Torrie to Make the Case for a Unified Field Robotics Ecosystem at RoboBusiness 2026

From the field to the keynote stage

ASI is providing autonomy to existing field equipment — and the company’s founder sees a much bigger shift coming. Mel Torrie, founder and CEO of Autonomous Solutions Inc., will lead the session “Designing the Robotics Ecosystem for Outdoor Autonomy” at RoboBusiness.

“But, in the next 10 years, we’ll see a massive leap forward in field robotics.”

That is not idle speculation. The use of mobile robotics in outdoor applications is poised to advance significantly over the decade, and the engineering challenge is clear: developers must design autonomous vehicles to support integration and foster collaborative relationships among platforms. Vehicles alone won’t deliver the productivity gains. The ecosystem around them will.

A career built on rugged autonomy

Torrie’s credibility here is hard-earned. He grew up on a farm in Alberta, Canada, began robotics research 28 years ago, and — together with his team — founded ASI in 2000. Rather than chasing venture cycles, ASI has bootstrapped the company through partnerships with the world’s largest field robotics OEMs, building a position in vendor-agnostic vehicle automation. That vendor-agnostic stance matters: integrating autonomy across mixed fleets of existing equipment is precisely the integration problem the industry now faces at scale.

What attendees can expect

RoboBusiness 2026 is the leading event for commercial robotics developers. Attendees will gain the latest insights from experts in robotics and AI on cutting-edge research, industry trends, and innovative applications. The show also features networking opportunities, including the Mix and Mingle reception on the first day — a fitting venue for the cross-platform collaboration Torrie’s session advocates.

This year’s event carries extra weight: RoboBusiness 2026 will celebrate 20 years of the event.

For engineers working on outdoor autonomy, the message is pragmatic. The next leap won’t come from a single smarter vehicle. It will come from designing systems that work together — and Torrie has spent a career doing exactly that.