Marc Raibert, founder of Boston Dynamics, talks about innovation at Boston Dynamics, moving to the AI Institute, legged robotics, applications of humanoid robotics, robot testing standards, repositioning of a robotics company, maneuvering and sensing in robotics, and the future impact of robots on labor.
The AI Institute focuses on four key areas: cognitive AI, athletic AI, organic hardware design, and ethics, aiming to enhance robot's understanding, physical capabilities, manipulation skills, and ethical considerations.
The AI Institute has a long-term research timeline of 5 to 10 years, aiming to demonstrate tangible progress in one to two years through projects like watch-understand-do and dexterous mobile manipulation.
The speaker expresses the potential impact of robotics and AI in various areas, including industrial and domestic applications, while emphasizing the emotional appeal of robots and their potential to be used in social impact spheres.
Deep dives
The Genesis of the AI Institute
Mark Raybert founded the AI Institute with the aim of creating a research organization focused on long-term and pure R&D. The Institute is funded by Hyundai and aims to make robots smarter by improving their cognitive abilities.
Key Focus Areas of the AI Institute
The AI Institute focuses on four key areas: cognitive AI, athletic AI, organic hardware design, and ethics. In the cognitive AI area, the Institute aims to make robots understand and interact with the world at a higher level. Athletic AI focuses on improving physical capabilities and dynamic maneuvering. Organic hardware design aims to enhance robot manipulation skills, while ethics is a crucial aspect of the Institute's work.
Long-Term Research and Demonstration Projects
The AI Institute has a long-term research timeline of 5 to 10 years. While the concepts presented by Mark Raybert are still science fiction, the Institute aims to demonstrate tangible progress in one to two years. Projects include watch-understand-do, dexterous mobile manipulation, and undisclosed initiatives that focus on areas such as task execution and troubleshooting.
Recruitment and Focus on Fearless Engineers
The AI Institute is actively hiring engineers and researchers to join their team. They prioritize fearless individuals who are willing to take on challenging problems and learn from failures. The Institute encourages a technical fearlessness and intrepid mindset to tackle complex robotic challenges.
Vision for Robotics and AI
The speaker emphasizes the potential impact of robotics and AI in various areas, including industrial and domestic applications. They believe that robots will play a crucial role in assisting with tasks, but they don't foresee a radical transformation of human life. The speaker mentions the emotional appeal of robots and their potential to be used in social impact spheres. They express excitement about developing robots that can dance and interact with people, highlighting the fun side of robotics.
Building a World-Class Research Institute
The speaker discusses the importance of building a world-class research institute for robotics and AI. They mention ongoing efforts to gather talent and attract the best researchers. The speaker also emphasizes the need for a strong ethics and policy framework and expresses interest in exploring the ethical implications of robotics and conducting R&D in this area. They mention potential collaborations with other organizations and the intention to have open conversations with various perspectives on the topic of robotics and ethics.
This week we feature the Robotics Summit 2023 keynote fireside chat between Steve Crowe and Marc Raibert. Marc founded Boston Dynamics and led the company as CEO for 30 years until he left last year to found the AI Institute.
Steve and Marc talk about the amazing innovation at Boston Dynamics and why Marc decided to switch gears and move to the AI institute. It's a memorable conversation that we wanted to feature on the podcast both for listeners who were unable to attend and as a recap for those who did attend the recent Robotics Summit in Boston.
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