Matt Whelan
Ocado Technology
Head of Engineering - 600 Series Bot
ocadotechnology.co/techpioneers
@OcadoTechnology
Keynote Speaker //
Combining additive manufacturing and agile methodologies for rapid robotics innovation
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Talk Abstract:
Matt Whelan, Head of Engineering for Ocado Technology’s 600 Series bot, will be lifting the lid on the company’s radical additive-first approach to robotics hardware development. This novel design process, which puts additive at the centre and draws inspiration from the world of agile software development, allowed the team to create the world’s lightest and most efficient grocery fulfilment bot.
This agile approach allowed the team to experiment, learn, and iterate at incredible speed with many of the product concepts being designed in just a few weeks. Achieving these results with traditional manufacturing approaches would have taken many times longer due to the design, tooling and procurement lead times associated with testing multiple concepts.
Bio:
Matt Whelan leads the international development team responsible for Ocado Technology’s pioneering 600 Series bot.
He joined Ocado Technology as a Software Engineer in 2010 working on the company’s bot orchestration system, award-winning simulation capabilities, and beyond.
As a long-standing additive enthusiast, he turned this hobby into a job in 2021 when he transitioned into a hardware role. His unique background led him to take an innovative additive-first approach to robotics development which draws on agile methodologies from the world of software.
Alongside his work on the 600 Series, Matt also heads up Ocado Technology’s Stockholm Development Centre.
