In Episode 207 of The Robotic Report Podcast, hosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman talk about varied matters within the robotics trade, together with management modifications at Agility Robotics and Boston Dynamics and the current monetary struggles confronted by iRobot.
This week, we additionally function a session from the 2025 Robotics Summit & Expo on “The State of Humanoids” with Pras Velagapudi, chief expertise officer of Agility Robotics; Aaron Prather, director of the Robotics and Autonomous Methods Program at ASTM Worldwide; and Al Makke, director of engineering at Schaeffler.
The professional panelists mentioned the dynamic nature of the robotics trade, the evolving security requirements for humanoid robots, and the challenges and alternatives that lie forward.
Present timeline
- 05:20 – Information of the week
- 27:44 – Dialog in regards to the state of humanoids with Pras Velagapudi of Agility Robotics, Aaron Prather of ASTM Worldwide, and Al Makke of Schaeffler, moderated by Mike Oitzman.
Information of the week
Agility Robotics, Boston Dynamics see management modifications
On the left, Aaron Saunders keynoting the 2025 Robotics Summit & Expo, and on the suitable, Melonee Smart.
Agility Robotics and Boston Dynamics, two distinguished humanoid robotics builders, are experiencing management modifications. Aaron Saunders, chief expertise officer at Boston Dynamics, introduced on LinkedIn that he’s stepping down from that position.
And Melonee Smart, chief product officer at Agility Robotics, is leaving the corporate on the finish of the month, based on The Info. Smart’s departure from Agility Robotics was additionally confirmed by The Robotic Report.
Smart joined Agility Robotics in 2023 as CTO and shifted into the chief product officer position in Could 2024. She led Agility’s engineering crew along with the newly fashioned product group.
Smart has years of expertise within the robotics trade. Previous to becoming a member of Agility in 2023, she was the vp of robotics automation at Zebra Applied sciences. Earlier than that, Smart was CEO of Fetch Robotics till its acquisition by Zebra.
Can iRobot bounce again? Deep issues overshadow $127M Q2
iRobot income declined 23.3% in Q2 of 2025. Supply: iRobot
Most robotics firms would kill to earn $127.6 million in 1 / 4. However not iRobot Corp. The Roomba maker continued its monetary slide, reporting that second-quarter 2025 income was down 23.3% yr over yr.
iRobot’s income from Q1 2024 to Q1 2025 was down 32%.
The sharp decline highlighted ongoing challenges for iRobot because it struggles with slowing demand, elevated competitors, and the aftermath of its failed acquisition by Amazon.
iRobot stated its Q2 income elevated 6% in Japan however declined 33% within the U.S. and decreased 17% in EMEA over the prior-year interval. The corporate’s income in Q1 2025 was $101.6 million, which was a 32% drop yr over yr from $150 million.
iRobot CEO Gary Cohen acknowledged the outcomes fell in need of expectations, citing market challenges and slower-than-anticipated scaling of recent product strains. Whereas iRobot noticed enchancment in gross margins and working effectivity, Cohen stated the corporate’s money place stays underneath pressure, limiting flexibility and elevating issues about liquidity.
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