# BlueBotics CEO: The highest-risk automation decisions happen before deployment

- Source: Robotics & Automation News
- Published: 2026-10-30T15:24:25.000Z
- RoboHot: https://robohot.news/en/items/bunpev70l9nc9xij8ae80sl9a
- Original: https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2026/10/30/opinion-the-riskiest-automation-decisions-happen-before-deployment/106474/

## Summary

BlueBotics CEO Nicola Tomatis points out that key decisions in mobile robot projects—such as fleet size, routes, charging points, and pick/drop locations—are already fixed before deployment, and simulation can verify these assumptions in advance. In simulation tests, his team found that after accurately modeling pick/drop behavior, similar vehicle configurations required about 30% different numbers of vehicles to complete the same task; adding just 1 second of delay at each intersection also significantly affected system performance. Once a project reaches about 5 to 10 vehicles, the value of simulation rises rapidly.