Applying new technologies to improve the manufacturing process guarantees quality, profitability, and lower cost. However, many Internet of Things devices and systems still lack automation when it comes to the manufacturing process, with human intervention still being key. And IoT startups often don’t realize how fast they will grow and scale – this is when close relationships with a network of specialist manufacturers become a necessity.
With robotics, everything is made with highly sensitive silicon, high-tech, and hardware that needs close human intervention to review prototypes. This learning curve is sothat our process will never be converted to lights-out manufacturing – and other IoT companies should not feel the pressure to do so either.
Last year, we designed, prototyped, and manufactured our next-generation robot in less than seven months during the pandemic, with team members across Taipei, Medellin, and Shenzhen, China, with thirteen hours of time difference. Once, Nvidia AGX, the brain for the robot, was out of stock while we still had 400 robots to build. The key trick was to leverage a network of manufacturers and not just rely on one. Kiwibot doesn’t need a lot of parts, so we can’t work with big manufacturers due to quantity and the particular sensors and boards we use. This is one of the common pain points for businesses as many are small-scale and can’t afford the high prices of manufacturers.