Today, we took the streetcar all the way to KUKA. I think this will probably be the most interesting company we visit because of how different it is. They are really the backbone behind many of the large car manufacturing companies we are touring. However, they do not just build robots for the automotive industry. They are involved in fields such as film, culinary arts, healthcare, and many more. My favorite robot we got to see worked alongside a surgeon, assisting during procedures. I believe there was also a way to program it so doctors could use a simulation to control it remotely, meaning they would not even have to be present to operate the machine.

While talking with our tour guide, he mentioned that he would trust a robot over a human when it came to surgery. I thought this was a really interesting perspective, especially for someone around his age, probably about 60 if I had to guess. Older generations are often seen as less trusting of technology, but his many years working in the field clearly changed his perspective on the topic.

We had a couple of guest speakers talk to us while at KUKA. The first speaker was knowledgeable about the company as a whole, while the second provided a more detailed perspective, especially regarding customer relations. They even put on a presentation for us using the robots KUKA makes, which was very cool to see. The first speaker also showed us KUKA’s own artificial intelligence technology that was designed specifically for the company. I was unable to interact with it and ask questions like I had hoped, but some other people were able to ask it basic questions. You could tell it was very knowledgeable about whatever topic was brought up.

The most interesting thing I heard from the second guest speaker concerned customer relations. He mentioned how KUKA works with both Ford and Tesla and explained how different the two companies are to work with. He described Tesla as extremely urgent whenever they need a new product or an update on a machine. According to him, by the time Tesla asks for something, you are already late. Ford, on the other hand, operates very differently. They typically request something needed within a week or two, giving KUKA enough time to prepare and deliver the product by the deadline.

To end the day, we all met up with some of the master’s students who will be studying at Pitt next semester. We went over to the student dorms where they were living and had a great night bonding and getting to know each other better. It was nice to see both the American and German students connect, while also giving the American students a chance to grow closer as a group.