thoughts or guest suggestions?
    Reach us at podcast@automate.org


    You can find the transcript and more episodes of Automated at automated.fm


    Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation.
    Subscribe today and leave a review on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the Automated Newsletter.

    https://www.youtube.com/@automatedpodcast

    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/automated-with-brian-heater/id1837762221
    https://open.spotify.com/show/60olq6brlBEIJWggx2fMR6
    https://www.automate.org/automation/automated-newsletter


    LinkedIn
    https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/

    Instagram
    https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/
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    46 min
  • Dr. Ahmad Bahai on the Semiconductor Race Behind AI and Robotics

    Dr. Ahmad Bahai on the Semiconductor Race Behind AI and Robotics
    Sep 23 2026

    AI and robotics may look like software revolutions.


    But every breakthrough depends on the semiconductors underneath them.


    In this episode of Automated, Brian Heater speaks with Dr. Ahmad Bahai, chief technology officer at Texas Instruments, about the chips, power systems, sensors, and edge-processing technologies enabling the next generation of AI and robotics.


    Ahmad explains why companies cannot predict the next major market a decade in advance. What they can see are the underlying trends, including the growing demand for power density, bandwidth, timing accuracy, and local processing. Those needs now extend from massive AI data centers to mobile devices and robots that must react without waiting for the cloud.


    Brian and Ahmad also trace his path from early Wi-Fi research at Bell Labs to Kilby Labs and Texas Instruments. Ahmad reflects on what made Bell Labs unique, why that model is difficult to reproduce today, and how companies can connect academic research with technology that can be manufactured at scale.


    The conversation also covers the semiconductor supply chain, the search for more efficient AI algorithms, and why technologies like autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots take longer to reach the mainstream than early predictions suggest.


    Finally, Ahmad explains why supposed physical limits rarely end technological progress. Scientists once argued that chips could not scale below 55 nanometers. Engineers found another way, and today the industry has reached two nanometers.


    Learn more about Dr. Ahmad Bahai and semiconductor innovation at Texas Instruments:
    https://www.ti.com/video/6372229233112


    Learn more about Texas Instruments:
    https://www.ti.com/about-ti.html


    Read TI’s insights on scaling humanoid robots: https://www.ti.com/about-ti/behind-chip/articles/what-will-it-take-to-bring-humanoid-robots-into-the-real-world-read-our-experts-insights.html


    We’d love to hear from you. Have thoughts or guest suggestions?
    Reach us at podcast@automate.org.


    You can find the transcript and more episodes of Automated at automated.fm


    Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation.
    Subscribe today and leave a review on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the Automated Newsletter.
    https://www.youtube.com/@automatedpodcast

    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/automated-with-brian-heater/id1837762221
    https://open.spotify.com/show/60olq6brlBEIJWggx2fMR6
    https://www.automate.org/automation/automated-newsletter



    LinkedIn
    https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/

    Instagram
    https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/
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    50 min
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