Carolina Parada, Senior Director and Head of Robotics at Google DeepMind, dives into the exciting world of robotics. She discusses the leap in robotic capabilities with multimodal understanding and embodied reasoning, allowing robots to perform tasks like tying shoelaces and adapting in real-time. Parada explains the innovative two-system approach enabling robots to combine complex reasoning with rapid responses. With advancements in dexterity and learning methods, she envisions a future where robots significantly enhance human capabilities, especially in healthcare.
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insights INSIGHT
Robots React to Novel Scenarios
Current robots can understand and react to new situations without scripted behaviors.
Leveraging Gemini's multimodal model allows robots to handle unseen objects and tasks flexibly.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Robot Slam Dunk Surprise
The robot performed a slam dunk with a toy basketball it had never seen before immediately.
It used Gemini's conceptual understanding of basketball to decide how to act instantly.
insights INSIGHT
Multimodal Input in Robotics
Humans understand the world through multiple senses and robots need multimodal input for powerful intelligence.
Robotics requires combining natural language and visual input to decide on physical actions effectively.
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In this book, Daniel Kahneman takes readers on a tour of the mind, explaining how the two systems of thought shape our judgments and decisions. System 1 is fast, automatic, and emotional, while System 2 is slower, effortful, and logical. Kahneman discusses the impact of cognitive biases, the difficulties of predicting future happiness, and the effects of overconfidence on corporate strategies. He offers practical insights into how to guard against mental glitches and how to benefit from slow thinking in both personal and business life. The book also explores the distinction between the 'experiencing self' and the 'remembering self' and their roles in our perception of happiness.
I, Robot
Isaac Asimov
This book is a fixup collection of short stories that tell the history of robotics from its inception to a future where robots are integral to society. The stories are framed by Dr. Susan Calvin, a robopsychologist, recounting her experiences with various robots and the complexities that arise from their interactions with humans. The collection introduces Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics and delves into themes of morality, psychology, and the social implications of creating intelligent machines. The stories feature recurring characters such as Dr. Calvin, Powell, and Donovan, and explore how robots interpret and comply with the Three Laws, often leading to unexpected and thought-provoking outcomes.
In this episode, Hannah is joined by Carolina Parada, Senior Director and Head of Robotics at Google DeepMind. They explore the recent leap forward in robotic capabilities, highlighting advancements in multimodal understanding and embodied reasoning, which enable robots to interact with the physical world with unprecedented generality.
They dig into the two-system approach - ‘slow and fast thinking‘ - that enables both complex reasoning and rapid, reactive movements. Using examples from robots learning dexterous tasks such as tying shoelaces to adapting to entirely new scenarios in real-time, Parada highlights how key breakthroughs in understanding, dexterity, and control are now coming together to rapidly advance robotics unlike ever before.
Thanks to everyone who made this possible, including but not limited to:
Presenter: Professor Hannah Fry
Series Producer: Dan Hardoon
Editor: Rami Tzabar
Commissioner & Producer: Emma Yousif
Music: Eleni Shaw
Audio Engineer: Richard Courtice
Production Manager: Dan Lazard
Video Studio Production: Nicholas Duke Video
Director: Bernardo Resende
Video Editor: Bilal Merhi
Audio Engineer: Perry Rogantin
Camera and Lighting Operator: Robert Messere
Production Coordination: Zoey Roberts, Sarah Ellen Morton
Visual Identity and Design: Rob Ashley
Commissioned by Google DeepMind
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Please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts if you enjoyed this episode. We always want to hear from our audience whether that's in the form of feedback, new idea or a guest recommendation!
Google DeepMind: The Podcast 
