Cobionic: Advancements in Medical and Industrial Robotics

Introduction

• Guest Speaker: Neema Zamani, Co-founder and CTO of Cobionic
• Host: Jay Myers, CEO of Engine
• Platform: Podcast

Background

• Founders: Neema Zamani and Tem Blell, friends since undergrad for 15-16 years
• Inception: Always had multiple ideas but timing was off until COVID
• COVID Pivot: Focused initially on vaccination challenges during COVID

Early Projects

• Problem Identification: Difficulty for medical professionals to manage vaccinations
• Solution: Use AI and Robotics for a needleless vaccination system
• Outcome: Gained media attention and funding (BBC, Bloomberg, Fast Company)

Shift to New Focus Areas

• Current Focus: Medical collaborative robots, particularly ultrasound
• Robot Features: Medical-grade with advanced control systems, servos, motion technology, and multiple sensors (10 cameras)
• Market Position: One of three companies in the world making medical collaborative robots (other two: Kuka, Kinobo)

Vision and Technology

• Vision: Integrate AI and Robotics to revolutionize medical and industrial tasks
• Challenges with Robotics: AI as a limiting factor; importance of decision-making in chaotic, everyday environments
• **Technological Convergence: **
  • Computational power: Low-cost, powerful edge computing enabling autonomous decisions
  • Reduced Costs: Sensors and actuators are cheaper and more advanced
  • AI advancements: Improved machine learning and data analytics

Industrial Applications

• Non-Medical Uses: Material Science projects with graphene production (Universal Matter)
• Smart Lab Integration: Robots assisting in material testing and data collection
• Benefits: Increased innovation, reduced labor costs, and enhanced data analytics and AI optimization

Regulatory and Safety Challenges

• Medical Standards: Rigorous tests and safety standards (IC 60601)
• Speed and Human Interaction: Design considerations for robots operating around humans
• Regulations in AI: Current lack of comprehensive regulations; future regulatory challenges expected

Ethical and Social Considerations

• Bias in AI: Importance of continuous feedback loops, monitoring, and minimizing biases
• Data Challenges: Lack of labeled, quality data especially in medical fields
• Future Focus: On refining data for better AI development

Community Engagement

• Indigenous Communities: Collaborative project with University of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Institute of Technology
• Goals: Improve healthcare access, provide AI and Robotics training, and ensure that no communities are left behind

Team and Growth

• Current Team Size: 10 full-time, 5 part-time (15 total)
• Hiring Challenges: Difficult to attract experienced talent willing to work for a startup; focus on training junior employees
• Funding Plans: Preparing for the next funding round to expand manufacturing and applications
• Manufacturing Vision: Keep manufacturing in Ontario, leveraging robots to solve labor issues

Future Goals

• Expansion: Place their medical collaborative robot (Codi) in multiple applications and environments
• Revenue Streams: Shorter path to revenue through non-medical and adjacent medical applications
• Ongoing Partnerships: Continue collaborations, look for new projects, and ensure commercial success

Conclusion

• Final Thoughts: The podcast ended with thanks and future aspirations to rival the Joe Rogan podcast in popularity.