Automate It: A Robotics Podcast

Polymath Robotics

Each week, the co-founders of Polymath Robotics sit down to give you the inside scoop on the robotics industry. They'll share war stories, weird facts, and little-known approaches to working with robots (with a special focus on autonomous vehicles). About the hosts: Stefan Seltz-Axmacher is the CEO of Polymath Robotics, and is best known as the founder of Starsky Robotics, an early autonomous trucking pioneer. Ilia Baranov, CTO, was employee # 10 at Clearpath Robotics, has led teams at Amazon's home robot division, and owned the ROS repo after Willow Garage shut down.

  1. 8 OCT

    Ep 63 – Robots, Cells, and the FDA with Fred Parietti of Multiply Labs

    In ep 62 of Automate It, Stefan and Ilia sit down with Fred Parietti of Multiply Labs to talk about the wild intersection of robotics and biology – from personalized pills to robots making cell therapies. They dig into why $500K cell therapies still rely on manual, error-prone lab work, how biology’s “black magic” makes automation nearly impossible, and what it takes to build robots that can work in sterile clean rooms. Along the way, Fred explains why the FDA isn’t the villain everyone assumes, why supplements crushed his soul, and how learning from video demos might finally teach robots the unteachable. It’s a journey through biotech’s artisanal chaos, startup pivots, and the strange joy of realizing your robots are better suited for cell therapy than Instagram. If you’re into robotics, biotech, startup war stories, or just want to hear Ilia out himself as an actual cyborg, this one’s for you.

    44 min

  2. 21 AUG

    Ep 62 – The Billion-Dollar Blind Spot in Enterprise Robotics

    In Ep 62 of Automate It, Stefan and Ilia imagine a fleet of LLM-powered “Robot Ranger 3000” dog bots to track and protect endangered deer, complete with battery swaps, forest-wide power cables, and some very questionable AI decisions. Then, they dig into the real challenges of enterprise robotics — from integrating with decades-old IT systems to why autonomy is the key to efficiency in mining and agriculture. They also share how fundraising doubles as a sales tactic and why trillion dollar industries still fly under Silicon Valley’s radar.

    51 min

  3. 25 JUN

    Ep 61 - The Three Laws of Robotics

    In ep 61 of Automate It, Stefan and Ilia dive headfirst into robot subversion hoodies, self-cleaning backyards, and the philosophical sinkholes of the Three Laws of Robotics. They explore why "don't hurt humans" is harder to code than it sounds, the limits of common sense in machine learning, and how old sci-fi still haunts today’s AI safety debates. Then, things get weird. From fiber optic controlled drones in Ukraine to perimeter defense bots equipped with buzzsaws, the duo brainstorm real (and, our lawyer wants to say, inadvisable) autonomous battlefield tech. But first, they play the robot invention game and accidentally invent a $2,000 robotic hand-on-a-stick startup. If you're into philosophy, robotics, defense tech, and backyard wood chip problems(?), this one’s for you.

    49 min

  4. 14 MAY

    Ep 60 - Does Nobody Care About Driver-Out Anymore?

    On this episode of Automate It, Stefan and Ilia dive into Aurora’s recent announcement about running driver-out trucks on public highways—an undeniably huge technical feat, but one that curiously failed to make a media splash. But first, they play the Robot Invention Game, drawing a wild scenario: applying deep learning to railroads.

    38 min

  5. 24 APR

    Ep 59 - David LaRose from Carnegie Robotics on the Reality of Robotics

    This week on Automate It, we're excited to have a special guest! Carnegie Robotics co-founder David LaRose joins the podcast to share his perspective on the evolution of robotics from academic research to rugged real-world systems. He reflects on what’s changed - and what hasn’t - over the last 15 years, from safety systems that still rely on spreadsheets to why so many autonomous vehicle projects have stalled. David also unpacks the real challenges of selling to the DoD, the importance of enabling the next generation of robotics companies with hardened components, and what it’s like crawling through Florida cornfields in the name of agtech R&D. (00:00) Introduction and welcome to the episode (00:32) Robot Invention Game: Foundational Models for Space Exploration (18:30) David’s journey from liberal arts to robotics via IBM and CMU (20:41) Founding Carnegie Robotics (23:55) Why the robotics industry hasn’t scaled as fast as expected (29:18) Safety systems: still slow, manual, and deeply fragmented (35:17) Why big companies (Amazon, Apple) still struggle with robotics (40:05) Demos gone wrong: off-by-one bugs, e-stop failures, and bedbugs (45:38) Working with the DoD: myths, structure, and real challenges (01:08:30) Launching ruggedized autonomy kits and components online (01:16:33) Environmental challenges and thermal testing tales (01:20:42) Advice for roboticists: Embrace collaboration, not just competition (01:23:00) What’s next for Carnegie Robotics: Supporting the enablers

    1h 13m

  6. 9 APR

    Ep 58 - Why is Hardware So Expensive?

    In the 58th episode of Automate It, Polymath Robotics co-founders Stefan Seltz-Axmacher and Ilia Baranov discuss why hardware for robots is so dang expensive. But first, they play the robot invention game and come up with a humanoid axe murderer.

    31 min

  7. 13 MAR

    Ep 57 - Vertical vs Horizontal Integration in Tech

    On Ep 57 of Automate It, Stefan and Ilia get into Polymath Robotics' latest progress—scaling the team, launching new customer projects, and pushing forward despite the usual challenges. Then they play the robot game, brainstorming how machine learning could help identify high-value recyclables -- devolving into "spot the $10 treasure," complete with GPU budgets, conveyor belt chaos, and the eternal battle between processing speed and precision. Then, they tackle the vertical vs. horizontal integration debate—when to build, when to buy, and how to avoid the costly mistakes of legacy autonomy. Plus, a deep dive into Polymath’s approach to testing and development, from cost-effective sensor trials to the surprising impact of RF interference in agricultural automation.

    43 min

  8. 20 FEB

    Ep 56 - The Pitfalls of Traditional Collision Avoidance Systems

    On this episode of Automate It, Stefan and Ilia break down the surprisingly flawed state of collision avoidance systems in mining—where billion-dollar companies still rely on network-dependent GPS safety systems that can fail with network outages, jamming, or spoofing. They get into why legacy mining autonomy is stuck in the past, how vendor lock-in prevents progress, and what a modern, sensor-driven approach to safety should actually look like. But first, they play the robot invention game, brainstorming thermal-camera-guided healthcare robots before escalating into a zombie apocalypse fever-detection system—complete with flamethrowers, saw blades, and a ruthless AI security gate. You're welcome.

    42 min
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About

Each week, the co-founders of Polymath Robotics sit down to give you the inside scoop on the robotics industry. They'll share war stories, weird facts, and little-known approaches to working with robots (with a special focus on autonomous vehicles). About the hosts: Stefan Seltz-Axmacher is the CEO of Polymath Robotics, and is best known as the founder of Starsky Robotics, an early autonomous trucking pioneer. Ilia Baranov, CTO, was employee # 10 at Clearpath Robotics, has led teams at Amazon's home robot division, and owned the ROS repo after Willow Garage shut down.

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