For the next several weeks, TechCrunch’s robotics newsletter, Actuator, will be running Q&As with some of the top minds in robotics. Subscribe here for future updates.
Part 1: CMU’s Matthew Johnson-Roberson
Part 2: Max Bajracharya and Russ Tedrake of the Toyota Research Institute
Part 3: Dhruv Batra of Meta
This time it’s Boston Dynamics CTO Aaron Saunders. He has been with the company for more than 20 years, most recently as vice president of Engineering.
What role(s) will genetic artificial intelligence play in the future of robotics?
The current rate of change makes it difficult to predict the very distant future. Core models represent a major shift in how we build the best machine learning models, and we’re already seeing some impressive near-term speedups in natural language interfaces. They offer opportunities to create conversational interfaces with our bots, improve the quality of existing computer vision functions, and potentially enable new customer experience capabilities such as visual question answering. Ultimately, we believe that these more scalable architectures and training strategies are likely to extend the language and vision of the past in robotic design and control. Being able to interpret the world around a robot will lead to a much richer understanding of how to interact with it. It’s a really exciting time to be a roboticist!
What are your thoughts on the humanoid form factor?
Humanoids are not necessarily the best form factor for all tasks. Take Stretch, for example — we initially generated interest in a box-moving robot from a video we shared of Atlas moving boxes. Just because humans can move boxes doesn’t mean we’re the best form factor to accomplish this task, and we ended up designing a custom robot at Stretch that can move boxes more efficiently and effectively than a human. With that said, we see great potential in the long-term pursuit of robotic general use, and the humanoid form factor is the most obvious fit with a world built around our form. We’ve always been excited about the potential of humanoids and are working hard to bridge the technology gap.
After manufacturing and warehouses, what is the next big category for robotics?
These two industries still stand out when you consider matching customer needs with the latest technology. As we move up, I think we will slowly move from environments that have determinism to those with higher levels of uncertainty. Once we see widespread adoption in automation-friendly industries like manufacturing and logistics, the next wave will likely happen in sectors like construction and healthcare. Sectors like these are compelling opportunities because they have a large labor force and a high demand for skilled labor, but the supply is not meeting the needs. Combine this with work environments, which lie between the highly structured industrial environment and the completely unstructured consumer market, and it could represent a natural next step on the path to the overall goal.
How far are true general purpose robots?
There are many difficult problems between today’s and truly general purpose robots. Custom-built robots have become a commodity in the world of industrial automation, but we’re just now seeing the emergence of multipurpose robots. To be truly general purpose, robots will need to navigate unstructured environments and deal with problems they have not encountered. They will need to do this in a way that builds trust and delights the user. And they should offer that value at a competitive price. The good news is that we are seeing an exciting increase in critical mass and interest in the sector. Our children are exposed to robotics early on, and our recent graduates are helping to drive a huge acceleration in technology. Today’s challenge of delivering value to industrial customers paves the way to tomorrow’s consumer opportunity and the general purpose future we all dream of.
Will home robots take off (beyond the gaps) in the next decade?
We may see additional introduction of robots into the home in the next decade, but for very limited and specific tasks (like the Roomba, we will find other clear cases of value in our daily lives). We’re still more than a decade away from multifunctional home robots delivering value to the broad consumer market. When would you pay as much for a robot as you would for a car? When it achieves the same level of reliability and value you take for granted in the amazing machines we use to take us around the world.
What major robotics story/trend isn’t getting enough coverage?
There is a lot of excitement around artificial intelligence and its potential to change all industries, including robotics. While it has a clear role and can unlock areas that have been relatively static for decades, there is much more to a good robotics product than the 1s and 0s. For AI to achieve the physical embodiment we need to interact with the world around us us, we need to keep up with advances in key technologies such as computers, perceptual sensors, power sources, and all the other pieces that make up a complete robotic system. The automotive industry’s recent shift to electrification and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) is rapidly transforming a vast supply chain. Advances in graphics cards, computers and increasingly sophisticated AI-enabled consumer electronics continue to drive value into adjacent supply chains. This huge technology snowball, rarely in the spotlight, is one of the most exciting trends in robotics because it enables small innovative companies to stand on the backs of giants to create new and exciting products.
