I'm just back from a quick trip to Orlando where the decision makers of the North American robotics industry gathered under the umbrella of the Robotic Industries Association (RIA). Here are 10 facts that I found particularly interesting among all the keynotes, presentations and discussions heard at the 2012 Robotics Industry Forum.    

1. GM wants ROS Industrial in their assembly plants

Who said that: Dana K. Komin, Director, Global Automation Strategy & Execution at GM
Well, she wants ROS Industrial or any other robotic system that offer the features to automate what is not automated yet in their plants. After Shaun Edwards' (SwRI) presentation on the integration of ROS on industrial robots, Dana said that she needs some capabilities of ROS to get robots out of the body shop and onto the assembly line. One example is the sensor fusion for flexible manipulation in unstructured settings. This is pretty much aligned with a presentation from another GM robotics staff that I've discussed not so long ago.