Yasmin Cofan with PAL Robotics

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Industrial Talk, IoT solutions, Barcelona conference, Yasmin Cofan, PAL Robotics, retail solution, stockbot technology, RFID tracking, mobile robots, humanoid robots, collaborative projects, European projects, robot compliance, future of robots, hospitality robots

00:00

Scott, welcome to the Industrial Talk Podcast with Scott. MacKenzie. Scott is a passionate industry professional dedicated to transferring cutting edge industry focused innovations and trends while highlighting the men and women who keep the world moving. So put on your hard hat, grab your work boots, and let's

00:21

go all right once again. Thank you very much for joining Industrial Talk, and thank you very much for your continued support of the number one industrial related podcast in the universe, and it celebrates you industrial professionals all around the world. You are bold, you are brave, you dare greatly, you innovate, you collaborate, you solve problems, and therefore you're making the world a better place. We are broadcasting on site here in Barcelona, Spain. IoT solutions, World Congress is the event. This is a must attend event if you're not here in 24 and you need to be here in 25 that's just the way the math works out. All right, we have one individual by the name of Yasmin in the hot seat. How robotics is the company we're going to be talking about robots. How about that? That's it's in the name. So let's get cracking. How you doing, Yasmin?

01:12

I'm good. Thank you for having me. Thank

01:14

you for being flexible. She was scheduled at one time. I told her she couldn't have that interview, and she moved on, and she came back in. Half hour later, she was very, kind super, kind of, super flexible. You having a good conference?

01:26

Yeah, it's actually my first day here. I'm only attending one day. The rest of the team has been here for the entire event, but today is my only full day. So, yeah,

01:37

your robot, by the way, in front is wearing a hole in the carpet, yeah, circling it around

01:44

and around, yeah, whenever. Mobile basis, that's

01:48

pretty good. All right, for the listeners, before we get into the conversation about what PAL does, give us a little background on who Yasmin is.

01:56

So I'm actually from Brazil. I've been working at PAL for two years I'm in the marketing department, so, yeah, less technical, although I can get a bit technical. And, yeah, I've been living in Barcelona now for some more years, about like four years. Get my studies here, and I love Barcelona. Oh, yeah,

02:20

what's not there to lie. I mean, I

02:21

Yeah.

02:22

I mean, come on. I

02:23

mean, weather, food. Weather is

02:25

off the charts. It's really good. I really enjoyed. I the food. Yeah, yeah. I heard that that you're not supposed to eat paella for dinner. It's only a lunchtime things. So Don't, don't do that if you want to look like that's good, yeah, it's lunchtime dinner. Take us through a little bit about PAL. That's PAL robotics. What's that company all about?

02:54

So, brief context, we're based in Barcelona. Here in Barcelona, we manufacture and design everything here, from our offices here in Barcelona, and we also have offices in France and Italy now, and this year that it's actually our 20th anniversary. So we've been around yet since 2004 the company actually started with the first humanoid biped of Europe, one of our CEOs and a group of other engineers, they made the first biped humanist to actually play chess,

03:29

yeah. So they've been in the robotics business for a while, yeah. So they've seen a lot of changes,

03:34

yeah. And the company here at IoT, representing more of our retail solution, which is stockbot, but the company itself, we have a range of different robots. So we have three different business units, being intra logistics, mobile interaction, as well as select. So it goes from the more commercial applications, which here in IoT, we have a booth that's kind of a simulation of a store environment, and stockbot, which is our retail solution, stock, yes, it's in the name. It counts stock, yeah. So it uses RFID technology. It can count stock, so it can also track where. It can map out your store setting and actually tell you the most profitable areas as well, if, if the item is misplaced or missing, and it can identify if it's in the front of the store, in the back of the store. So there's no confusion between if an item, you think an item is here and it's actually not. It's able to identify if it's in the store, in the back of the store.

04:39

How quickly can you deploy these bots that particular case to get it up and running to to begin achieving the benefits? Yeah,

04:48

one day installation, it's pretty autonomous, so you don't have to rearrange the store or anything. It has sensors, and it can work while the store is open, so with people around. Or even other robots around as well. Yeah, and it's pretty quick. We do worldwide. So one of our main clients is actually decaton. It uses in several stores worldwide. But yeah, we do everything from here and from we give some support from friends as well.

05:16

And it's fully the PAL is fully integrated, meaning you design, you manufacture, you Yeah, you do it all within the organization, yeah.

05:26

So the company is like almost 90% engineers, so it's really technology oriented and robotics oriented, and, yeah, the other business units are even more technology oriented because it's more research based. We do a lot of research as well as we as well as we take the opportunity of European projects to develop new robots. So one of our bases that are that's in the booth, one of them was developed through an European project in the fruit food processing industry. So yeah, compared to the other basis, it's a bit more resistant, and it's also for these types of scenarios and or warehouses just to enter logistics tests, tasks to take items from point A and point B. And we also have the software side of it that is integrated with our robots and easy to use. So yeah, you can map out the store as well as the warehouse or whatever the setting is, and you can set zones of interest or prohibited areas where you don't want the robot to go, or where you do want the robot to go, or like the preferred path as well. And yeah, it's pretty intuitive. Wow.

06:42

How many people work for PAL?

06:45

It's around 100 people right now. All of that with 100 Yeah, it's growing pretty quickly, though, yeah,

06:50

because I just think of all of the the requirements, yeah, that exist and trying to commercialize and putting it into commercial operation. Yeah,

07:02

there are some more industrial side. There's more somewhere in challenges like our most commercial robot is stockbot, so it's fully deployed, ready for commercial use, and now our bases are some are has had they have a CE marking, but others don't. So also, like, that's one of the challenges, actually, like the certification process and making sure we're complying to everything.

07:30

So there, there's a compliance body that you need to make sure that your robots are compliant. Some

07:38

like, standards,

07:40

yeah, the standards, yeah, I didn't know that.

07:43

I mean, yeah, like, maybe for the more commercial applications and like, for actually deploying it, and more depending on the setting as well. It's Wow.

07:54

So take us through some a what if the future looks like? What? What are we where are we going with robots? I mean, this is more of a not just about PAL, but just macro wise, yeah, what do we see that's happening with robots? Yeah,

08:11

it's a lot of advances now, like a lot of humanoids coming up as well. What I do like about power Alerts is, like the values, because it's robotics to help humans. So it's not Yeah, it's to enhance quality of life. And I yeah, that's something actually you value, and I agree with in different scenarios, even from healthcare to Ambit assisted living. So like helping elderly, I think there'll be, yeah, the deployments there. I think it will be something, I think it's something that's growing, and they will be valuable as well.

08:48

See, what always fascinates me about these conversations is the fact that one, they're here, they're there, and they're providing value, and they're adding, you know, just some real strategic benefits. And we're still, from my perspective, still at the beginning of, although the company's been around for 20 years, right? It's still, you've seen such an evolution to where it's where are we going with it? And I just think that it's just going to be more and more. It's just going to be just something, like our cell phone. It's just just a part of life. Yeah,

09:33

I think so too. Like, as it increases, even for less complex applications, like, like, for delivery tests, yeah, inside a restaurant, even if it's something that's easy to do and like, you can free up some time from your employees, yeah, I think that's why not. Yeah. I

09:56

mean really it. Why not? Yeah, yeah.

09:59

There are robots specialized just for that. Like to deliver plates and restaurants. Like, yeah, hospitality, wow,

10:07

yeah. I see a lot of application in the hospitality. Yeah, you're right about that.

10:12

I even like to attract people. Like, it's a robot after like, it also the social side of it.

10:20

Keep the food good, but I have no problem delivering it by the robot. That'd be just some that's a talking point in a big, big way. So with that said, where do you see PAL going? What's What's that? What's that future look like for you guys? Yeah,

10:38

we're heading more towards, first, growing a lot in technology, as well as in people in offices. That's cool, yeah, as well as entering it and exploring different applications and collaborative projects, European collaborative projects always, we're always open. You

11:01

guys are at the I just think this is so exciting. Your booth is very cool, even though that one robot's wearing a hole in the carpet, but it's a perfect circle. Yeah, Jasmine, how did people get a hold of you if they want to talk

11:15

to you about me on LinkedIn. Yasmin, got fun.

11:18

How do you spell the last name? C,

11:20

O, F, A, N, Yasmin with a, y, yep,

11:27

Y, A, S, M, I N, yes.

11:29

There it is. Thank you. Yeah, no,

11:32

thank you. That was an excellent conversation. All right, listeners, we're gonna have her contact information out on Industrial Talk. Reach out, find out more about robotics. Let's just put it this way. It's the time to know, time to know about these robots, and why not connect with the company that's been around for 20 years and Yasmin, and just figure it out. Gotta you gotta be a part of it. All right? We're broadcasting from IoT Solutions World Congress. We are having a grand time. It is a wonderful event, and it's a collection of problem solvers. I say it all the time. Put this on your calendar for next year, you will not be disappointed. All right, we're gonna wrap it up on the other side. Stay tuned. We will be right back.

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You're listening to the Industrial Talk Podcast Network.

12:21

Yazma. Is her name, PAL Robotics, P, A, L, robotics. And whether you like it or not, it's happening, the only thing you can do, the only thing you can do is educate. You gotta, you gotta dig deep and educate as much as you possibly can reach out with, and, of course, collaborate and reach out to those individuals that can definitely help you and have that conversation you can't ignore it. No head in sand by any means. IoT solutions, World Congress was the event. It was also the Barcelona Cyber Security Council as well excellent events. And and 25 is right around the corner, so you need to put that on your calendar. You need to at least investigate why that is a great, great event for you and your business. Make it happen. And it's in Barcelona who can complain about that. All right. Industrial Talk is here for you. You have a podcast, you have technology. You want to be on the podcast, just go out to Industrial Talk.com reach out, have a conversation. Let's let's see what we can do. So be bold, be brave. There greatly. Hang out with Yasmin, and you will change the world. We're gonna have another great conversation. In short.