# Erik Nieves

> Erik Nieves is the San Antonio-based CEO and co-founder of Plus One Robotics. After discovering industrial robotics during a college factory job and spending 25 years at Yaskawa Motoman, he helped build a company combining robotic perception with remote human supervision for warehouse parcel handling. He also serves on the Association for Advancing Automation board and supports practical STEM education.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-founder at Plus One Robotics
- **Organizations:** Plus One Robotics, Yaskawa Motoman Robotics (former), Association for Advancing Automation (A3), CAST Schools
- **Education:** B.S. in Mathematical Physics, Southwestern Adventist University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Plus One Robotics and developed its business around computer vision and supervised autonomy., Collaborated in the early ROS-Industrial community with Shaun Edwards and Paul Hvass., Led a company that announced two billion successful robotic picks in April 2026.

## Career timeline

- **1988** — In his PBS recollection, learned to operate an industrial welding robot during a college summer job at a Minnesota cement mixer factory.
- **1990** — Graduated with a B.S. in Mathematical Physics from Southwestern Adventist University.
- **1991** — In his PBS recollection, moved to Dayton to work for the robot supplier; his Yaskawa Motoman career included training, Mexico leadership and technology direction.
- **2005** — Returned to San Antonio while working with robots at the Toyota complex, according to his PBS interview.
- **2010-2013** — Mapped robotics research and collaborated with Shaun Edwards and Paul Hvass through the development of ROS-Industrial.
- **2016** — Founded Plus One Robotics, with Edwards and Hvass becoming co-founders.
- **2019** — Plus One deployed Yonder remote human supervision.
- **2020** — Plus One robots deployed at the FedEx Memphis hub.
- **2021** — Named to the RIA board; Plus One began deployments in the European Union.
- **2023** — Plus One announced a $50 million Series C led by Scale Venture Partners.
- **2024** — Plus One passed one billion lifetime picks.
- **2026** — Plus One announced two billion successful picks in April.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Plus One Robotics and developed its business around computer vision and supervised autonomy.
- Collaborated in the early ROS-Industrial community with Shaun Edwards and Paul Hvass.
- Led a company that announced two billion successful robotic picks in April 2026.
- Serves on the board of directors of the Association for Advancing Automation.
- Supported NASA satellite-servicing robotics work while at Yaskawa Motoman.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — In an October 7 interview, argued that improved robot software reinforces the value of human oversight and distinguished faster deployment from faster physical operation.
- **2026-06** — Published an essay urging robotics vendors to demonstrate documented performance across real deployments.
- **2026-04** — Plus One announced more than two billion successful picks and marked its tenth anniversary.

## Links

- Website: https://www.plusonerobotics.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eriknieves

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/erik-nieves
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25