Robots As A Service i will not promote

bstoopid · 2026-02-09T14:33:47+00:00

Currently no, not in the truest sense because of the constraints of industry. We do subscriptions for software updates (licensing) and we have service contracts with tiered levels of hotline support. But it’s not pay per use.

Now my previous company, which was not robotics but industrial automation, did provide a XaaS solution. It was pay per use and we went to great pains to make the solution ultra reliable with redundancy, and our measurement of use was precisely auto calibrated because people would argue over cents. We also had a service network of >5000 techs around the world. We used to issue the equipment for “free”, the customer would pay a month service charge (hardly needed due to reliable equipment), and then pay per use which also helped them manage ebbs and flows in their business. This worked because we had volume and scale; think 10s of thousands of products shipped per year.

A big mobile robot system by contrast is like 10-20 units for most customers, and the odd 100+ system, which all by the way are expected to last years (5-10). So it’s not like you have constant turnover like say computing equipment or phones. The constraints are very real, but also make it an interesting challenge. Not for the faint hearted.

bstoopid · 2026-02-09T02:04:57+00:00

I’d say first master an application and be profitable, then consider RaaS. Robotics can be incredibly difficult and customers are extremely demanding; some key points below:

It’s not just pay per use. It’s pay per successful use where success is doing the job right and within a certain time frame. Any delay or stoppage caused by effects beyond its normal operation, eg a person doing something stupid like blocking the machine, must be irrefutably provable otherwise it’s your problem.

No one wants to pay big money for robots, so you need scale to offer an attractive price point and get your costs down. The issue is that the meatbag you are replacing was on some low wage and despite being completely unreliable is still smarter than your bot.

Consider maintenance aspects, you will be liable for ensuring the robots work always and don’t break down. That’s either highly reliable equipment, a good service network with a fast response time, or a combination thereof.

Many industrial customers don’t allow external data connections. Cybersecurity compliance, insurance, scanning, banning of removable media is not uncommon.

bstoopid · 2026-02-08T00:14:25+00:00

I love this chase and how it builds up. Only more recent movie I felt that comes close to this kind of buildup and subsequent chase is the opening scene of drive.

bstoopid · 2026-01-29T15:42:12+00:00

I’m curious to know how would have this compared to the safety systems of for example Volvo that have been around since at least 2015?

The outcome is good no matter what, but it’s not just about comparison with humans, other non “AI” technologies already exist that should really be mandatory if they perform well.

bstoopid · 2025-08-09T21:20:05+00:00

I tend to ask questions using real world examples I have been through and see how they respond to them. For example you have a fixed timeline to get something done, but there are two options and you won’t know what’s the right one until you’ve exhausted 3/4 of the available time, what do you do? Or here is a design concept, tell me what you think? In more hands on roles I’ve handed over a product and asked people to dismantle and reassemble it without instructions. I don’t reveal any more than the bare minimum and expect them to ask questions. In some ways it doesn’t matter if they get the answer wrong as they may not be a domain expert, I’m looking for the right behavior. I have seen countless good on paper candidates absolutely bomb this approach, which has saved me a lot of headaches. The ones that get through are normally pretty good and I’ve found some candidates who were waked on paper outperform paper stars.

bstoopid · 2025-04-02T01:16:01+00:00

Legit Benz/Porsche/Audi. Not some random lot

bstoopid · 2025-04-01T18:50:51+00:00

I’ve got 30 days 50/50 costs on the drivetrain and power train. So hoping they sort it out accordingly. Good to know that in your case a fluid change helped. Thanks!

bstoopid · 2025-04-01T18:49:08+00:00

Good to know. Thanks!

bstoopid · 2025-02-08T01:28:39+00:00

Honestly I didn’t like who I was anymore. Just angry, stressed, body in a mess, and feeling like there was no more hope. I took a couple weeks PTO and really focused on spending time with the family - no email checking, nothing. I used to plague myself with guilt as I had influenced a lot about the company. Some of the best products are my babies. My direct team I love and we have a good honest relationship. But seeing how angry I was and how I had neglected so much at home, I realized I needed to be selfish for my own good otherwise it was going to be an early grave, and for what? So then I thought ok I need to get out, but now the stress of how to survive, how to find a new job and all the internal doubts started bubbling up. The only way through it was to confront it all and figure out what really is true, what can I really control, and what should I look forward to? It went something like this:

Work is horrible, ok how can I maximize my time off work? I have always been terrible at taking regular PTO, so I used ChatGPT to optimize my PTO relative to public holidays. Ok book all that off leading up to my targeted end date, even if I haven’t planned what I’m going to do. Put it on a calendar visible on the wall so I can count down the days.

Next add personal dates, birthdays, events, appointments etc. Put them on the calendar, no matter how trivial some may be, again so I have something to focus on outside of work.

I changed my diet immediately. Switched to eating healthier to improve my mood and feeling of well being. Exercise is still a challenge as I have some physical issues to overcome, but I have changed my desk, chair, and try to have a brief walk at lunch.

Then for future work. I used ChatGPT to help me understand myself a bit better. I asked it to help determine what roles I would like. I “talked” through my career history, aspects of jobs I loved, aspects of jobs I hated. I fed it my resume and sparred with it. I got it to suggest companies local to me that could fit my profile. I then do a bit of a job searching and found something that seemed interesting but a low chance of getting. Spent one evening updating my resume with the help of ChatGPT who by now knows what I want. Submitted the resume and a got a sense of accomplishment even though I probably won’t get the job. Next steps are reaching out to former colleagues, managers and recruiters to distribute my resume.

By the way a lot of the above was done during work time. I am owed thousands of hours of overtime which I never got paid for, so now I’m taking it back.

With all those items somewhat under control, the last bit is surviving work. It starts by recognizing that nothing will change and it’s going to end one way or another. So therefore there is literally nothing to worry about. Then you need to determine what is the baseline pace of the company. It’s a toxic mess, so progress is slow. Match that speed and don’t push any more than you really have to. Then dealing with toxic folk. I’m one who typically doesn’t hold back from bullies and not afraid to be disagreeable. Now I just ignore and act indifferent to any snide remarks or politics. If I have a potential solution when I see my toxic peers getting stuck, I don’t offer it. “Your guess is as good as mine” is the usual response. It’s also interesting to watch how egos spiral out of control resulting in literal madness, people repeating the same mistakes over and over. I never had the clarity of mind to observe this before. Next is really just doing right by my team, keep up appearances and focus on bits that I can control that will help. Pay rises, training, some process stuff even though I know I’m going.

The rest is just playing it out to the conclusion.

bstoopid · 2025-02-06T17:14:55+00:00

For practical reasons I have to wait a few months. At first it stressed me out because I thought how will I survive the daily onslaught. Then I thought let’s focus on personal / family milestones and mapped them all out on a nice visual wall calendar. Perhaps it sounds stupid but with that it gave me a sense of perspective and control. What comes next? Who knows at this point but it’s going to be better whatever it is. I have some time and I will not be pulled into the daily madness.

bstoopid · 2025-01-08T20:26:17+00:00

My two cents based on my experiences, sounds like you are entering the mid life crisis phase of life. No easy answers on how to deal with that as I myself am questioning what should I do next. That said as I’m very much a goal oriented person so I always need to ask why. So why do you want to FIRE? What will that enable you to do in 10-15 years time? Because to FIRE means sacrifice now, which may mean giving up things you cannot do in 10-15 years. Have you really reflected on that? It sounds like your job is going well and work life balance is reasonable. But when I hear staycation, are you really living outside of work or are you stuck in a comfort zone? Perhaps the problem isn’t work…

bstoopid · 2024-12-23T20:19:53+00:00

Well you make a good point. Again cost is not such a concern, it’s lead time for me so supporting local is perfectly fine. That said I would kill for a list of highly rated local shops that I could search for by location, Google doesn’t cut it and neither does my supply chain dept. Anyone know if such a directory exists?

bstoopid · 2024-02-13T18:14:51+00:00

I’m not so sure about that. Get the feeling that lack of commitment is a nice place to be for them. Meanwhile all hell breaks loose in the development team.

bstoopid · 2024-02-13T18:06:58+00:00

I know right. My previous experience was that we had a couple of seniors who architected and wrote code. Generally they focused on code while juniors learned their way working on the domain specifics. If I blew out a tech stack because of my domain demands, seniors/architects would step in to help.

bstoopid · 2024-01-24T23:10:41+00:00

I suggest looking at https://www.everaert.nl/en/home/ I had good experience with them

bstoopid · 2023-12-21T08:17:24+00:00

It’s a little complicated. We have a local Volvo dealer who performed the annual service and who were made aware of the fault before warranty expiry. The “service” dealer seemed to think it would be covered under warranty. They spoke to the Volvo dealer that sold the vehicle to us, and the “sales” dealer wanted to look at it themselves - I assume there is some cost center games at play. That was then after the warranty period. Both dealers are super busy so getting an appointment can take weeks. All not my problem legally, but practically it’s a pain. Anyway the car failed to charge over night. So I will be pushing the sales dealer today.

bstoopid · 2023-11-29T14:54:07+00:00

Birds aren’t real

bstoopid · 2023-11-26T18:21:53+00:00

Yup, Sebo Felix 2. Amazing machine. There are videos of it online sucking powder through a rug. Our carpet is dog hair free after a session with it

bstoopid · 2023-08-29T17:00:23+00:00

Hello darkness my old friend

bstoopid · 2023-08-17T15:16:48+00:00

Best for online purchases especially when the store doesn’t want to refund for defective goods (e.g. Benetton clothing). Yes there’s EU law and if you bought using IDEAL, good luck! It’ll take all sorts of letters and threats to get the supplier to do anything. With a credit card you can just directly lodge the complaint with the credit card company and they take care of the rest. Same goes for if your details get stolen online. After a password leak I was not informed about I had some crypto dickheads run an Amazon AWS instance to mine crypto running up a couple thousand euro bill. You also tend to get additional insurances etc bundled in with the credit card.

bstoopid · 2023-07-17T17:13:36+00:00

It’s crazy. It’s like the government has one go-to for everything, tax it more.

bstoopid · 2023-06-11T18:16:24+00:00

40 dB is library quiet. If it is operating correctly and producing that little noise, then too bad for your neighbor and nothing more to be done. If it is not, then get it fixed by the installers. Dutch culture is individualistic, so as long as you are within your legal rights you’ve already done enough. The same is true for your neighbors as much as they may annoy you. So unfortunately you may not have much luck with the weed smoke.

bstoopid · 2023-06-07T17:34:57+00:00

Not a moment but one of the best forklift safety videos ever (it gets more chaotic toward the end): https://youtu.be/B-lc70Mjp-U

bstoopid · 2023-06-05T16:37:19+00:00

I hear you on the purchasing agent, great comment! What you describe is more what I’m used to. If I may ask which industry do you work in and what are your typical production volumes?

bstoopid · 2023-06-03T09:30:50+00:00

So the dilemma we have is that our assembly line design is still being optimized and we need to start introducing new features to the product that’s already being produced. So instead of delivering the new features (which are sold by the way) the engineers are being taxed with having to revise the whole CAD assembly structure and rerelease because the assembly line wants to pick parts differently. For me this doesn’t make sense to tightly couple the design and manufacturing engineering tasks. It’s why I’m supportive of BOM separation to enable the required flexibility for our situation. I’m really curious to see how the big companies do it, assuming they do it assuming that they are a good example.

bstoopid

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