How AI, Robotics & 3D Vision Are Transforming Automation | Interview with FANUC’s David Bruce

David Bruce, thank you so much for joining me today. Oh, my pleasure! You are the Engineering Manager at FANUC America and, importantly, a member of the A3 Vision and Imaging Technology Strategy Board. Yes, I am. We're going to talk about both of those roles today. Let's start with A3. We’re really excited to be celebrating 50 years as an association this year. We’ve been looking back in the history books and reflecting on some of the best moments in the industry. When you look back at your own career in robotics, what stands out to you as some of the most important moments? I’ve been through a couple of downturns. I started at FANUC in 1997. I remember in 2001, the tech bubble burst, and there were some layoffs at FANUC. Those were challenging times, but we rebounded. Then came 2008, which was a more severe downturn. I remember the trade shows after that were very sparsely attended, but it was amazing how quickly the industry recovered. I think A3 played a big role in that recovery. It gave the automation community a place to regroup and figure out what was next. And you’re now giving back to the industry by serving on the board. Why is that important to you? It’s not something I think of as a sacrifice—I really enjoy it. Ed Rooney, who was on the vision board for many years and also worked at FANUC, asked me to take his place when he retired three years ago. I was flattered. I enjoy engaging with people in the vision industry who work in very different capacities than I do. It’s a great way to learn more and connect with others. We’ve had some fun vision conversations today—I just spoke with Steve Kenny about vision standards. What excites you about vision right now? Honestly, what excites me most is 3D. I work for FANUC, a robotics and automation company, and I'm the product manager for our machine vision product. 3D has really taken off. Robots operate in 3D, of course, and while many problems can be simplified to 2D—where 2D vision still works well—even for robotics, more complex applications like bin picking and logistics really benefit from 3D. The explosion of 3D vision systems, cameras, and software over the past five years has been amazing to see. It’s unlocked new automation opportunities in new fields. Do you think AI is impacting vision—and will it continue to in the next year? Absolutely. Deep convolutional neural networks have enabled a lot of applications, especially in logistics. Take depalletizing and singulating, for example—you start with bulk packages that need to be separated. That’s been a heavily manual process for years, and while the rest of the facility may be automated, that one step often isn’t. AI helps identify items in a pile and determine where to pick. It’s not recognizing brands or item types—it’s just identifying “an object” and finding a viable spot to grasp it. So AI doesn’t need to know it’s a Coke can or a Snickers bar—just that it’s something to pick up. Exactly. That’s the key. It helps get items out of bulk and into singulation. “Singulation” is a word Microsoft Word still marks as incorrect, but it makes sense for what we’re doing. It's not perfect, but AI has outperformed previous techniques in those tasks. Do you think the hype around AI is overblown? To some extent, yes. Some people are overly enthusiastic. Others are more cautious. I fall somewhere in the middle. If AI is a useful tool, we’ll use it. Like any tool, it can be used for good or bad. But it’s not going to replace everything. I don’t believe the old ways are going away entirely. Given the growing connectivity brought on by AI and other technologies, what cybersecurity challenges are emerging in vision and imaging? That’s a good question. I know cybersecurity is becoming more important. For example, we have a new robot controller coming out that includes built-in cybersecurity features. In terms of vision specifically, I’m not as familiar with all the risks, but I know they’re real. If an image-capturing device is doing something with that image that it shouldn’t, that’s a problem. I’m sure it’s being addressed. Let’s wrap up by talking about the Forum. You’ve been here before, right? Yes, this is my third year attending Forum. It’s a great event in a great location—even if it’s a little rainy today. Still better than the cold we left up north. Why is Forum such an important event for the robotics and automation industry? It’s an excellent place to meet with customers, colleagues, and even competitors. I was surprised my first year when someone told me there would be 500 attendees. I hadn’t realized how big it was. This year, I hear it’s over 700. Having those conversations over a drink or during a session is invaluable. It’s going to be a fun time—we’re just getting started. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me today. You’re very welcome. Thank you!