Special Coverage
MODEX 2026 is almost here. As the supply chain world prepares to descend on Atlanta, Robotics 24/7 asked its Executive Advisory Board what they’re excited about for the event.
Check out what our EAB members said about MODEX 2026, and what they’re looking for at the event.
Amir Sharif, Co-Founder & COO, 3Laws
Amir Sharif,
Co-Founder & COO,
3Laws
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What are you most looking forward to at MODEX and why?
I’m most looking forward to seeing how advanced robotics systems - particularly those combining AI-driven perception, real-time decision-making and autonomous mobility - are performing in production-scale environments. MODEX provides a valuable forum to evaluate how these technologies are moving beyond pilots into fully integrated, high-throughput operations.
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How are robotics and automation shaping/reshaping the supply chain? What advancements and innovations are redefining the supply chain and logistics space?
Robotics and automation are fundamentally reshaping the supply chain by enabling deterministic throughput, reducing system variability and decoupling operations from labor constraints. Key advancements include AI-enabled perception for unstructured environments, autonomous mobile manipulation, and tightly integrated orchestration layers that unify hardware and software into adaptive, data-driven systems. These innovations are driving a shift toward more resilient, scalable and continuously optimized logistics networks.
Youngmok “Mok” Yun, Co-Founder & CEO, Contoro Robotics
Mok Yun,
Co-Founder & CEO,
Contoro Robotics
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What are you most looking forward to at MODEX and why?
At MODEX, we’re looking forward to connecting with industry leaders, operators, and prospective customers who are actively exploring automation in their supply chains. It’s one of the best venues to have meaningful conversations with people facing real operational challenges on the warehouse floor. For us at Contoro Robotics, it’s a great opportunity to showcase how AI powered robots can solve one of the most labor-intensive processes at the warehouse. We welcome everyone to visit our booth and see our unloading and palletizer robots live in action.
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How are robotics and automation shaping/reshaping the supply chain? What advancements and innovations are redefining the supply chain and logistics space?
Robotics and automation are reshaping supply chains by enabling warehouses to operate with greater reliability, efficiency and resilience in the face of labor shortages and rising operational complexity. Advances in AI-driven perception, adaptive robotics, and improved grasping technologies are allowing robots to handle increasingly unstructured tasks that were traditionally difficult to automate.
Nikhil Ramaswamy, Co-Founder, CynLr
Nikhil Ramaswamy,
Co-Founder,
CynLR
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What are you most looking forward to at MODEX and why?
From CynLr's perspective, we are solving for object manipulation. Traditionally, warehouse robotics has focused mostly on material movement, storage and retrieval and high-speed picking and sorting use-cases. We'd to see if there is any progress on use-cases that involve more dexterous manipulation - such as packaging and stow-away. Also, I’m looking to see if humanoids are conspicuously absent in warehouse automation.
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How are robotics and automation shaping/reshaping the supply chain? What advancements and innovations are redefining the supply chain and logistics space?
The next wave of use-cases to look out for in warehousing would involve dexterous and dual arm manipulation. There is tremendous progress in enabling technology opening up a previously unaddressed TAM in warehouse automation.
John Santagate, Founder & Principal Consultant, EMP Advisors
John Santagate,
Founder & Principal Consultant,
EMP Advisors
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What are you most looking forward to at MODEX and why?
Every 2 years, there feels to be an unofficial theme attached to the MODEX event. For example, the last iteration there was a heavy emphasis on tote-to-person robotic solutions as a feature point. I am looking forward to seeing what the unofficial theme is for MODEX 26. Will it be AI? Will it be humanoid robotics? Will it be further innovation from the TTP models? I like to see the growth and evolution of the creative ways businesses are solving long standing challenges and where the differentiation exists where there are competing solutions to the same problem.
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How are robotics and automation shaping/reshaping the supply chain? What advancements and innovations are redefining the supply chain and logistics space?
The market has seen an explosion in mobile robotics related applications for warehouses and fulfillment, and we can expect to see continued growth in this area as the solutions are delivering on the promise of improved productivity, lower cost and faster throughput. While there is something to say for humanoid solutions in the supply chain, I think this tail is probably a bit longer than some are predicting, time will tell. Key advancements I expect to see over the coming 12-18 months are greater adoption in trailer unloading solutions, the (in my opinion well over due) addition of robotic arms at pick cells at scale, and likey most impactfully meaningful applications of AI for supply chain and logistics operations.
Kait Peterson, VP and Head of Marketing, Locus Robotics
Kait Peterson,
VP and Head of Marketing,
Locus Robotics
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What are you most looking forward to at MODEX and why?
MODEX is like the ‘Super Bowl of Supply Chain’ - everyone brings their A-Game and puts their best solutions forward. It’s exciting to see what’s new. And, if you’ve been in the industry a while, the best part is to see all your friends and colleagues
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How are robotics and automation shaping/reshaping the supply chain? What advancements and innovations are redefining the supply chain and logistics space?
A few years ago, robotics were a small corner of MODEX, and large, traditional automation took up the biggest footprint on the floor. Now it’s completely flipped. There is barely any room for more robotics solutions and gone are the days of setting up a full automation “monument” for those few days. The advancements that are going to be the next evolution are robotics: robotic picking and replenishment, robotic workflows like putaway, slotting, and order consolidation, robotic fleet orchestration, and full robotic automation of the warehouse. We have seen many point solutions develop over the years and now is the culmination of bringing together those solutions in new and innovative ways.
Erik Nieves. Co-Founder & CEO, Plus One Robotics
Erik Nieves,
Co-Founder & CEO,
Plus One Robotics
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What are you most looking forward to at MODEX and why? How are robotics and automation shaping/reshaping the supply chain? What advancements and innovations are redefining the supply chain and logistics space?
The last two MODEX shows have been increasingly replete with robots and I don't expect that to slow down. This year is bound to have the most robots ever, but what I'll be looking for is to see these robots more deeply integrated into workflows. Too many have been a "Frankenbot" where the robot was merely glommed on to an existing process instead of the process being reconceived in light of these new automation tools. A sign of maturity in robot adoption will be the more seamless integration of new flows.
Owen Nicholson, Co-Founder & CEO, SLAMcore
Owen Nicholson,
Co-Founder & CEO,
SLAMcore
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What are you most looking forward to at MODEX and why?
I’m most looking forward to seeing how the industry is tackling the reality of mixed operations, where manual and autonomous systems need to work safely together in the same environment. It’s increasingly clear that progress will come from making existing vehicles more aware and connected, not just adding more robots.
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How are robotics and automation shaping/reshaping the supply chain? What advancements and innovations are redefining the supply chain and logistics space?
Robotics and automation are shifting the supply chain from being reactive to spatially aware and continuously optimized, with machines that can understand and respond to their environment in real time. A key shift is equipping manual vehicles with perception and localization technology, which allows robots and human-driven equipment to operate more safely and effectively alongside each other, unlocking true mixed fleet operations at scale.
