# Veo on manufacturing challenges; tele-operating Spot; Amazon goes to the mall

- Show: [The Robot Report Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast)
- Published: 2020-08-12
- Length: 1h 27m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-08-12-veo-on-manufacturing-challenges-tele-operating-spot-amazon-goes-to-the-mall
- Listen: https://soundcloud.com/robot-report-podcast/veo-on-manufacturing-challenges-tele-operating-spot-amazon-goes-to-the-mall

## Summary

Patrick Sobalvarro, CEO of Veo Robotics, explains how their software and sensor technology enables industrial robots to work collaboratively with humans in final assembly, addressing safety certification and the shift toward reshoring. The episode also covers Amazon's strategy of converting vacant mall space into micro-fulfillment centers, iRobot's tariff relief, and a Starship delivery robot incident. Finally, Jeff Linnell, founder of Formant, discusses the teleoperation of Boston Dynamics' Spot robot and the importance of fleet management software.

## Chapters

- [0:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-08-12-veo-on-manufacturing-challenges-tele-operating-spot-amazon-goes-to-the-mall#t=7) Introduction: Veo Robotics and Manufacturing Challenges
- [1:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-08-12-veo-on-manufacturing-challenges-tele-operating-spot-amazon-goes-to-the-mall#t=119) Patrick Sobalvarro on Veo's FreeMove and Safety Certification
- [4:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-08-12-veo-on-manufacturing-challenges-tele-operating-spot-amazon-goes-to-the-mall#t=259) Veo's Hardware/Software Balance and Robot Partnerships
- [9:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-08-12-veo-on-manufacturing-challenges-tele-operating-spot-amazon-goes-to-the-mall#t=541) Veo vs. Collaborative Robots: Payload and Reach Constraints
- [12:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-08-12-veo-on-manufacturing-challenges-tele-operating-spot-amazon-goes-to-the-mall#t=768) Veo's Application Patterns: Palletizing and Parts Presentation
- [20:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-08-12-veo-on-manufacturing-challenges-tele-operating-spot-amazon-goes-to-the-mall#t=1212) Veo's Operations During the Pandemic and Reshoring Trends
- [42:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-08-12-veo-on-manufacturing-challenges-tele-operating-spot-amazon-goes-to-the-mall#t=2526) News: Amazon Malls, iRobot Tariffs, and Starship Canal Incident
- [59:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-08-12-veo-on-manufacturing-challenges-tele-operating-spot-amazon-goes-to-the-mall#t=3549) Teleoperating Spot: Formant's Platform and User Experience
- [1:02:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-08-12-veo-on-manufacturing-challenges-tele-operating-spot-amazon-goes-to-the-mall#t=3759) Formant's Fleet Management and Analytics Capabilities
- [1:23:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-08-12-veo-on-manufacturing-challenges-tele-operating-spot-amazon-goes-to-the-mall#t=5000) Jeff Linnell on Google Robotics and Future Applications

## Topics

- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Logistics & fulfilment](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/logistics-and-fulfillment)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Veo Robotics (company)
- Boston Dynamics (company)
- Spot (product)
- Formant (company)
- Jeff Linnell (other)
- Amazon (company)
- iRobot (company)
- Roomba (product)
- Starship (company)
- Hyundai Motor Group (company)
- Motional (company)
- Waymo (company)
- Uber (company)
- Fanuc (company)
- Kuka (company)
- ABB (company)
- Yaskawa (company)
- Rethink Robotics (company)
- Clara Shih (other)
- Clara (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Why “Spot” the Mobile Robot is Made for Manufacturing with Boston Dynamics’ Michael Perry](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2021-07-13-why-spot-the-mobile-robot-is-made-for-manufacturing-with-boston-dynamics-michael) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [254: From Steel City to Robotics Powerhouse: Pittsburgh’s Industrial Legacy featuring Jay Douglass, COO of ARM Institute](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2025-09-23-254-from-steel-city-to-robotics-powerhouse-pittsburghs-industrial-legacy-featuri) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [BONUS: Leaders in Machine Vision and Robotics: Live from Boston, Pt. 1 of 2 (brought to you by A3)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2022-12-20-bonus-leaders-in-machine-vision-and-robotics-live-from-boston-pt-1-of-2-brought) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [BONUS: Leaders in Machine Vision and Robotics: Live from Boston, Pt. 2 of 2 (brought to you by A3)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2022-12-23-bonus-leaders-in-machine-vision-and-robotics-live-from-boston-pt-2-of-2-brought) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [All Things Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) with Seegrid's Jeff Christensen](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2021-06-01-all-things-autonomous-mobile-robots-amrs-with-seegrids-jeff-christensen) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)

## Citing this page

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