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“CERTAIN PRODUCTS…shift the way we look at technology,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s boss, as he unveiled the tech giant’s latest gadget on June 5th. The Vision Pro, a headset for virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR in the lingo), whose development has been rumoured for years, will be available early next year. With more than 5,000 patents, Apple dubbed the sleek glass goggles “the most ambitious product we’ve ever created”.It may also turn out to be one of their lowest-selling. The company had reportedly hoped to shift some 3m units in the first year. But expectations have been scaled back; some analysts now expect Apple to ship fewer than 200,000 units in 12 months, an order of magnitude less than any other big product launch. The Vision Pro’s first iteration may be a commercial flop. Yet it is also the first step on the way to something that Apple hopes will be much bigger.The tech, which Apple has yet to let the public get its hands on, looks impressive. Unlike other headsets, which tend to require hand-held controllers, the Vision Pro is controlled by hand gestures, voice commands and eye movements. It tracks eyes like a mouse, and recognises irises in lieu of a password. It is a “pass-through” device, which uses front-mounted cameras to show the user a video view of the world around them. And to make them appear more normal to others, it projects a video image of their eyes onto the front of the glass. (An Apple ad shows a man making his children breakfast while wearing it, something you would struggle to do with most headsets.)The chief reason for the projected low sales is the price. At $3,499, the device is more than three times as expensive as Meta’s rival VR and AR headset, the Quest Pro, and more than ten times as expensive as the Quest 2, the social-media firm’s widely used VR device. Even at this price, Apple’s gadget has had to make some technical compromises. It has a clunky external battery, connected to the headset by a cable, which lasts only two hours. And though Apple’s designers have done their best to make it as sleek as possible, it is still an awkward thing to strap to your face.Such challenges have forced many competitors to rethink their involvement in virtual and augmented realities. Meta seems to be scaling back its enthusiasm, following investors’ complaints about its spending and, reportedly, weak sales of the Quest Pro despite a steep price cut since its launch in October. Microsoft, a software giant, has put on hold the idea of making another HoloLens, an AR device that is mainly used by corporate clients. Snap, another social-media firm, seems in no hurry to bring out a new version of its AR Spectacles. Tencent, a Chinese digital titan, abandoned its VR hardware plans in February.It isn’t unusual for new products to take time to take off. Apple’s past hits mostly took several years before they really caught on (see chart 1). Sales of the Apple Watch were low until people decided that its key use was for monitoring their health. The iPhone didn’t really take off until its fourth generation, in 2010, by which time the App Store was populated with thousands of apps that made people realise what the phone could do. Discovering more use cases for the iPhone also helped to justify its price. The device was considered ludicrously expensive when it launched at up to $599; these days a top model costs $1,599, a price people are willing to pay because it can do so much. Perhaps Apple can normalise paying thousands of dollars for a pair of glasses in the same way.Still, the Vision Pro is launching at a particularly early stage. Rather than a true consumer product, it is more like an “expensive developer kit”, says one maker of AR components. Releasing a developer-oriented product at this stage is a “new frontier” for Apple, says George Jijiashvili of Omdia, a firm of analysts. There are two reasons for it wanting to get the product out early. One is competitive pressure, chiefly from Meta, which despite retrenching a little has been on a hiring and acquiring spree in its aim to make the “metaverse” into reality. As well as hoovering up talent, Meta has been recruiting users. Already about 10% of Americans use a VR headset at least once a month, according to Insider Intelligence, a data firm. Most of those sets are made by Meta, which has been flogging its Quest 2 at a loss to build up a critical mass of users. This autumn it will release the Quest 3, a pass-through device which will be far less capable than Apple’s but, at $499, a more realistic prospect for most consumers.The second reason Apple wants to get its product out is because it already has its eye on what comes next. Tech types have long speculated that it will eventually be possible to have a pair of AR glasses as thin and unobtrusive as a pair of sun shades, at which point headsets will stop being clunky things for nerds and start becoming something that normal people might wear all day. Such devices might even replace the smartphone as the next big tech platform. “I don’t think there’s a doubt in anyone’s mind that AR is the future,” says Jitesh Ubrani of IDC, another data company. Apple’s presentation characterised the Vision Pro as “the start of an entirely new platform”.Glasses half fullThe strategy is not without risk. Apple has a reputation for releasing perfect, polished products. Releasing a $3,499 device with a two-hour battery life could amount to what Steve Jobs, Mr Cook’s late predecessor, used to characterise as a “brand withdrawal”.It is also not yet clear what people will do with their devices. So far VR headsets have been used mostly for gaming: nearly 90% of VR content spending last year was on games, estimates Omdia. Meta’s Quest Pro has failed to excite professionals with its promise of in-person video conferencing and the like. Apple’s Vision Pro presentation, though characteristically slick, had nothing resembling a “killer app”. There are some exciting features, such as the ability to take 3D photos and videos, turning the device into a “nostalgia generator”, says Mr Ubrani. But most of Apple’s suggested uses for the Vision Pro seem to involve treating it as a sort of giant virtual desktop, using floating windows of Zoom chats or Excel spreadsheets, or watching a film on a giant virtual screen. None of this is anywhere near as innovative as the technology itself.Still, Apple enjoys big advantages over its rivals. It has a huge existing user base, with 2bn devices in circulation. The Vision Pro presentation showed how the headset synchronises with Apple’s other gadgets: users can do FaceTime video calls with friends on their iPhones or project a MacBook laptop screen into the headset just by looking at it. Apps for the iPhone and iPad will be compatible with the Vision Pro, meaning there will be hundreds of thousands of apps available at launch—albeit ones not optimised for the device.Apple’s strategy is also straightforward: make the best headset and charge consumers a lot of money for it, and, presumably, also charge developers a slice of their app earnings, as happens in the App Store. Although the firm seems focused on the eventual goal of AR, that is quite different from the VR-centric metaverse that Mark Zuckerberg, its boss, has talked so much about.Apple also has a trusted brand among consumers. In a survey in 2021, three times as many people said they would buy a headset from Apple as from the second-placed company, Google. Meta came sixth. It has leverage with developers, too. It will have apps from Microsoft, as well as Zoom and Webex, and a partnership with Unity. Bob Iger, Disney’s chief executive and a former friend of Jobs, made a surprise cameo in the presentation to praise Apple’s “revolutionary platform” and show off how the headset might allow audiences to watch a “Star Wars” movie before being transported in virtual reality to the planet of Tatooine, or watch 3D replays of a basketball match in VR on Disney’s ESPN sports network. Having Mickey Mouse, or even the Disneyland castle, appear in the sitting room—“Bring[ing] Disney to our fans in ways that were previously impossible”, as Mr Iger put it—is the sort of thing that might excite people more than virtual conferencing.Few people are likely to cough up for the Vision Pro, at least initially. But Mr Cook, who compared it to the launch of the Mac and the iPhone, said it was the “beginning of a journey”. It may yet be that the journey leads somewhere profitable. As Mr Ubrani puts it, “When Apple enters a market, it completely changes the trajectory of the market.” ■ More

Disney is partnering with Apple to bring its streaming service Disney+ to the tech giant’s new Vision Pro augmented reality headset.
Disney CEO Bob Iger said the new tech will enhance the Disney+ viewing experience, noting that users will be able to access the streaming service when the product launches early next year.
The Vision Pro will allow users to interact with digital content in mixed reality and will retail for $3,499.

Bob Iger, CEO, Disney at Apple program
Source: Apple

The Walt Disney Company has always been at the forefront of new storytelling technology. On Monday, it announced a new partnership with Apple to bring its streaming service Disney+ to the tech giant’s new augmented reality headset.
Dubbed Vision Pro, the headset will allow users to interact with digital content in mixed reality. It will retail for $3,499.

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Disney CEO Bob Iger said the new tech will enhance the Disney+ viewing experience, noting that when the headset launches early next year, users will be able to access the streaming service.

“We’re constantly in search of new ways to entertain, inform and inspire our fans by combining extraordinary creativity with groundbreaking technology to create truly remarkable experiences,” Iger said during Apple’s WWDC 2023 keynote on Monday. “And we believe Apple Vision Pro is a revolutionary platform that can make our vision a reality.”
The demo reel for the collaboration between Disney and Apple included 3D visuals of a basketball court, showing how users could be immersed in sports contests from home, as well as immersive National Geographic content that placed the viewer in the middle of the ocean.
“It will allow us to create deeply personal experiences that bring our fans closer to the characters they love,” Iger said. “This platform will allow us to bring Disney to our fans in ways that were previously impossible.”
The sizzle reel also showcased Mickey Mouse springing to life in a living room, a fireworks show from Disney’s theme parks erupting in a kitchen and fans watching Star Wars content from a planet’s surface.
“We’re so proud to yet again be partnering the greatest storytelling company in the world with the most innovative technology company in the world to bring you real life magic,” Iger said. More

The Directors Guild of America struck a tentative deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
The Writers Guild of America said the proposed DGA contract will not end the writers strike.
The Screen Actors Guild is wrapping up a vote to authorize a strike should its upcoming negotiations with the producers sour.

Writers picket in front of Netflix on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California, as the Writers Guild of America goes on strike, May 2, 2023.
Frederic J. Brown | Afp | Getty Images

Hollywood producers have struck a tentative deal with film and TV directors, but that doesn’t mean we should expect sudden resolutions to the writers strike or talks with the actors union.
On Sunday, the Directors Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers provisionally agreed on a three-year contract that would provide the 19,000-member union with pay and benefit gains, increases to global streaming residuals and protections against the use of artificial intelligence.

The DGA contract is set to expire June 30. The guild will submit the proposal to its members Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Writers Guild of America is entering the second month of its strike. Likewise, the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is on the precipice of authorizing a potential strike should negotiations go sour. Those talks start Wednesday.
The WGA has been on strike since May 2, shutting down dozens of TV and film productions as talks stalled with the producers.
Already Netflix has postponed the production start of the fifth and final season of “Stranger Things,” Warner Bros.’ Discovery’s “Game of Thrones” prequel “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Night” shuttered its writers room, and Disney and Marvel’s “Thunderbolts” and “Blade” have paused production.
During the last writers strike in 2007 and 2008, which lasted 100 days, a studio deal with the DGA prompted writers to head back to the bargaining table. That might not be the case this time around, though.

“We congratulate the DGA Negotiating Committee for getting a deal they are recommending to their National Board for approval and presumably will then send to their membership for ratification,” the WGA negotiating committee wrote in a memo to members Sunday.
The committee said it would not comment on the deal points of the DGA’s new contract and noted that its bargaining positions remain the same.
“Last week we sent an email about how the AMPTP divide and conquer strategy won’t work this time,” the memo read. “The AMPTP will not be able to negotiate a deal for writers with anyone but us.”
The committee also said it was standing in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA as they complete their strike authorization vote Monday.
Representatives for SAG-AFTRA did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
The WGA’s memo echoes comments made by WGA negotiator Chris Keyser on Friday, when he provided a public update one month into the strike via YouTube.
“Any deal that puts this town back to work runs straight through the WGA, and there is no way around that,” he said.
Keyser also expressed that the WGA strike has already “been highly effective in inflicting pain on the companies,” noting that the withholding of work, coupled with public picketing, has demonstrated the guild’s resolve in obtaining “the contract we deserve.”

The A.I. fight

In the DGA’s agreement, directors secured wage increases starting at 5% the first year, an increase in residuals from streaming and a guarantee that artificial intelligence could not replace the duties performed by members.
AI has been a major concern for the guilds of both the writers and actors, who see their jobs as especially vulnerable to this new technology.
Both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are seeking protections against AI use in their negotiations, in addition to increases in compensation for streamed content. The WGA is also seeking a minimum staff level for TV writers rooms and more competitive minimum payments for work.
The WGA is less worried about being replaced by AI systems and more concerned that production companies will exploit these technological tools to reduce writers’ salaries.
SAG-AFTRA has acknowledged that AI technology can have its benefits in the industry, but it wants to ensure that any use of AI to replicate an actor or create a new performance is done with the actor’s consent and payment. The guild has similar guardrails when it comes to computer generated image capture.
Already, some performers, such as James Earl Jones, have already agreed to have their voices cloned for use after their deaths. Jones, 91, famously voiced Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise and sought to wind down from the role. Jones was compensated and the technology was used to bring Vader’s iconic voice to Disney+’s “Obi-Wan Kenobi.”
The actors guild has also been outspoken about its negotiations being for the benefit of all its members, not just the big stars. Health coverage, compensation and residuals are top of mind for tens of thousands of working actors.
SAG-AFTRA’s vote for strike authorization wraps up Monday at 8 p.m. ET.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC. NBCUniversal is a member of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. More

General Motors plans to invest more than $1 billion in two Michigan plants for production of next-generation heavy-duty trucks, the company said Monday.
Despite GM’s commitment to exclusively offer all-electric vehicles by 2035, the company continues to invest in traditional vehicles such as the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra heavy-duty pickups.
The notably profitable trucks are in high demand.

Line workers work on the chassis of full-size General Motors pickup trucks at the Flint Assembly plant in Flint, Michigan, June 12, 2019.
JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP / Getty Images

DETROIT – General Motors plans to invest more than $1 billion in two Michigan plants for production of next-generation heavy-duty trucks, the company said Monday.
The investment includes $788 million to prepare its Flint Assembly plant to build the heavy-duty gas and diesel trucks. Another $233 million will be invested in the automaker’s Flint Metal Center to support production of the vehicles. Both plants are located in mid-Michigan.

Despite GM’s commitment to exclusively offer all-electric vehicles by 2035, the company continues to invest in traditional vehicles such as the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra heavy-duty pickups.
The notably profitable trucks are in high demand, and sales are needed to assist in funding the automaker’s investments in EVs.
A GM spokesman said construction related to the investments is scheduled to begin during the fourth quarter. He declined to disclose details and timing of the next-generation pickups.
In 2022, GM reported sales of its heavy-duty pickups increased 38% compared to the prior year, amounting to nearly 288,000 trucks sold.
The investment announcement comes ahead of contract negotiations between the Detroit automakers, including GM, and the United Auto Workers union this summer.

For investors, UAW negotiations are typically a short-term headwind every four years that result in higher costs. But this year’s negotiations are expected to be among the most contentious and important in recent memory, fueled by a years-long organized labor movement across the country, a pro-union president and an industry in transition to all-electric vehicles.
“When business is booming as it has been for the past decade — due to the hard work of UAW members — the company should continue to invest in its workforce,” UAW Vice President Mike Booth, who oversees the union’s GM unit, said in a release.
UAW leaders publicly laid out their top bargaining issues last week, including reinstatement of a cost-of-living adjustment that was eliminated during the Great Recession; stronger job security; and the end of a grow-in, or tiered, pay system that has members earning different wages and benefits. More

CNN CEO Chris Licht spoke on CNN’s weekly Monday morning call.
He apologized to CNN staffers for drawing attention away from the network’s mission and vowed to earn back trust.
The Atlantic published a 15,000-word profile story about Licht on Friday.

Chris Licht, Chairman and CEO, CNN Worldwide speaks onstage during the Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront 2022 show at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on May 18, 2022 in New York City.
Kevin Mazur | Getty Images

Embattled CNN Chief Executive Chris Licht apologized to the news organization’s staff Monday morning during the cable news network’s 9 a.m. ET call, according to people familiar with the matter.
Licht told staffers he didn’t recognize himself in a 15,000-word profile story in The Atlantic that published Friday. The story documented his views on CNN’s coverage and his attempts at winning over staffers during his first year on the job.

Some CNN staffers saw the Licht magazine profile as showing poor judgment at a time when ratings are falling and employees are openly rebelling against his decision last month to air a Donald Trump town hall with hundreds of his cheering fans. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav wasn’t pleased with the profile, titled “Inside the Meltdown at CNN,” and agreed it was mishandled, according to people familiar with his thinking.
Licht said during the call he understands staffers’ frustration and is intent on earning his employees’ trust, said the people. He didn’t specifically speak to why he participated in The Atlantic profile, in which reporter Tim Alberta spent months with Licht, including joining him at the gym during a personal training session and attending backstage CNN programming rehearsals. Licht’s remarks were short, said the people, who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
A CNN spokesperson declined to comment.
Licht announced the hiring of David Leavy on Thursday as the network’s new chief operating officer. Leavy will be tasked with taking over marketing, public relations, advertising sales, facilities and other logistics.
The move will allow Licht to focus more on programming, which is his background. Licht helped launched MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” as its executive producer in 2007 and later became executive producer and showrunner of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on CBS.
WATCH: Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav discusses company’s performance on ‘Squawk Box’ More

Moderna’s cancer vaccine, used in combination with Merck’s Keytruda, reduced the risk of melanoma spreading to other parts of the body or death by 65% compared to Keytruda alone.
Melanoma is responsible for the large majority of skin cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society.
The FDA has given Moderna and Merck a breakthrough therapy designation for their combination melanoma treatment.

Asbe | Istock | Getty Images

Moderna’s experimental cancer vaccine, used in combination with Merck’s Keytruda, reduced the risk of the most deadly form of skin cancer spreading to other parts of the body in a clinical trial, according to the midstage trial results published on Monday.
Moderna’s cancer vaccine reduced the risk of melanoma spreading to other parts of the body or death by 65% in patients with stage three or four of the disease compared to patients who received Merck’s immunotherapy treatment alone, the trial has found.

Moderna and Merck will present the data at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual conference in Chicago at 5 p.m. ET.
The clinical trial has enrolled 157 patients who have had their cancer surgically removed.
Patients in the treatment group receive 1 mg injections of Moderna’s vaccine every three weeks for nine total doses and 200 mg intravenous infusions of Keytruda every three weeks for about a year.

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Melanoma is responsible for the large majority of skin cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society. The rate of melanoma has increased rapidly over the past few decades, according to the society.
About 100,000 people will be diagnosed with melanoma in the U.S. this year and nearly 8,000 people are expected to die from the disease, according to the society.

The data published Monday are the latest promising results from Moderna and Merck.
The companies published data in April that showed Moderna’s cancer vaccine in combination with Keytruda reduced the risk of melanoma recurring by 44% compared to patients who received Merck’s immunotherapy treatment alone.
The Food and Drug Administration gave Moderna and Merck a breakthrough therapy designation in February, which is intended to speed up the development and review of treatments for serious and life-threatening diseases. More

Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” opened to $120.5 million at the domestic box office this weekend.
It was the second-biggest opening of 2023, just behind Universal’s “Super Mario Bros. Movie.”
The film also marks the third-best opening weekend for any Spider-Man film, animated or live-action.

Still from Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.”

Spider-Man returned to the big screen this weekend, webbing up an estimated $120.5 million at the domestic box office.
Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” the much anticipated sequel to the Academy Award-winning “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” had the second-biggest opening of 2023, just behind Universal’s “Super Mario Bros. Movie.”

The film also marks the third-best opening weekend for any Spider-Man film, animated or live-action.
“As a PG animated film, ‘Across The Spider-Verse’ is able to capture a younger audience beyond the core fans of the live action PG-13 films and thus ensures the long-term cross-generational appeal of the character and the movies,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “This is money in the bank for the studio and movie theaters.”
“Across the Spider-Verse” is estimated to have pulled in more than 9 million moviegoers over the weekend, according to data from EntTelligence. Tickets for the film represent around 56% of all foot traffic to theaters from Thursday through Sunday, the data firm reported.
Additionally, 29% of patrons saw the film in a premium format, paying an average of $4.52 more per ticket.
“This debut is further proof that audiences are eager for fresh, edgy takes on both superhero and animated movies,” said Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at BoxOffice.com.

Sony’s animated Spider-Man sequel arrives on the heels of several strong box office openings, including Disney and Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3” and Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.”
With another $10.2 million in ticket sales during its fifth weekend in theaters, “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3” has generated around $322.7 million domestically. The film has tallied $780.1 million globally.
“The Little Mermaid” saw a 58% drop in ticket sales from its first weekend to its second, on par with industry averages, adding $40.6 million to its cumulative global take. The film has secured $186.2 million in domestic ticket sales and stands at $326.7 million globally.
Additionally, Disney’s “The Boogeyman” opened to $12 million in domestic ticket sales and Universal’s “Fast X” added $9.24 million in ticket sales over the weekend, bringing its domestic haul to $128.4 million.
At present, the year-to-date domestic box office tally stands at around $3.6 billion, just 21.9% behind prepandemic levels, according to data from Comscore. The 2023 box office so far this year is 27.9% above the same period in 2022.
“Between Spidey’s big start, ‘Little Mermaid’s’ strong hold, ‘Boogeyman’s’ horror offering, the holdover prowess of ‘Guardians’ and ‘Fast X,’ and plenty more to come, theater owners, studios, and audiences are now heading full throttle into the most exciting summer market in four years,” Robbins said.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC. NBCUniversal distributed “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “Fast X.” More

Automotive and logistics industries industries are among the most heavily invested in automation in the U.S. economy.
But there’s still room to run for robotics in a host of other industries.
Jeff Burnstein, an automation industry guru and president of the Association for Advancing Automation, outlines how automation could be applied in agriculture, food processing and health care.

A software and robotics machine called mGripAI from Massachusetts-based Soft Robotics sorts artifical pieces of chicken into trays for packaging at an automation conference held by the Association for Advancing Automation in Detroit.
Michael Wayland / CNBC

DETROIT — The automotive and logistics industries are no strangers to robots.
They’re among the most heavily invested businesses in automation in the U.S. economy, using robots to sort packages, transport goods and assist in building vehicles.

But other industries where robotics haven’t yet taken hold may be potential investment opportunities and expansion areas for automation companies in the coming years.
Those emerging areas intrigue Jeff Burnstein, an automation-industry guru and president of the Association for Advancing Automation. His trade group represents more than 1,000 global companies involved in robotics, machine vision, motion control, and motors and related technologies.
Burnstein, who recently received a prestigious award for his more than 40 years in the industry, believes automation and robotics could greatly assist in doing the “dull, dirty, dangerous jobs” that people don’t necessarily want to do.

Jeff Burnstein (right center), president of the Association for Advancing Automation, after receiving a Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Award for his more than 40-year career in the industry.
Photo courtesy of the Association for Advancing Automation

“If you look at what’s driving a lot of the automation in many industries it’s shortage of people,” he said on the sidelines of an automation convention last week in Detroit.
Labor shortages, led by the manufacturing industry, are the key driver in the growth of automation, he said.

Here are three industries Burnstein predicts are next for automation:

Agriculture

The agriculture industry is already testing or using various automated, if not autonomous, technologies to make operations more efficient and safer. It also serves to cut costs
Tractor maker Deere & Co., for example, offers a suite of automated-assistance features such as turning and guidance for crop row lines. Deere is working on an autonomous tractor that can “see, think, and work on its own, freeing up time for farmers to complete other tasks simultaneously,” according to its website.
Other automated technologies for agriculture include drones that can spray pesticides over crops, remote-controlled tractors, automated harvesting systems, and other data and logistics farming apps.

Deere’s autonomous 8R tractor

Food processing

Harvesting and sorting chicken parts is exactly the kind of dull, dirty, dangerous jobs automation could assist in doing, Burnstein says.
At the automation convention, at least two companies were showcasing food-sorting robots whose abilities included identifying what types of cuts fit into a tray for packaging.
Beyond efficiency advantages, there are health and safety benefits, too, advocates point out.
“The machine can’t sneeze. It can’t rub its face. It can’t have hair fall into anything. So, it’s really safe. And less hands touching it, the less introduction for any disease,” said Anthony Romeo, a representative of Massachusetts-based companies Cognex Corp. and Soft Robotics, one of the companies working on sorting food and chicken parts, who also attended the convention.

Employees of Tyson Foods
Greg Smith | Corbis SABA | Getty Images

In 2021, Tyson Foods said it would invest over $1.3 billion in new automation capabilities through 2024 to increase yields and reduce both labor costs and associated risks — and ultimately deliver savings for the meat processor.
Tyson CEO Donnie King last month told investors the company is continuing to “invest in automation and digital capabilities with opportunities to improve our yield.”
He said the company has 50 lines for deboning chickens that are fully automated.
Pilgrim’s Pride, one of the world’s largest chicken producers, also has announced substantial investments in automation, including more than $100 million it announced in 2021.

Health care

Automation in health care could be viable in a variety of cases — from transportation of goods and personal medications to someone’s bedside, to cleaning and disinfecting tools.
“You can do that robotically,” Burnstein said. “If you’re having trouble finding people that could be a good solution. There’s all kinds of those things and then drug discovery, of course, and other applications.”
One notable company currently in the space is Aethon, a Pittsburgh-based robotics company that’s made strides in the health-care sector with an autonomous mobile robot called the TUG. The robots are capable of navigating around a hospital independently, according to the company’s website.
The TUG can be programmed to avoid obstacles and even operate elevators, according to the company.
It’s one example of an AMR, or autonomous mobile robot: a type of vehicle that can perform several different delivery tasks, which Burnstein called “hot in automation” at the moment. More