Symbotic Inc. develops, builds, and deploys automated systems for customers such as Walmart. James Kuffner, chief technology officer at the company, will deliver a keynote titled “The Future of Intelligent Automated Logistics” at the 2025 Robotics Summit & Expo.
The event will be from April 30 to May 1 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, and Kuffner’s keynote will be at 10:00 a.m. ET on April 30.
He will discuss how rapid progress in machine learning, computer vision, and perception, as well as increased computing power, have enabled a new generation of robots that can operate reliably in semi-structured environments like warehouses.
Kuffner will also explain how innovative algorithms for multi-robot motion and task planning could scale the technology even further, creating exciting opportunities for logistics.
He aims to answer the question: “How do you orchestrate in real-time a fleet of thousands of warehouse robots to manage the movement of millions of cartons per day?”
Symbotic kicked off 2025 by acquiring Walmart’s Advanced Systems and Robotics business. The Wilmington, Mass.-based company said the transaction expands its relationship with Walmart with the goal of “developing an integrated supply chain.”
In addition, Symbotic is a 2024 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award honoree for its logistics robots.
Kuffner a robotics pioneer and veteran
Symbotic named Kuffner CTO in January, just a week before it announced the Walmart deal. In his role, Kuffner is responsible for building and advancing all of Symbotic’s technologies and solutions.
Before joining Symbotic, Kuffner was at Toyota Motor Corp., where he held several leadership roles. Most recently, he was a senior fellow in charge of the company’s Software Development Center, after serving as Toyota’s chief digital officer and member of the board.
Previously, Kuffner was a leader at Google for various engineering functions, including as the head of Google’s robotics division — now Waymo — where he helped develop its self-driving car and managed research projects.
Before Google, James was an associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute, leading research and teaching both computer science and robotics.
As the author of 125 publications and 40 patents in 3D graphics, robotics, and autonomous vehicles, Kuffner is known as the co-inventor of the Rapidly Exploring Random Tree (RRT) algorithm for robot motion planning. He has a Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. in computer science from Stanford University.
In 2010, Kuffner coined the term “cloud robotics” to describe how network-connected robots could take advantage of distributed computation and data stored in the cloud.
More about the Robotics Summit
The Robotics Summit & Expo will bring together more than 5,000 attendees focused on building robots for various commercial applications. Attendees can gain insights into the latest enabling technologies, engineering best practices, emerging trends, and more.
The show will have over 50 educational sessions in tracks on logistics, artificial intelligence, design and development, enabling technologies, and healthcare. The Engineering Theater on the show floor will also feature presentations by industry experts.
Joining Kuffner as keynote speakers are Aaron Saunders, CTO of Boston Dynamics; Aaron Parness, director of applied science in robotics and AI at Amazon Robotics; Daniela Rus, director of MIT CSAIL; and Aadeel Akhtar, founder and CEO of Psyonic.
The expo hall will have 200+ exhibitors showcasing the latest enabling technologies, products, and services that can help robotics engineers throughout their development journeys.
The Robotics Summit also offers numerous networking opportunities, a career fair, a robotics development challenge, the RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards Gala, and much more. It is produced by WTWH Media, which also publishes Automated Warehouse and The Robot Report.
Co-located with the event is the Advanced Automation Forum. It focuses on helping manufacturers achieve digital transformation through collaboration with systems integrators, technology suppliers, and end users.
