The gap between what robotics can do in theory and what it actually does in production often comes down to one thing: adaptability. As machines take on more sophisticated work, the difference-maker can be how easily systems adjust to new parts, new hardware, and new challenges without starting from scratch.

Our robotic sanding solution is a great example. Because the Viam platform is hardware agnostic, and also comes with built-in services like motion planning, we could test and swap between depth cameras without touching application code. 

Our solution also uses real-time 3D imaging to create custom sanding plans for any fiberglass part—regardless of their natural textures and surface imperfections. 

We used our platform to prove what's possible when complexity isn’t a bottleneck. The same approach can accelerate your robotics development.

⚙️ Platform highlights

Multi-machine fleet dashboards

Monitor your entire fleet from a single dashboard. Set up widgets to pull data from multiple machines, visualize trends across your fleet, and filter for specific machines or time ranges. Expanding on teleop's single-machine view, dashboards let you monitor every robot simultaneously—including spotting outliers, tracking fleet health, and identifying trends without switching between machines.

Containerized development environment

Local development now runs in Docker containers that mirror production. Run docker compose up to start with dependencies and tools pre-configured. This eliminates bugs from environment differences and removes setup time for new developers. Frontend and backend are supported, with commands replacing the old Makefile workflow.

Simplified resource names in motion APIs

Motion APIs now accept simple names instead of complex identifiers. Where you previously had to specify "rdk:component:arm/foo" to control a robot arm, you can now just use "fooArm". The system automatically handles name conflicts and lets you add prefixes like "robot2.fooArm" when controlling multiple robots. Note: Update both SDK and viam-server, then switch your code to the new naming format.

10x faster C++ builds with Conan server

C++ build times just dropped from an hour to under 10 minutes. We set up a Conan server that caches prebuilt SDK dependencies so you don’t have to rebuild the same libraries every time. Add the remote with conan remote add viamconan and your builds automatically use the cached dependencies. Especially useful if long C++ build times have been blocking your module development.

Read more about all platform updates in the November platform roundup.

📣 Industry news

• What will it take for humanoid robots to leave pilot purgatory and deliver real value at scale in the workplace? Crossing the chasm from concept to commercial reality.
• Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe claims the company has a chance to “develop products and robotic solutions that allow us to run and operate our manufacturing plants more efficiently.” Rivian creates another spinoff company called Mind Robotics.
• A Japanese carmaker debuted a four-legged autonomous chair that walks where wheels cannot. Walk Me: Toyota stuns world with robot chair that walks, climbs, and folds itself.

📚 Top of the stack

💡 Partner highlight 

• Viking’s Whale and Vessel Safety (WAVS) Taskforce awarded the Marine Research Hub (MRH) Innovation and Sustainability Award during the 2025 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.

🗓️ Events

Metstrade

November 18-20 

Amsterdam

Viam is heading to Amsterdam for Metstrade, a global event that brings together the best of the leisure marine maritime sector and the most innovative companies, including nearly 1,500 exhibitors and 20,000 trade visitors.

Book a meeting

Women in Robotics NYC

November 18 

5:30-8:30 pm 

New York

Curious about where a career in robotics can take you? Women +TGX in Robotics NYC and Viam are bringing together industry professionals who are designing and deploying the next generation of intelligent robots. Learn how they broke into the field, the skills that matter most, and how we can build a more inclusive future in robotics, together.

Register

✉️ Get in touch

Interested in Viam for your next project? Request a demo. Connect with us on Discord, LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and GitHub. Or attend an event. Also, we're hiring!

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About Viam

Viam brings modern software engineering to robotics, with everything you need to build and run intelligent machines.

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