Hardware Podcasts

Revolutionizing the Mining Industry with Sensor Fusion: A Conversation with Mel Torrie, Founder and CEO of ASI

Over the Air · 1 Feb 2024 · 25m

What this episode covers

Mel Torrie, Founder and CEO of ASI (Autonomous Solutions Incorporated), explains how his bootstrapped company automates 400-ton mining trucks using sensor fusion and AI to operate in brutal environments like -50°C in Ukraine and 127°F in Australia. Torrie details the engineering challenges of extreme vibration and weather that caused initial LIDAR failures, the shift toward electrification requiring complex fleet energy optimization, and the transition from hardware sales to a recurring SaaS business model. He also highlights partnerships with Raging Radio, Continental, and Precision Assembly to scale production and ensure robust connectivity.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
ASI, John Deere, Soft Bank, Raging Radio, Continental, Precision Assembly
Chips
LIDAR, Radar

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • IoT For All Podcast · 19m

    AI and IoT in the Mining Industry | Razor Labs' Michael Zolotov | Internet of Things Podcast

    Michael Zolotov, CTO and co-founder of Razor Labs, explains how their flagship product DataMind AI uses sensor fusion to predict maintenance failures in heavy mining operations. He details the challenge of high-vibration environments causing false alarms in traditional vibration-only systems and describes how combining camera, oil, and vibration data allows for accurate root-cause diagnosis. Zolotov highlights a specific case where they prevented a major mill failure, saving over $100,000 per hour in downtime, and discusses the importance of building trust through transparent AI evidence rather than black-box predictions.

    Connected products & IoTAI & machine learning
    8 chapters

  • Moore's Lobby · 43m

    Ep. 33 | From Autonomous Golf Carts to Semis: The Journey to the Self-Driving Truck

    Brandon Moak, CTO and co-founder of Embark Trucks, explains how he and co-founder Alex Rodrigues scaled an autonomous driving system from a student golf cart project to a $5 billion public company. Moak details the technical stack, including the fusion of LIDAR, radar, and cameras, and the strategic decision to focus on hub-to-hub highway trucking to avoid the complexity of urban passenger vehicles. He discusses the operational challenges of scaling, including adapting to COVID-19 restrictions and mitigating chip shortages through risk-buying, while emphasizing Embark's safety-first approach and software-as-a-service business model.

    Robotics & autonomySensors & measurement in products
    6 chapters

  • How I Built This · 40m

    When trucks drive themselves with Chris Urmson of Aurora

    Chris Urmson, founder of Aurora, discusses his journey from the DARPA Grand Challenges to leading Google's self-driving car project and finally launching Aurora to automate long-haul trucking. He explains Aurora's 'First Light' LIDAR technology, the distinction between Level 2 assistance and Level 4 autonomy, and the company's strategy of selling an autonomous driving system rather than building vehicles. Urmson outlines the safety case, regulatory engagement, and the phased rollout plan for driverless trucks on specific US freight corridors.

    Starting a product companyMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    6 chapters

  • The Robot Report Podcast · 1h 02m

    Road to Rail: Slashing Costs and Carbon with Automation

    Kevin Damoa, founder and CEO of Glīd Technologies, explains how his company automates the 'first mile' of logistics by transferring loaded semi-trailers directly from road to rail using autonomous and human-operated vehicles. Damoa details the pivot from a pure electric to a hybrid powertrain for their 'Raiden' vehicle due to customer infrastructure constraints, and discusses the role of their 'Ezra 16' AI orchestration software in digitizing a paper-heavy industry. He also highlights the company's dual-use strategy, targeting both commercial ports and military logistics, while noting the significant capital hurdles faced by hardware startups.

    Scaling productionPricing, margins & unit economics
    8 chapters

  • The Robot Report Podcast · 1h 15m

    Tangram launches new HiFi 3D sensor; Next Generation Robotics on the cutting edge of optimization

    Adam Rodnitzky and Brandon Minor of Tangram Vision discuss their new HiFi 3D sensor, a high-resolution depth camera with onboard AI and self-calibration, launched via a Kickstarter campaign to test market features like IP65 ratings and IMUs. David Pepper, CEO of Next Generation Robotics, explains their 'optimization as a service' platform, which uses integer linear programming to solve complex warehouse fleet management and picking problems in real-time for robotics vendors and WMS providers. The episode also covers the leadership crisis at Cruise, where co-founders Kyle Vogt and Daniel Kahn resigned following safety scandals, impacting the autonomous robotaxi market.

    PCB design & layoutMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    4 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Over the Air. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.