M08-07 · AI + Robotics & Automation Operations

Robotics Industry Knowledge and Competitive Intelligence

Builds the industry knowledge required to operate credibly in the robotics sector. Covers the hardware landscape (AMRs, robotic arms, humanoids, drones, service robots), the critical competitive dynamics between Chinese and Western robotics companies, the Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) business model and unit economics, regulatory frameworks by use case (FAA for drones, FDA for medical devices, local ordinances for sidewalk delivery, building codes and insurance for commercial deployments), and structured competitive intelligence gathering that feeds product and sales decisions.

20 Hours

8 Learning objectives

Evaluate Bloom's ceiling (?)

4 Competencies

What You'll Be Able To Do

Learning Objectives

Objectives

Depth

Analyze the current robotics hardware landscape — AMRs (Locus, 6 River Systems, Fetch), robotic arms (Fanuc, KUKA, Universal Robots), humanoids (Tesla Optimus, Agility Digit, Figure, Unitree H1/G1), drones (Skydio, Zipline), service robots (Bear Robotics, Savioke) — understanding capability differences and deployment contexts Analyze
Evaluate the competitive positioning between Chinese robotics companies (Unitree, Fourier, Agibot, UBTech, XPENG Robotics) and Western competitors (Tesla, Figure, Agility, Boston Dynamics, Apptronik), articulating cost, capability, and manufacturing advantages Evaluate
Analyze RaaS (Robots-as-a-Service) unit economics: monthly subscription pricing ($2K-10K/robot), hardware amortization, software/cloud costs, maintenance costs, support costs, and the margin structure (30-60%) that determines business viability Analyze
Apply regulatory knowledge by use case — FAA Part 107 and BVLOS waivers for drones, FDA 510(k) for medical robots, city-specific sidewalk robot permits, building code and insurance requirements for commercial deployments Apply
Create a competitive intelligence report based on field observations, customer conversations, and market research, structured for consumption by product and sales teams Create
Evaluate a new robot type for potential adoption — assessing task capability, speed, reliability (MTBF), integration compatibility, cost (purchase vs. RaaS), safety requirements, and realistic delivery timeline (vendor timelines + 6 months) Evaluate
Understand how liability and insurance work in commercial robotics: who is responsible when a robot damages property or injures someone, and how this affects deployment contracts Understand
Analyze how evolving AI capabilities (improved computer vision, natural language interaction, generalist manipulation) will change the robotics operations role over a 3-5 year horizon Analyze

Levels: Remember · Understand · Apply · Analyze · Evaluate · Create — highest demands most original thinking.

Core Competencies

What You'll Master

Hardware Landscape Knowledge

Understanding the major robot types, manufacturers, and deployment contexts well enough to evaluate, recommend, and discuss hardware with customers, engineers, and executives.

RaaS Business Model

Understanding the unit economics that make robotics operations viable: subscription pricing, cost structure, margin targets, SLA implications, and how uptime/maintenance directly impact profitability.

Regulatory Navigation

Knowing which regulations apply to which robot types in which contexts (FAA/drones, FDA/medical, local ordinances/delivery, building codes/commercial), understanding the compliance timeline implications for product development and deployment.

Competitive Intelligence

Gathering and structuring competitive information from the field (customer questions, competitor sightings, pricing intelligence) into actionable reports for product and sales teams.

Portfolio Artifact

What You'll Build

Robotics Industry Analysis and Competitive Brief — Student produces a comprehensive industry analysis: hardware landscape overview (5 categories with leading vendors, capabilities, and price ranges), competitive positioning map for a specific segment (e.g., warehouse humanoids), RaaS unit economics model for a 50-robot fleet with sensitivity analysis on key variables (uptime, maintenance cost, subscription price), regulatory compliance matrix for 4 use cases (warehouse, restaurant, drone inspection, medical), and a competitive intelligence brief based on a simulated scenario where a customer asks "Why shouldn't we buy the Chinese robot at 1/3 the price?"

Tools You'll Use

Industry Tools, Not Toy Projects

Claude

AI-assisted market research, competitive analysis, and industry report writing.

Google Sheets / Excel

RaaS financial modeling, unit economics analysis, and sensitivity modeling for fleet operations.

Crunchbase / PitchBook

Industry databases for company data, funding rounds, and competitive landscape research.

Regulatory Reference Documents

FAA Part 107, FDA guidance documents, and local ordinance databases for compliance research.