Robotics remains in what Techable VC founder and managing partner Amulya Vishwanath calls a “Lego era,” as developers continue work on key hardware, software and safety elements, TechCrunch reported Oct. 16.
Before founding Techable VC, Vishwanath spent seven years overseeing product marketing for NVIDIA’s robotics platforms. Her firm backs early-stage physical AI companies working in robotics, materials science and life sciences, TechCrunch reported.
Vishwanath pointed to actuators and robotic hands, as well as software and safety standards, as components still being developed. The examples span physical hardware and the software and safety elements she sees as unfinished parts of the field.
Her view contrasts with the belief that a general foundation model could bring robotics a ChatGPT-like breakthrough. General Intuition CEO Pim de Witte argued in an earlier appearance on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast that one broadly capable model could reduce the need for task-specific robotics efforts. The comparison invokes ChatGPT, which launched in late 2022.
NVIDIA announced NVIDIA Halos for Robotics on June 22, extending its autonomous-vehicle safety architecture to humanoid and industrial robots. NVIDIA named Agility as its first partner to incorporate elements of the system into humanoid safety work.
