Iván Hernández Dalas: Robots, mergers and acquitions with Peter Finn

In Episode 214 of The Robot Report Podcast, hosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman recap the major robotics news of the week.

headshot of peter finn.

Peter Finn, a Managing Director at Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL)

In this episode, we reconnect with Peter Finn, Managing Director at BGL, to explore the evolving landscape of industrial technology, robotics, and AI.

Peter shares insights on market trends post-COVID, the challenges and opportunities in the robotics sector, and the critical role of AI in shaping the future.

We delve into the dynamics of mergers and acquisitions, the potential of humanoid robotics, and the importance of adaptability in today’s fast-paced technological environment. Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on navigating the future of industrial innovation.

Show timeline

  • 07:58 – News of the week
  • 28:06 – Conversation with Peter Finn, Managing Director at BGL

News of the week

Tariff document open for comment from A3

In a post by Jeff Burnstein on LinkedIn, the US has opened a national security investigation into Imports of medical devices, Robotics, and Industrial Machinery. The government said it’s doing this to lessen reliance on overseas supply chains.

There’s a 21-day deadline for public comments.

The A3 – Association for Advancing Automation is working on its response, and Jeff is encouraging the industry to share its thoughts.

Jeff asks the question: if significant new tariffs are imposed on all imported robots, will this impact US efforts to reshore manufacturing?

AdvaMed, the trade group that represents medical technology and device makers, stressed in a statement Thursday that 70% of medical products in U.S. hospitals are already “made in America across thousands of manufacturing facilities in all 50 states.”

It’s essentially the exact opposite for robotics. Most industrial robots used in the US are imported from other countries.

Be sure to read this article published earlier today featuring several industry experts’ opinions on the tariff situation.

IEEE study group publishes framework for humanoid standards

The IEEE Humanoid Study Group published the final version of its findings earlier this week. The mission was to establish a framework for developing standards for humanoid robots. ​

  1. Classification: Developing a clear taxonomy to define humanoid robots, their physical capabilities, behavioral complexity, application domains, and humanoid-specific traits. ​ This classification serves as the foundation for identifying applicable standards and addressing gaps. ​
  2. Stability: Creating quantifiable stability metrics, test methods, and safety standards tailored to actively balancing robots. ​ This includes addressing dynamic balance, fall-response behaviors, and predictive risk modeling.
  3. Human-Robot Interaction (HRI): Establishing guidelines for safe and trustworthy interactions between humanoid robots and humans, including collaborative task safety, interpretable behavior, and user training to manage risks and perceptions.

One of the more fascinating, thought-provoking, and heavily debated sections of the document was the “Classification of the Humanoid Robots.” This section generated a lot of debate about the definition of the various category levels. In the end, the team arrived at a well-thought-out methodology to characterize the systems.

Prather expects it will take another 18 to 36 months for the standards development work to be completed and the ratified standards to be published.

You can download a full copy of the report here.

Drone startup Guardian Agriculture shuts down

Guardian Agriculture, a Woburn, Mass.-based startup developing large drones for aerial spraying, recently shut down after failing to secure additional funding. The company ceased operations in late August 2025 following a round of layoffs earlier in the summer.

Founded in 2017, Guardian Agriculture captured the attention of the agtech and robotics sectors with its SC1, a fully autonomous quadcopter designed for crop spraying. The SC1 weighed roughly 600 lb. (272.1 kg), could carry up to 200 lb. (90.7 kg) of fertilizer or pesticides, and was capable of covering 60 acres per hour, the company said.

Equipped with four 80-in. (203.2 cm) propellers, a 20-gal. (75.7 L) tank, and an 18-ft. (5.4 m) spray boom, the drone was described by one source as being “about the size of a small SUV.”

Despite the technical ambition, Guardian struggled to commercialize its technology. According to a source familiar with the business, the company had just one paying customer at the time of shutdown. MIT News recently said Guardian had built eight units of the SC1 as of June 2025, which were delivering payloads over California farms in trials with paying customers. 

The Robot Report obtained an internal email that Guardian Agriculture CEO Ashley Ferguson sent to employees on Aug. 22 to announce the shutdown:

The Robot Report reached out to Fall Line Capital, which is managing the wind-down process, but did not hear back. According to Crunchbase, Guardian Agriculture raised $51.7 million over five rounds of funding. This included a $20 million Series A that Fall Line Capital led in mid-2023.

Catch the latest on humanoid and surgical robotic development at RoboBusiness 2025. Join Deepu Talla, vice president of robotics and edge AI at NVIDIA, for a keynote titled “Physical AI for the New Era of Robotics.”

SITE AD for the 2025 RoboBusiness registration open.

The post Robots, mergers and acquitions with Peter Finn appeared first on The Robot Report.



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