# Tertill CEO Helen Greiner; Can Aurora catch Waymo?

- Show: [The Robot Report Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast)
- Published: 2021-02-12
- Length: 48m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-02-12-tertill-ceo-helen-greiner-can-aurora-catch-waymo
- Listen: https://soundcloud.com/robot-report-podcast/tertill-ceo-helen-greiner-can-aurora-catch-waymo

## Summary

Helen Greiner, CEO of Tertill, discusses scaling her Boston-based gardening robotics startup, drawing on her experience co-founding iRobot and CyPhy Works. She explains how Tertill’s robot uses capacitive sensing and scrubbing wheels to prevent weeds from growing, targeting the $349 consumer market while avoiding the complexity of vision-based systems in muddy conditions. Greiner also reflects on the regulatory hurdles faced by her previous drone company, CyPhy Works, and shares her optimistic outlook on the future of drone delivery and autonomous vehicles like Aurora and Waymo.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-02-12-tertill-ceo-helen-greiner-can-aurora-catch-waymo#t=0) Introduction: Helen Greiner and Tertill
- [2:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-02-12-tertill-ceo-helen-greiner-can-aurora-catch-waymo#t=154) Tertill Product Design and Weed Management Strategy
- [8:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-02-12-tertill-ceo-helen-greiner-can-aurora-catch-waymo#t=522) Sensing Technology and Sensor Fusion
- [11:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-02-12-tertill-ceo-helen-greiner-can-aurora-catch-waymo#t=701) Pricing, Market Positioning, and STEM Education
- [16:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-02-12-tertill-ceo-helen-greiner-can-aurora-catch-waymo#t=992) Outdoor Navigation Challenges and Market Expansion
- [22:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-02-12-tertill-ceo-helen-greiner-can-aurora-catch-waymo#t=1355) Lessons from iRobot and CyPhy Works
- [25:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-02-12-tertill-ceo-helen-greiner-can-aurora-catch-waymo#t=1515) Drone Regulations and Future of Delivery
- [30:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-02-12-tertill-ceo-helen-greiner-can-aurora-catch-waymo#t=1803) CyPhy Works History and Pentagon Advisory Role
- [34:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-02-12-tertill-ceo-helen-greiner-can-aurora-catch-waymo#t=2044) Industry Trends: Robotics and Agriculture
- [37:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-02-12-tertill-ceo-helen-greiner-can-aurora-catch-waymo#t=2259) Tertill Roadmap and Manufacturing
- [39:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-02-12-tertill-ceo-helen-greiner-can-aurora-catch-waymo#t=2376) News: Aurora, Waymo, and ROS 2 Drivers

## Topics

- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies, large enterprises

## Mentioned

- Tertill (product)
- iRobot (company)
- Roomba (product)
- CyPhy Works (company)
- Husqvarna (company)
- Aurora (company)
- Waymo (company)
- Cruise (company)
- Toyota (company)
- Denso (company)
- Uber (company)
- Picnic Robotics (company)
- Universal Robots (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Divya Thakur (Founder, Yardbot)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-05-06-divya-thakur-founder-yardbot) (Just Gonna Send It)
- [Episode 158: Autonomous robot deliveries - Ahti Heinla](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-05-29-episode-158-autonomous-robot-deliveries-ahti-heinla) (Robot Talk)
- [An Interview with Chris Osterwood](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-01-14-an-interview-with-chris-osterwood) (The Amp Hour)
- [When trucks drive themselves with Chris Urmson of Aurora](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-07-20-when-trucks-drive-themselves-with-chris-urmson-of-aurora) (How I Built This)
- [Ep. 20 | Dr. Aaron Edsinger, CEO & Co-founder of Hello Robot and Former Head of Robotics at Google on Humanity in Robots](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-03-18-ep-20-dr-aaron-edsinger-ceo-co-founder-of-hello-robot-and-former-head-of-robotic) (Moore's Lobby)

## Citing this page

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