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  • Amazon Unveils Next-Gen Drone for Deliveries

    Amazon Unveils Next-Gen Drone for Deliveries

    Amazon has announced a new drone for deliveries, the MK30, offering a slew of improvements over its predecessor.

    Amazon has been investing in drone deliveries in an effort to improve customer service, improve delivery speed, and reduce costs. The company plans to introduce the MK30 in 2024 in areas where it is testing its drone delivery program.

    The company outlined the benefits of the new model in a blog post:

    We’re now introducing our next generation delivery drone: the MK30. Due to come into service in 2024, this drone will be lighter and smaller than the MK27-2, the drone that will be making deliveries in Lockeford and College Station. The MK30’s increased range, expanded temperature tolerance, safety-critical features, and new capability to fly in light rain will enable customers to choose drone delivery more often.

    The company has also worked to reduce the noise profile of the new drone, so as not to disturb customers and neighborhoods:

    Reducing the noise signature of our drones is an important engineering challenge that our team is working on. Our drones fly hundreds of feet in the air, well above people and structures. Even when they descend to deliver packages, our drones are generally quieter than a range of sounds you would commonly hear in a typical neighborhood. Still, Prime Air’s Flight Science team has created new custom-designed propellers that will reduce the MK30’s perceived noise by another 25%. That’s a game-changer, and we’re very excited about it.

  • FedEx Ends Its Robot Delivery Program

    FedEx Ends Its Robot Delivery Program

    FedEx is pulling the plug on its robot delivery efforts following a pilot program to test using robots instead of humans for last-mile delivery.

    FedEx is one of several companies that has been investigating the possibility of using robots for delivery. The company was running a pilot program in conjunction with DEKA Research and Development Corp. According to Robotics 24/7, the company is ending the program.

    “Although robotics and automation are key pillars of our innovation strategy, Roxo did not meet necessary near-term value requirements for DRIVE,” Sriram Krishnasam, chief transformation officer, wrote in an email to employees. “Although we are ending the research and development efforts, Roxo served a valuable purpose: to rapidly advance our understanding and use of robotic technology.”

    The company confirmed the news to Robotics 24/7, saying it was focusing on “several nearer-term opportunities.”

    It’s been a bad week for robotics, with The Verge reporting that Amazon has similarly canceled its robot delivery pilot program.

  • FTC Taking a Closer Look at Amazon’s iRobot Acquisition

    FTC Taking a Closer Look at Amazon’s iRobot Acquisition

    The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is taking a closer look at Amazon’s iRobot acquisition.

    Amazon announced in August that it was buying iRobot for $1.7 billion. Almost immediately, privacy advocates raised alarms over the deal, especially given Amazon’s privacy policies and issues with Alexa and Ring security products.

    According to Reuters, the FTC is taking a closer look at the deal. The privacy implications, as well as Amazon’s already dominant position in the smart home market, are the driving factors for the FTC.

    Given the current scrutiny Big Tech is under, and the measures lawmakers are taking to prevent large companies from buying out smaller competitors, it would not be surprising if the FTC scuttles the deal.

  • Amazon Will Acquire iRobot for $1.7 Billion

    Amazon Will Acquire iRobot for $1.7 Billion

    Amazon has announced it will acquire iRobot, the maker of robot vacuum cleaners, for $1.7 billion.

    iRobot is a popular maker of robot vacuum cleaners, using LiDAR and other technology to effortlessly navigate the home or office, vacuuming all the nooks and crannies, so you don’t have to. Amazon sees the company as a natural fit for its existing lineup of home products and plans to scoop it up for roughly $1.7 billion.

    “We know that saving time matters, and chores take precious time that can be better spent doing something that customers love,” said Dave Limp, SVP of Amazon Devices. “Over many years, the iRobot team has proven its ability to reinvent how people clean with products that are incredibly practical and inventive—from cleaning when and where customers want while avoiding common obstacles in the home, to automatically emptying the collection bin. Customers love iRobot products—and I’m excited to work with the iRobot team to invent in ways that make customers’ lives easier and more enjoyable.”

    iRobot also sees the deal as a natural fit, one that will give the company the resources and backing to expand its products and services even more.

    “Since we started iRobot, our team has been on a mission to create innovative, practical products that make customers’ lives easier, leading to inventions like the Roomba and iRobot OS,” said Colin Angle, chairman and CEO of iRobot. “Amazon shares our passion for building thoughtful innovations that empower people to do more at home, and I cannot think of a better place for our team to continue our mission. I’m hugely excited to be a part of Amazon and to see what we can build together for customers in the years ahead.”

    One of iRobot’s defining characteristics is how easy it is to service the devices and replace worn-out parts. The company went to great lengths to design its robots so even a non-technical novice could easily and intuitively maintain and repair the devices. Hopefully, Amazon will leave that hallmark feature intact.

  • Working With Robots Stresses American Workers

    Working With Robots Stresses American Workers

    Robots may be all the rage, but American workers are stressed out by working with them, according to a new report.

    Companies are increasingly turning to robots to help ease labor shortages, improve productivity, and decrease safety issues. While they certainly bring much to the table, they also tend to stress out their human counterparts – at least in the US.

    The issue stems from the relatively lax labor laws in the US, creating an environment where workers feel less secure about their future employment when robots are an option.

    “Robots are good for physical health – they usually take on jobs that are physically intensive and may even hurt you. But in the U.S., there’s this understanding that the robots may take your job because there’s a less protective labor market,” study author Osea Giuntella, assistant professor of economics at the University of Pittsburgh, told UPI.

    In contrast to the US, workers in Germany appear to have little to no concern over the introduction of robots in the workplace.

    “German workers were better protected in their work from German robots,” Giuntella added. “In Germany, the introduction of robots was not related to job displacement. Instead, new and young workers were brought to other sectors of the industry, while the job security of incumbent workers was not affected.”

    The study illustrates a significant concern companies will need to address as continue to deploy robots.

  • Amazon Turns to Robots to Address Warehouse Safety

    Amazon Turns to Robots to Address Warehouse Safety

    Amazon is doubling down on robots in an effort to improve its warehouse safety, unveiling fully autonomous models.

    Amazon is sometimes criticized for having higher warehouse injury rates than the industry average. In 2021, its injury rates among warehouse workers went up some 20%. CEO Andy Jassy, while saying its injury rates are “misunderstood,” nonetheless emphasized the company’s commitment to improving safety. Two big steps in that direction are its Proteus and Cardinal warehouse robots.

    Amazon’s robotics efforts have their roots in Kiva, a robotics company Amazon acquired a decade ago. While some speculated Amazon was looking to replace people, it has developed Kiva’s tech to assist human workers and make their workplace safer, as the company outlines in a blog post.

    Proteus is the company’s first fully autonomous robot. Integrating an autonomous robot in a warehouse with human workers presents safety challenges of its own, but Amazon believes they’ve cracked the code.

    Proteus autonomously moves through our facilities using advanced safety, perception, and navigation technology developed by Amazon. The robot was built to be automatically directed to perform its work and move around employees—meaning it has no need to be confined to restricted areas. It can operate in a manner that augments simple, safe interaction between technology and people—opening up a broader range of possible uses to help our employees—such as the lifting and movement of GoCarts, the non-automated, wheeled transports used to move packages through our facilities.

    Similarly, the company’s Cardinal robot is designed to handle the twisting and lifting that goes along with finding and retrieving a single package from a pile of packages.

    Enter Cardinal, the robotic workcell that uses advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision to nimbly and quickly select one package out of a pile of packages, lift it, read the label, and precisely place it in a GoCart to send the package on the next step of its journey. Cardinal reduces the risk of employee injuries by handling tasks that require lifting and turning of large or heavy packages or complicated packing in a confined space.

    After becoming CEO, Andy Jassy looked for a “silver bullet” that would improve warehouse safety in one fell swoop, ultimately realizing there was no single thing to magically address the issues.

    “But, we still have a ways to go, and we’ll approach it like we do other customer experiences—we’ll keep learning, inventing, and iterating until we have more transformational results,” he said. “We won’t be satisfied until we do.”

  • Liability Is the New Driving Force for Robot Adoption

    Liability Is the New Driving Force for Robot Adoption

    Robots are already being widely adopted by a variety of industries, but legal liability is emerging as the new driving force motivating some companies to make the transition.

    Companies have been turning to robots to help ease labor shortages, especially in industries that have struggled to regain employees as things return to normal. According to Rest of World, South Korean manufacturer Speefox is adopting robots to avoid potential liability in the wake of a new law that could hold executives legally liable if a company is found to be negligent in an employee’s serious injury or death.

    “Throughout our history, we’ve always had to find ways to stay ahead,” CEO Kim Yong-rae told Rest of World. “Automation is the next step in that process.”

    The new law is especially concerning to many companies due to its vague wording. Critics have said the law doesn’t clearly indicate exactly what constitutes culpability. Given that executives could end up being fined or going to jail if they’re found liable, the uncertainty is causing a fair amount of angst among South Korea’s businesses.

    “The law is a huge issue in business right now,” said Kim Hyo-jin, a managing director at Speefox and Yong-rae’s daughter. “Fortunately for us, we were already automating, so when the law came, we were ready.”

  • Robots in High Demand Thanks to Labor Shortage

    Robots in High Demand Thanks to Labor Shortage

    The robotics industry is experiencing massive growth as employers turn to robots to help offset labor shortages.

    The pandemic has led to fundamental shifts in the workforce. Many companies are still struggling to get employees to come back to the office, while others have embraced remote work entirely. Many others, especially in hospitality and retail, have struggled with labor shortages as people have simply not returned to those jobs.

    According to The Wall Street Journal and Business Insider, employers are increasingly turning to robots to pick up the slack. In the first quarter of 2022, robot orders saw a 40% increase, while orders were up 21% in 2021.

    “The robots are becoming easier to use,” Michael Cicco, Fanuc America CEO, told the Wall Street Journal. “Companies used to think that automation was too hard or too expensive to implement.”

    At WPN, we previously covered examples of robots saving restaurants, handling server positions owners were struggling to fill. With a record 11.5 million job openings available, and no end in sight to the labor shortage, it’s a safe bet the robot industry is just beginning to take off.

  • Amazon Reveals Astro, Its Home Robot

    Amazon Reveals Astro, Its Home Robot

    Amazon has revealed a new robot, dubbed Astro, designed to help out around the home.

    Amazon has been rumored to be working on a home robot for some time, one that builds on its Alexa line of home assistants. The company has now revealed Astro, its “vision for home robotics.”

    Astro is designed to perform a variety of tasks around the home, including monitoring, keeping in touch with family and bringing items from one room to another. Alexa Guard can help Astro monitor smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms or glass breaking, and then notify the homeowner via a phone alert.

    Amazon created Astro to display a “personality,” with the goal of being as helpful as possible. The robot will even hang out in areas where it can be most useful.

    “Astro’s personality not only helps it communicate intent and offer delightful experiences, but it also evokes emotions like empathy when people use the device,” writes Charlie Tritschler, Vice President of Products at Amazon. “In testing, we’ve been humbled by the number of people who said Astro’s personality made it feel like a part of their family, and that they would miss the device in their home after it was gone. That kind of connection is rare with consumer electronics, but we hope it will be commonplace with Astro and other future robots in the home.”

    Customers can sign up to be invited once Astro is available. The robot will cost $1,449.99, but will be available for $999.99 as part of the Day 1 Editions program when paired with a six-month Ring Protect Pro trial.

  • Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures Leads Investment in Ag Robots

    Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures Leads Investment in Ag Robots

    Breakthrough Energy Ventures has led a $53 million Series C investment round in Iron Ox, a leading agricultural robot company.

    Since retiring from Microsoft, Bill Gates has dedicated his time to a number of causes, including climate change. His Breakthrough Energy Ventures is a climate fund that encompasses a number of different organizations.

    Breakthrough Energy’s latest investment is in Iron Ox, a company that launched autonomous farming in 2018.

    Iron Ox, which launched autonomous farming in 2018, grows produce in proprietary greenhouses designed from the ground up to mitigate the environmental impacts of agriculture — a data-driven approach backed by plant science, robotics and artificial intelligence.

    The closed-loop system optimizes plant yield, expands growth cycles and maximizes crop quality. The result is delicious, nutritious, locally sourced fruits and vegetables that currently cost about the same as produce from conventional farms, with substantially lower environmental impacts.

    This round of $53 million brings total funding to $98 million.

    “World-class investors know that humanity’s most important pursuit is to reverse climate change. To get there, we can’t settle for incrementally more sustainable crops — and we can’t ask consumers to compromise on taste, convenience or value,” said Iron Ox CEO and Co-Founder Brandon Alexander. “We are applying technology to minimize the amount of land, water and energy needed to nourish a growing population. The team at Iron Ox will not stop until we achieve our long-term mission of making the produce sector carbon negative.”

  • iRobot Guarantees Its Newest Roomba Will Detect Pet Poop & Avoid It

    iRobot Guarantees Its Newest Roomba Will Detect Pet Poop & Avoid It

    iRobot has announced its latest Roomba robot vacuum cleaner, and it has a major new improvement for pet owners.

    Roomba vacuum cleaners have increased in popularity and have a devoted fanbase. Nonetheless, as many pet owners can attest, the robot cleaners have not always done a good job of avoiding pet poop, instead smearing it across the floor.

    The latest model, the Roomba j7+ is supposed to address that issue. iRobot is so confident the j7+ will avoid pet waste that the company is promising to replace any units that fail to do so.

    “Smart home products often fail to live up to consumer expectations when they lack context of the home, cannot learn independently and require complex programming for basic functionality. We understand home environments and lifestyles are unique and that it’s important to offer intelligent, simple-to-use products that more thoughtfully work within the boundaries of house rules set by the user,” said Colin Angle, chairman and CEO of iRobot. “The Roomba j7+ with iRobot Genius provides greater levels of personalization, new home automations and the ability to get smarter over time, allowing the robot to deliver a more intuitive cleaning experience so people have more time to do what’s most important to them.”

    It’s a safe bet the j7+ will be a big hit with pet owners.

  • Robots Are Saving Understaffed Restaurants

    Robots Are Saving Understaffed Restaurants

    Robots are helping restaurants deal with staff shortages, taking over some of the easier, but critical, day-to-day duties.

    Just days ago, we wrote about the impact robots are having on service industries, an area once thought to be safe from robots and automation. According to CNN, restaurants are one industry that is particularly benefiting.

    Espartaco Borga, owner of Dallas-based Latin restaurant La Duni, is renting robots for $15 a day. The robots have been a game-changer for Borga, who was struggling to meet the uptick in demand, with only a third of his staff returning after the pandemic slowdown. In spite of the smaller staff, Borga says their business was 50 to 100% higher than ever, including pre-pandemic levels.

    The solution was robots from American Robotech.

    “The very next day they showed up, they mapped the restaurant, and they assigned the tables numbers within 45 minutes,” Borga said. “After a day, the girl at the expo line was in love with this because her arm didn’t hurt after carrying 60 trays in a day.”

    Borga says the robots greet customers, deliver orders and even sing “Happy Birthday” to customers. He’s also not worried about concerns of robots taking jobs, since his whole problem sprang from no one wanting the jobs he had available. Even more, with the money he’s saving using the robots — at a mere $15 a day — he’s able to pay his remaining workers more.

    The robots are also a hit with customers.

    “They don’t even see them as what they are, which is a tablet on wheels,” he said. “They see them as part of the service experience because these robots have a personality, they can interact. If you touch them, they giggle and they tell you things.”

  • Robots Now Taking Service Jobs

    Robots Now Taking Service Jobs

    Robots and automation are moving into an unexpected sector, taking service jobs many once thought were safe.

    Robots and automation have already made major headway in manufacturing and industry, but many experts thought customer-facing service jobs were safe. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the game, and service jobs are now up for grabs.

    According to AP News robots are increasingly being used for drive-thru ordering, tossing pizza dough, sorting goods, transporting goods and inspecting gauges.

    Robots have a number of advantages, especially in the midst of a pandemic. Robots don’t call in sick, they don’t spread disease, they don’t complain and they don’t take time off. Adding to their adoption is the fact that AI and robot development has reached a point where most tasks can be handled with little to no errors.

    One thing is certain: As the technology advances, robots and automation will increasingly spread into a wider range industries, including ones that were thought to be a safe haven.

  • Move Over Data: Tesla Looking to Create Humanoid Robot

    Move Over Data: Tesla Looking to Create Humanoid Robot

    Tesla is looking to create a humanoid robot that is sure to draw comparisons to Star Trek’s beloved android Data.

    Elon Musk has been a major critic of artificial intelligence, leading him to cofound OpenAI in an effort to ensure AI research and development is done in a responsible way. Tesla is working to build on that research with the Tesla Bot.

    The company’s describes the project’s goal:

    Develop the next generation of automation, including a general purpose, bi-pedal, humanoid robot capable of performing tasks that are unsafe, repetitive or boring. We’re seeking mechanical, electrical, controls and software engineers to help us leverage our AI expertise beyond our vehicle fleet.

    Tesla Bot Standing - Credit Tesla
    Tesla Bot Standing – Credit Tesla

    Recognizing the potential danger such a robot could pose (think I, Robot), Musk has said the robot is “intended to be friendly.” In addition, Tesla is designing the robot so that at “at a mechanical level, a physical level, you can run away from it [its top speed is 5 MPG] and most likely overpower it.”

    In the presentation announcing the company’s plans, Musk drew a direct comparison to Tesla’s vehicles, saying the company was already one of the biggest robotics makers on the planet. Taking its existing advancements and applying them to a humanoid robot was the next evolution of the company’s ambitions.

  • Salesforce Acquiring RPA Company Servicetrace

    Salesforce Acquiring RPA Company Servicetrace

    Salesforce has entered an agreement to purchase Servicetrace, a robotic process automation (RPA) provider.

    The RPA industry is currently exploding, as companies large and small look to automation as a way to cut costs and improve efficiency. The transition to remote work has made it more difficult to manage the data, however, making it difficult to integrate the data and properly manage it.

    Salesforce clearly sees RPA as an important step in helping customers adapt to the work-from-anywhere reality. The company plans to integrate Servicetrace with its own MuleSoft subsidiary.

    MuleSoft CEO Brent Hayward highlighted the potential benefits:

    With the addition of Servicetrace, MuleSoft will be able to deliver a leading unified integration, API management, and RPA platform, which will further enrich the Salesforce Customer 360 — empowering organizations to deliver connected experiences from anywhere. The new RPA capabilities will enhance Salesforce’s Einstein Automate solution, enabling end-to-end workflow automation across any system for Service, Sales, Industries, and more. 

    The company expects the deal to close in Q3 of its fiscal year 2022, which ends October 31, 2021.

  • Google Looks to Reinvent Industrial Robots With Intrinsic

    Google Looks to Reinvent Industrial Robots With Intrinsic

    Google has launched Intrinsic from X, its moonshot factory, in an effort to reinvent industrial robots.

    Intrinsic CEO Wendy Tan-White made the announcement via a blog post.

    Intrinsic is working to unlock the creative and economic potential of industrial robotics for millions more businesses, entrepreneurs, and developers. We’re developing software tools designed to make industrial robots (which are used to make everything from solar panels to cars) easier to use, less costly and more flexible, so that more people can use them to make new products, businesses and services.

    Alphabet and Intrinsic see easier-to-use, less expensive robotics as a way to help countries around the world improve their manufacturing processes.

    By unlocking access to these incredible productivity tools, we hope to support a shift towards a more sustainable and equitable way of making things. Currently just 10 countries manufacture 70% of the world’s goods. This means most things are made far away from their end consumers, which drives global transport emissions, and many countries and businesses miss out on economic opportunities. Even countries with strong manufacturing sectors need help meeting demand: the US manufacturing industry alone is expected to have 2.1 million unfilled jobs by 2030.

    While Alphabet’s X division has a mixed track record, in terms of building successful companies, Intrinsic certainly seems poised for success, addressing a viable need.

  • Amazon Launches Amazon Scout Development Center in Helsinki

    Amazon Launches Amazon Scout Development Center in Helsinki

    Amazon is launching a development center in Helsinki, Finland, in an effort to boost its autonomous delivery.

    Amazon Scout is the company’s autonomous delivery robot. The size of a small cooler, the robot traverses sidewalks, delivering packages in four US locations. Like many companies, Amazon is looking to expand this further and widen Scout’s usage.

    The company is launching a new development center aimed at supporting Scout and continuing its research and development. The new team will initially consist of two dozen engineers, although Amazon says the team will grow over time.

  • McDonald’s Testing Automated Drive-Thru Technology

    McDonald’s Testing Automated Drive-Thru Technology

    McDonald’s is testing automated drive-thru ordering technology in 10 Chicago locations.

    Restaurants are increasingly looking for ways to revolutionize their processes and streamline operations. Drive-thru operations, in particular, are ripe for change, with many companies implementing mobile ordering.

    McDonald’s is taking it a step further, testing automated voice-ordering tech, according to CNBC. So far, the pilot program is seeing 85% order accuracy, with only a fifth of orders needing to be handled by a person.

    “Now there’s a big leap from going to 10 restaurants in Chicago to 14,000 restaurants across the U.S., with an infinite number of promo permutations, menu permutations, dialect permutations, weather — and on and on and on,” said CEO Chris Kempczinski.

    If McDonald’s is able to make a go of automated ordering, it would give the company a major competitive advantage over competing fast-food chains. Relying on automated ordering tech could help the company cut down on cost. It could also serve as a template for other companies looking to do the same.

  • Rise of Skynet: AI Drones Attack Humans Without Authorization

    Rise of Skynet: AI Drones Attack Humans Without Authorization

    AI-driven drones appear to have attacked humans without authorization, according to a new report by the U.N.

    Many critics view AI technology as an existential threat to humanity, seeing some variation of the Terminator franchise’s Skynet wiping humanity out. Those critics may have just been given the strongest support yet for their fears, with AI drones attacking retreating soldiers without being instructed to.

    According to the U.N. report, via The Independent, Libyan government forces were fighting Haftar Affiliated Forces (HAF) forces.

    “Logistics convoys and retreating HAF were subsequently hunted down and remotely engaged by the unmanned combat aerial vehicles or the lethal autonomous weapons systems such as the STM Kargu-2,” read the UN report.

    What makes the Kargu so dangerous is that it’s a “loitering” drone, designed to autonomously pick its own targets based on machine learning. If one such drone isn’t dangerous enough, the Kargu has swarming abilities, enabling 20 such drones to work together in a coordinated swarm.

    “The lethal autonomous weapons systems were programmed to attack targets without requiring data connectivity between the operator and the munition: in effect, a true ‘fire, forget and find’ capability,” wrote the report’s experts.

    The incident is sure to raise questions about the ongoing safety issues surrounding AI drone use, especially in the context of military applications.

  • Skyborg AI Flies Air Force Drone — What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

    Skyborg AI Flies Air Force Drone — What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

    Combine Skynet from Terminator and the Borg from Star Trek and you have Skyborg, also known as the latest Air Force AI that has successfully flown a drone.

    As any avid science fiction fan can attest, there are some things that are just not a good idea. Creating an AI designed to autonomously fly fighter drones seems like one of them, but naming it after a combination of two of the most terrifying technological villains in moviedom takes the cake.

    The Air Force developed two flavors of Skyborg. The first flavor — which we covered here — is an R2-D2 inspired copilot AI. The second is a fully autonomous system that can fly a pilotless drone.

    The Air Force’s goal is to eventually have the Skyborg Autonomy Core System (ACS) fly dangerous missions that currently require putting a pilot in harm’s way. The latest test, over Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, was a big step in that direction.

    “We’re extremely excited for the successful flight of an early version of the ’brain‘ of the Skyborg system,” said Brig. Gen. Dale White. “It is the first step in a marathon of progressive growth for Skyborg technology,” White said. “These initial flights kick off the experimentation campaign that will continue to mature the ACS and build trust in the system.”

    “This test is a significant step toward teaming manned and unmanned aircraft in combat in the not-too-distant future,” said Maj. Nathan McCaskey, 40th Flight Test Squadron Test Pilot and AAAx Project Pilot. “Unmanned aircraft using the autonomy system developed for this experiment could go places where manned fighters can’t go, providing sensor information back to manned teammates, increasing the power projection capability of the Air Force.”

    The Air Force hopes to have fully operational Skyborg craft flying missions around 2023. If science fiction is any guide, humanity should be fighting for its life shortly thereafter.

  • An AI-Powered Robot May be the Next Coffee Critic

    An AI-Powered Robot May be the Next Coffee Critic

    AI-powered robots may soon be responsible for critiquing coffee, replacing human experts.

    Coffee grading is an important part of the industry, and helps determine the quality and value of coffee. According to Bloomberg, however, the days of humans conducting that task may be numbered.

    Demetria is a Colombian-Israeli startup that created an AI to evaluate coffee beans. Data is collected with a handheld scanner, parameters are input and then the AI takes over. The company already has a pilot program with Carcafe, Volcafe’s Colombian division.

    “It’s the human that establishes the sensorial part,” said Oswaldo Aranha Neto, a coffee industry veteran and Demetria board member. “You need to teach the robot what to do.”

    Demetria’s technology will help speed up the process of evaluating coffee, and may even help farmers better grow varieties with characteristics that are in demand.