Machine Minds
Machine Minds - the minds behind the machines! This is the show where we dive deep into the intricate worlds of robotics, AI, and Hard Tech. In each episode, we bring you intimate conversations with the founders, investors, and trailblazers who are at the heart of these tech revolutions. We dig into their journeys, the challenges they've overcome, and the breakthroughs that are shaping our future. Join us as we explore how these machine minds are transforming the way we live, work, and understand our world.
Machine Minds
Episode 97 | Robots Tackle Harsh Worksites | James Emerick
In this episode I sit down with James Emerick, co-founder & CEO of Cosmic Robotics, to hear how his family’s four-generation construction roots and a detour into autonomous heavy equipment sparked a new kind of job-site robot. Cosmic’s first product—the “Cosmic 1A”—lifts and places solar panels in 100-degree deserts and icy plains, giving short-staffed EPCs a safer, drop-in replacement for back-breaking manual installs. We talk through the realities of outdoor perception, why a “slightly smarter piece of equipment” beats factory-in-the-desert grand plans, and how mobile manipulation on Earth can pave the way for building off-planet.
We covered:
- James’s path from eighth-grade “future engineer” to early employee at Built Robotics
- Three criteria Cosmic uses to spot high-leverage construction tasks
- Designing for millimetre-level accuracy amid glare, dust and 50 °C heat
- Digital-twin spin-offs and why customers ask for them sooner than you’d think
- The labour crunch on solar farms—and the case for tools that amplify crews rather than replace them
- Humanoids, hype cycles and what really matters in field robotics
Further reading & resources:
TechCrunch profile: https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/16/cosmic-robotics-is-building-robots-to-speed-solar-power-deployments-for-data-centers/
The Robot Report funding story: https://www.therobotreport.com/cosmic-industries-gets-funding-to-automate-accelerate-solar-installation/
Guest info
James Emerick — Co-Founder & CEO, Cosmic Robotics
LinkedIn (personal): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesemerick/
LinkedIn (company): https://www.linkedin.com/company/cosmic-robotics/?viewAsMember=true
Website: https://cosmicrobotics.com/
Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian/