Automation is here to stay and for businesses, this means a huge opportunity to be more efficient in their processes.
But is working with robots safe?
Does it make sense commercially speaking?
Can you really afford it if you are a start-up and not a big name in the market?
That and more is going to be discussed in this conversation with Rajanatha Shettigara.
Introduction
Rajanatha Shettigara is the Vice President of Engineering at Vayu Robotics, a company working to build the next generation of robots.
A new approach
Nowadays, it's simple to find a company that's working with robotics, automation after all is on the rise, what makes Vayu Robotics stand out from other companies, however, is their holistic approach to autonomy using machine learning to allow robots to be not only safe but also fully reliable.
The sensors
We can't talk about all the wonderful things that Rajanatha and his team are doing without mentioning the sensors they're building to revolutionize how robots behave.
For example, let's say that you want to use a robot for delivery purposes. Wouldn't it be useful for the robot to be able to detect any slippery road along its way?
That's what Vayu proposes.
Thinking like a customer
As Rajanatha says when it comes to automation, people often have a lot of questions. Do I need it? What can it do for me or my business? How affordable is it? In case of needing repairs or updates can it be done quickly? Does it pose a risk for my team?
These questions and many more are at the core of what drives Vayu Robotics to design and build robots that give absolute peace of mind to the user.
Like riding a bike
For Vayu Robotics, having the acceptance of society is important so one of their main parameters revolves around safety.
There's a high chance you won't be worried about the consequences of riding a bike at 10-15 miles per hour, right?
No serious threat can come from it and that's why Vayu Robotics follows a similar approach to design the robots, even using bike lanes whenever possible.
The balance
If you want to make your business work at a commercial level, you know how important it is to find the balance between what your customers want, what you can offer and your unique value proposition. Building a robot isn't meant to be a cheap task, hence the misconception that only large companies can afford to work with automated vehicles. For Vayu Robotics, however, this was never a problem as they found that developing biology-inspired sensors reduces costs and brings scalability to the next level.
The weight of the purpose
Not everyone can be an entrepreneur, or at least that's what Rajanatha shares with us when asked about his advice for future entrepreneurs.
To be a successful one, you've to not only have a marvelous idea, you've to be driven by a bigger purpose than yourself.
This is how you ensure that no matter the obstacles you are faced with, you are going to keep pushing forward until you achieve your dreams.
