Episode 15 | Robots Enabling Affordable Healthy Food | Daniel Theobald

In this episode, we engaged in a conversation with Daniel Theobald, a distinguished individual who holds positions of Co-founder and President at MassRobotics, Founder and Chairman at Vecna Robotics, and Founder and CEO at Mekable.

Our dialogue with Daniel unveils his background, as he narrates his formative years spent in Silicon Valley. From a tender age, he found himself immersed in the world of robotics and artificial intelligence. Notably, Daniel recounts a momentous encounter with Eduard Teller, the renowned physicist hailed as the "father of the hydrogen bomb," an experience that greatly influenced his professional journey. Subsequently, his educational pursuit led him to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he established his own robotics program. Since then, he has gone on to found successful companies.

Throughout our discussion, it becomes evident that his teams possess a deep sense of camaraderie and mutual care, enabling them to accomplish remarkable feats and assume pioneering roles within the robotics industry.

Join us as we talk about the importance of prioritizing happiness in the workplace, career decision-making, as well as nurturing a genuine concern for both the business and the individuals involved. Moreover, Daniel explains how his passion for his work has empowered him to make a tangible impact within the industry without resorting to external sources of capital or funding.

Time Stamps
00:00 Machine Minds Show
01:30 Daniel’s background
4:25 Impact of MassRobotics
5:30 The world runs on pallets
7:10 Empowering human productivity
8:00 Twisted Fields
8:30 Technology not taking jobs
10:50 The goal of enabling affordable healthy food
15:00 Organic Foods against Covid
16:00 Sharing lessons
18:00 Asking for help
19:00 Trusting your gut
20:30 People come first
26:40 Relationships with coworkers
29:00 How remote working has affected working culture
31:40 Taking care of your coworkers
33:00 Community service and productivity
36:30 Daniel’s perspective on funding
40:00 Taking investor money is not always the best
45:20 You’re more likely to get laid off from big companies
47:40 The current state of the robotics industry
50:00 We shouldn’t fear technology
 
Twisted Fields
https://www.twistedfields.com

Vecna Robotics
Vecnarobotics.com

MassRobotics
massrobotics.org/

More about our guest, Daniel Theobald
linkedin.com/in/daniel-theobald

Machine Minds:
Apple Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/machine-minds/id1696335193
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1apGh7xMItxo9UEYUwijZL?si=a6d2646c0f6540be

Google Podcast:
https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8yMjEyMTQ4LnJzcw==

Youtube:
https://youtube.com/@machinemindsshow

Let’s connect on social media:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/machinemindsshow/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian/