
The Railroads of Robotics: Investing in Physical AI, Cobots, and the Reshoring Boom
From Money On Tap by Ben Brayshaw & Seth Krussman
May 12, 2026 · 56 min · Season 11 · Episode 399
About this episode
The episode discusses the impact of robotics and automation on manufacturing and investment opportunities in the sector.
4.3 million industrial robots are already deployed globally. Robot costs have dropped 50% in 30 years. Payback periods are now 1 to 3 years. The reshoring of American manufacturing isn't a forecast — it's a buy order.This week on Money On Tap, Ben Brayshaw and Dan Michelon continue the series with The Railroads of Robotics — the picks-and-shovels playbook for physical AI and the next great industrial build-out.What you'll learn: Why three forces — reshoring, labor shortage, and 1–3 year robot payback — make automation inevitable The four investable layers: robots · AI systems · software · hardware A walk-through of the public names: Rockwell Automation, Teradyne, Emerson Electric, NVIDIA, Tesla (Optimus), AeroVironment, Applied Materials, Autodesk How cobots are reshaping skilled-trades work — and what the NVIDIA CEO's "three-day work week" prediction really means Five robotics-themed ETFs walked through: ROBO, BOTZ, IBOT, ARKQ, ROBT What to tell the kids and grandkids about which jobs will actually exist in 10 years The geopolitical risk that could shelve this entire build-out overnight Plus Money In The News: United Airlines hikes fares up to 20% — CEO admits passing 100% of…
People in this episode
Host: Ben Brayshaw
Guest: Dan Michelon
Topics covered
- robotics
- automation
- investing
- manufacturing
- cobots
- reshoring
Keywords
- industrial robots
- automation
- robot payback
- cobots
- ETFs
- investing
- reshoring
- labor shortage
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Rockwell Automation, Teradyne, Emerson Electric, NVIDIA, Tesla, AeroVironment, Applied Materials, Autodesk, United Airlines, SpaceX
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