“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
– Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
1. Spot Is a Furry
Is there an uncanny valley effect for animals? The versatility of a Spot robo-dog with a robotic arm is pretty high up there, but I need to see it working daily. Until then, I think the best thing I am going to get is a Spot in a dog costume. I do have a level of appreciation for the wackiness of Spot videos, but man, this must have been an interesting conversation at Boston Dynamics. (I’m still on the fence about quadruped AMRs in the manufacturing space, though.)
2. Bots Still Get the Side Eye
Speaking of uncanny valley horrors. I am also skeptical about bipedal AMRs, aka humanoid bots, which seem to value agility and flexibility over rigidity and stability. This trade-off seems to be moving in a positive direction, though. Some big names are pushing advanced neural networks, fleet learning, high precision, and improved battery life. One piece of advice: Stay out of the uncanny valley if you truly want adoption.
3. Who's Got 'Next?
The landscape of additive changes fast. Between new tech and use cases, getting the market edge by utilizing additive can be challenging – but rewarding. So, seeing, touching, and talking about these technologies is incredibly valuable to gain confidence in your implementation strategy. Check out Formnext Chicago 2025, a new trade show that will showcase the entire additive value chain, from design to materials to inspection – produced by the organizers of the world’s largest trade fair. You won’t be disappointed.
4. Metrology = Efficiency
While metrology is still seen as a roadblock in manufacturing, the tides are turning as new technology allows for more integrated approaches, adding value and improving processes. Completing this change and maximizing the potential in the new tech requires a paradigm shift. Keep an open mind and database to store all this sweet, valuable info.
5. AM in Automotive
Different sectors are harnessing the value of additive at various paces. Automotive is making strides with both polymer and metal additive. By the way, I am talking about end-use products, not just prototyping and tooling. As with most new technologies, you will see the applications applied to race cars first. Don’t worry: Trickle-down economics actually works from race cars to commercial vehicles
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