Diligent Robotics reposted this
Robotics is certainly having its moment. Reading this Financial Times piece, I couldn’t help but reflect on how far we’ve come—and the exciting challenges ahead. The rapid advancements in physical AI highlighted resonate deeply with both my work at Diligent and my academic research into human-robot interaction. There are many inspiring demonstrations and examples of robot dexterity in the article (presented beautifully by the way). And while it’s fun to see robots flipping pancakes or tying shoelaces, as demonstrations of how functional these new capabilities are, the real test will come when the rubber hits the road in a real environment. Speaking from experience in bringing research to product - the truly complex things that mobile manipulation robots need to handle are in their ability to navigate dynamic, unpredictable environments and work with humans, not just for them. This is where some of the most interesting aspects of embodied AI come into play. At Diligent, we’ve spent years honing Moxi’s ability to operate seamlessly alongside healthcare teams in busy hospitals—managing lab and pharmacy workflows, badging into secure areas, and even riding elevators with people autonomously. These environments aren’t static. They require robots that can adapt in real-time, respond to people in the environment, and handle the complexities of the physical world. At Diligent we focus not on building robots that imitate humans—but instead on designing general purpose robots that complement and enhance what humans do best. This is where I see the future of robotics being most exciting -- the future is People + Robots. The article’s discussion of advances in teaching robots dexterity really highlights the importance of robust datasets in shaping these capabilities. At Diligent, every delivery our fleet of Moxi robots make contributes to a growing knowledge base that informs smarter, more adaptable systems. This ability to leverage a fleet of robots in the world is going to be a key factor in putting dexterous robots to work in the real world. Having been in the field of Robot Learning for years, it’s incredibly exciting to see the surge of advances in dexterity and robot capability today. For companies and founders working to productize these advances, the focus needs to remain clear: creating technology that serves human needs with precision, empathy, and practicality. https://lnkd.in/gC6nvf3T