Building Deep Tech with Ilir Aliu Ep 75 | We Should Scale It Up Ourselves (w/ Lerrel Pinto)
Aug 13, 2025
In this discussion, Lerrel Pinto, an Assistant Professor at NYU and a leading figure in robotics, shares insights from his journey from India to the top of the research field. He delves into the challenges of teaching robots to generalize like humans and the significance of open-source robotics. Lerrel also reveals his current venture, Assured Robot Intelligence, while managing a high-profile lab. The conversation highlights the critical role mentorship plays in technology and the exciting advancements shaping the future of robotics.
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From Tinkering To Robot Brains
- Lerrel Pinto shifted from hardware tinkering to focusing on AI after realizing robots lacked intelligent control.
- He pursued grad school at CMU to learn the 'brain' of robots and joined Abhinav Gupta's lab.
Learning By Building Competition Robots
- Lerrel spent his undergrad building competition robots for Robocon, learning mechanical design and practical troubleshooting.
- He recalls burning batteries and triggering smoke alarms as part of the hands-on learning process.
Choose, Do, Then Iterate
- Choose a path and start doing the work to gain information and reduce decision paralysis.
- Iteration and experience reveal better options and let you pivot as your knowledge grows.