embodied intelligence
"The humans, they have the superior human brain."
"And we don't have such a capability in robotics these days."
In robotics, people think the field is ready to take off—that robots will soon do whatever humans do.
But we are really quite far away yet.
the challenge
the human brain
We are trying with neural networks, what we call foundation robot models, to create a model that can generalize and execute tasks that make sense.
But we are not there yet.
the human hand
The human hand is a very sophisticated musculoskeletal system that can achieve a lot of precision and adapt to everyday life scenarios.
"Do we need AI to write poetry? Do we need AI to make new paintings?"
"These are human things."
the data problem
Large language models work with text and words. The data is readily available everywhere on the internet.
But what about robotics?
When I manipulate an object, I have:
- Slipping
- Contact rolling
- Contact compliance
- 3D movement with positions and orientations
- Forces and torques applied to the object
The dimensionality of this task is vastly increased.
You don't have an internet of robotic data.
where AI belongs
"We need to take the value of AI and put it where people need it—in parts of production that destroy human joints."
Companies have huge labor gaps. You can take a person from a job destroying their joints and put them in another position supervising a robot.
"Can we make people with paralysis walk again? I think yes, in the very near future."
"Is this something where AI can play a very big role? 100%."
can robots feel?
"If you had asked me five years ago, I would be more pessimistic."
"What does it mean to feel? We collect sensory information and create what we call feelings."
"But are feelings just brain processes? Or something beyond the brain?"
human augmentation
"I really believe that humans will be augmented in the future."
"I don't like chips in the brain. They don't feel like a good solution to me."
"Maybe we need to focus on making our lives a little bit better."
a trillion dollar opportunity
"This kind of AI—let's call it embodied AI, let's call it physical AI—unlocks a trillion dollar opportunity."
"It's not a coincidence that everybody worldwide is in an AI race. They understand that AI is here to transform economies."
"The essence of an economy will be different."
Guest Expert: Dr. Minas Liarokapis, Co-Founder/CTO of Acumino (www.acumino.ai)
Filmed at the Acropolis Hill in Athens, Greece on February 28, 2025.