People in Robotics

Everyone is fed up of hearing about the pandemic and the catastrophic impact it has had on the world. But the fact is, although statistics confirm Covid-19 is waning, the rise of new variants including Omicron means the virus is still very much present and working its way through the population, continuing to leave its destruction behind it. 

Building a team of digital employees successfully is more complex than putting one or two software robots in place. More and more organisations aspire to scale up, but run into challenges when attempting to do so and do not know how to tackle them. Ciphix has created the Digital Workforce Journey Framework for that very reason. Rocking Robots discussed this matter with managing director Marijn van de Poel.

The vision of Rocking Robots is to report on the interaction between humans and robots. The interviews we published this year show that we as humans are increasingly successful in making robots work for us. However, it remains important to pay attention to pre-eminently human issues such as ethics, acceptance and safety. Where that happens, applications of technology arise that actually help us as humans.

This is the time for HR to step up and claim a more strategic role in the organization. Automation enables HR professionals to gain valuable time by freeing them from day to day routine tasks, making them a partner for the business. Adding technology like AI can even lead to HR better serving their internal customers. Rocking Robot discussed the opportunities for HR in automation with Hamish Taylor, who has an impressive track record in brand management.

Over the past 20 years, back office outsourcing has been the go-to solution for large enterprises looking to save costs on repetitive, labour-intensive work. Next to cost reductions, a big benefit of moving the back office to low wage countries used to be the availability of a large labour force that allowed easy scaling. Countries like the Philippines, Indonesia and India used to be very popular countries to go to.

Recently Danish research company HowToRobot published its analysis of the Dutch robotics market. This comprehensive report emphasizes the supply chain and logistics sector as the economic center of gravity for the Dutch economy, as most of all robot suppliers active in this market target this vertical. Rocking Robots discussed the findings of the report with CEO Søren Peters.

A maze is a popular device among psychologists to assess the learning capacity of mice or rats. But how about robots? Can they learn to successfully navigate the twists and turns of a labyrinth? Now, researchers at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) in the Netherlands and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz, Germany, have proven they can.

The role of the CFO is changing profoundly. Their responsibility used to be mainly around financial reporting, but now meaningful reporting on Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) is expected from them as well. This means having the right data is key. And to achieve this automation is a crucial ingredient. Reason for The CFO Automation Experience to host a round table on the CFO, ESG and automation.

Most businesses suffered, some businesses failed, but for those who survived the ravages of the pandemic, what lessons have been learned and, perhaps more importantly, what plans are now in place to make businesses more resilient moving forward? History is littered with pandemics; following bird flu & swine flu, and COVID-19 has arguably been the worst since the Spanish flu. But what next?

Recently, machine learning company Hyperscience began working with partners in the Netherlands. The Hyperscience Platform helps enterprise and public sector organizations automate their data- and document-heavy processes, resulting in greater efficiencies, lower costs , fewer errors and better customer and employee experiences. Rocking Robots talked about this strategy with the EMEA General Manager at Hyperscience, Nay Odutola.