Bob Little, ATI cofounder and automation veteran, talks with Aaron Prather on A3’s The Business of Automation about planning automation projects, workforce involvement, physical AI, humanoids, and getting started.
Little says a robot is only one part of an automation system, which also depends on a well understood and optimized manufacturing process. He advises manufacturers to define their goals and measures of success, and to work closely with integrators rather than hand them the project without active input.
Little recommends agreeing with integrators on measurable acceptance criteria, while keeping the relationship collaborative enough to adapt when a process proves harder than expected. He says employees often handle variation without documenting it, so manufacturers should involve workers and plan for their future roles. Fear of displacement, he warns, can hurt morale and undermine projects.
Little describes humanoids as early in development, with current capabilities still limited and a useful application potentially years away. He suggests executives focus on physical AI more broadly, including conventional robot arms, cameras, and factory systems that could learn tasks and coordinate with one another.
Little says physical AI raises safety questions that standards and industry still need to address, and that it needs large amounts of manufacturing data to learn reliable processes. He says manufacturers own their data, though some may choose to contribute it to shared systems if it is not exposed directly.
Little says established automation can still suit repeatable, high-volume processes, and points to AMRs and machine vision as current opportunities. He recommends visiting trade shows such as Automate, speaking with multiple robot vendors and integrators, and checking claims against direct conversations because the technology is changing quickly.
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Aaron Prather, director of market intelligence at the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), discusses robotics workforce training and emerging roles on The Business of Automation; no guests are identified.
Aaron Prather, director of market intelligence at the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), examines three kinds of permission shaping robotics: US market clearance, medical adoption, and interoperability.
