Overcoming Technology Hesitancy with Plus One Robotics CEO Erik Nieves
Erik Nieves, CEO and Co-Founder of Plus One Robotics, discusses his transition from manual labor to robotics and the company's vision software for logistics robots. He explains the concept of 'supervised autonomy' and 'robots work, people rule,' where robots handle standard tasks and humans intervene for exceptions in high-variability environments like package sorting. Nieves addresses 'technology hesitancy' among small-to-medium manufacturers, arguing that empathy and understanding root causes like financial risk are key to adoption. He also highlights the importance of open-source standards like ROS Industrial to lower barriers to entry and improve workforce retention by elevating jobs to 'crew chief' roles.