Automated with Brian Heater

Association for Advancing Automation

Get a direct line to the biggest names and brightest minds in robotics, Physical AI, and automation. Automated with Brian Heater brings you long-form conversations and unfiltered insights into how we got here, where we’re going, and what’s behind the technologies that are shaping how we live and work. 

  1. 3d ago ·  Video

    Rajat Bhageria on Why Chef Robotics Walked Away From Restaurants

    Chef Robotics had millions of dollars in contracted revenue from fast-casual restaurant chains. Rajat Bhageria still chose to walk away. The demand was real. The model was not viable. Restaurants only operate at peak production for a few hours a day, while a useful robot may need to handle as many as 90 different ingredients. The economics and technical reality did not support the company Rajat wanted to build. In this episode of Automated, Brian Heater speaks with Rajat, founder and CEO of Chef Robotics, about the difficult decision to leave restaurants behind as the company’s starting market and focus on high-mix food manufacturing instead. Rajat explains how the team assumed food factories were already automated until it visited plants where hundreds of people were still portioning meals by hand. Unlike a restaurant, these facilities can run production for as many as 16 hours a day. A robot on a high-mix assembly line may also need to handle four or five ingredients instead of every ingredient on a restaurant menu. The conversation reveals why so much fresh-food production remains manual. Low-mix products such as soup, cereal, or bagged vegetables can justify dedicated automation. Fresh meals, wraps, salads, and prepared foods require constant changeovers across hundreds or even thousands of SKUs. That flexibility still often comes from people working in refrigerated production rooms. Brian and Rajat also examine the robotics graveyard. Rajat argues that many robotics startups do not fail because their technology is poor. They fail because they choose the wrong customer, solve the wrong problem, or never make the unit economics work. That same tension now hangs over the humanoid market, where capital runway may determine which companies survive long enough to reach commercial scale. They also discuss what it takes to win a manufacturer’s trust when a startup has no track record. Chef structured early deployments around clear acceptance tests, embedded its engineers at customer sites, and spent a year sending team members into plants before sunrise to find bugs, release new software, and test it again the next morning. Finally, Rajat explains why Chef’s lack of food-industry insiders became an advantage only because customers acted as true design partners. The team learned food safety, production planning, and line operations directly in the field. It also discovered that the hardest robotics problems were often the least obvious, including clear trays on white conveyors, sloped floors, changing line speeds, and placing food without spilling it. The result is a candid conversation about product-market fit, customer pull, real-world robotics, and why shipping a useful system requires much more than building impressive technology. Connect with Rajat Bhageria https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajatbhageria Learn more about Chef Robotics https://www.chefrobotics.ai/ We’d love to hear from you. Have thoughts or guest suggestions? Reach us at podcast@automate.org You can find the transcript and more episodes of Automated at https://automated.fm Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation. Subscribe today and leave a review on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the Automated Newsletter. https://www.youtube.com/@automatedpodcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/automated-with-brian-heater/id1837762221 https://open.spotify.com/show/60olq6brlBEIJWggx2fMR6 https://www.automate.org/automation/automated-newsletter LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/

    Rajat Bhageria on Why Chef Robotics Walked Away From Restaurants
  2. Aug 26 ·  Video

    Kate Darling on Why Humans Bond With Robots

    Humans know robots are machines. That does not stop us from naming them, caring about them, or feeling uncomfortable when someone hurts one. In this episode of Automated, Brian Heater speaks with Kate Darling, Research Lead for Robotics, Ethics & Society at RAI Institute, about why social robots may be far more valuable than their current capabilities suggest. Kate believes every social robot we have seen so far is still in the PalmPilot stage of innovation. The breakthrough may come when people stop asking what a robot does and begin recognizing companionship itself as the application. But that emotional connection also creates risks. Kate explains why empathy is not a finite resource, even if attention is, and how companion technologies can be designed to serve a company’s interests instead of the user’s. The problem is not simply that people form relationships with machines. It is what businesses may do with those relationships. Brian and Kate also discuss humanoid robot safety, including what happens when an emergency stop causes a dynamically balanced robot to collapse. Kate explains why the workers who understand factories and warehouses need to be involved in these decisions before robots are deployed. The conversation also challenges one of automation’s most familiar promises: that robots will take over dull, dirty, and dangerous work. Kate argues that these labels are rarely defined and can overlook cultural differences, underreported injuries, and the parts of a job that workers actually enjoy. They also explore the future of work and why robots are not independently coming for anyone’s job. Companies make choices about how automation is used, whether it replaces a worker or improves an entire workflow. Finally, Kate shares the unforgettable Pleo experiment that changed the direction of her career. After participants bonded with a group of baby robot dinosaurs, they refused to damage them, even when threatened with losing every robot in the room. The experiment was not a formal scientific study, but the participants’ emotional response revealed something Kate has spent her career exploring: people can know a robot is a machine and still feel deeply compelled to treat it as if it were alive. Connect with Kate Darling https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-darling-37a181149 Learn more about Kate’s work https://www.katedarling.org/ Learn more about RAI Institute https://rai-inst.com/ Read The New Breed https://www.amazon.com/New-Breed-History-Animals-Reveals/dp/1250296102 We’d love to hear from you. Have thoughts or guest suggestions? Reach us at podcast@automate.org You can find the transcript and more episodes of Automated at automated.fm Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation. Subscribe today and leave a review on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the Automated Newsletter. https://www.youtube.com/@automatedpodcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/automated-with-brian-heater/id1837762221 https://open.spotify.com/show/60olq6brlBEIJWggx2fMR6 https://www.automate.org/automation/automated-newsletter LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/

    Kate Darling on Why Humans Bond With Robots
  3. Aug 19 ·  Video

    Nic Radford on Humanoid Robots Beyond the Backflip

    Humanoid robots can walk, fold laundry, and even do backflips. Nic Radford wants to know whether anyone will pay them to work. In this episode of Automated, Brian Heater speaks with Nic Radford, co-founder and CEO of Persona AI and a former NASA roboticist who helped lead the development of Robonaut 2 and Valkyrie, about what it takes to turn a humanoid robot into a durable business. Nic explains why Persona is starting with welding and shipbuilding through its partnership with HD Hyundai, rather than waiting for a single general-purpose robot that can do everything. He breaks down the market questions that matter just as much as the technology: labor scarcity, task complexity, customer purchasing power, tool use, safety, unit economics, and the willingness to adopt. The conversation also gets deeply technical. Nic’s career as a high jumper, and the titanium ankle he now lives with, helped fuel a long-running fascination with biomechanics. He explains why the human ankle is so difficult to recreate, why adding motors at the bottom of a robot’s leg creates an energy problem, and how humanoid designers have to balance capability against overengineering. Brian and Nic also revisit Nic’s years at NASA. Nic explains how radiation can flip bits in a robot’s machine code, why Robonaut used three processors in each actuator, and why building a robot for the deep ocean's pressure can be even harder than building one for space. They also explore the original vision for Robonaut as an astronaut helper and emergency responder, the role DARPA played in advancing modern robotics, and why moonshot programs create lasting value even when the original goal remains out of reach. Finally, Nic shares what humanoid robotics can learn from the nearly 20-year arc of self-driving technology. The biggest lesson may be that impressive hardware is only one part of the journey. The real test is whether the technology solves a valuable problem, reaches customers, and gives them a reason to ask for another robot. Connect with Nic Radford https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolaus-radford Learn more about Persona AI https://persona.ai/ Learn more about Persona AI’s work with HD Hyundai https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hd-hyundai-and-persona-ai-sign-agreement-to-deploy-humanoid-welding-robots-for-shipbuilding-automation-302449258.html We’d love to hear from you. Have thoughts or guest suggestions? Reach us at podcast@automate.org You can find the transcript and more episodes of Automated at automated.fm Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation. Subscribe today and leave a review on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the Automated Newsletter. https://www.youtube.com/@automatedpodcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/automated-with-brian-heater/id1837762221 https://open.spotify.com/show/60olq6brlBEIJWggx2fMR6 https://www.automate.org/automation/automated-newsletter LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/

    Nic Radford on Humanoid Robots Beyond the Backflip
  4. Aug 12 ·  Video

    Kathryn Zealand and Jessica Bath on Wearable Robotics, Parkinson’s, and the Future of Mobility

    The ability to move is about far more than getting from one place to another. It can shape independence, confidence, social connection, and quality of life. In this special episode of Automated, Brian Heater speaks with Kathryn Zealand, founder and CEO of Skip, the Google X spinout behind MO/GO, and Jessica Bath, DPT, PhD, assistant professor of physical therapy at UCSF. Kathryn explains how a personal experience with her grandmother helped lead her from theoretical physics and evaluating moonshots at Google X into wearable robotics. She breaks down why Skip thinks about MO/GO as an “e-bike for walking,” how the company is building foundation models of human movement using real-world gait data, and why hiking offered a better starting point than the structured environments where many exoskeleton companies begin. The conversation then turns to Parkinson’s disease, a subject that has become deeply personal for Brian following his father’s diagnosis and recent passing. Kathryn and Jessica explore freezing of gait, fall risk, and what researchers still do not understand about the neurological signals behind movement. They also discuss how wearable robotics, deep brain stimulation, exercise, physical therapy, and better movement data could help people remain active and independent. MO/GO itself is a consumer recreation device and is not FDA-cleared. Skip’s work around Parkinson’s uses a separate prototype and is being studied through clinical research. Kathryn also shares the deeply personal story behind Project Stardust, a research-stage effort working toward better at-home pregnancy monitoring that she helped launch after the loss of her son, Ziggy. It is a conversation about movement, dignity, data, and what it means to build technology around problems that genuinely matter to people. Connect with Kathryn Zealand: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-zealand/ Learn more about Skip and MO/GO: https://www.skipwithjoy.com/ Learn more about Project Stardust: https://project-stardust.org/ Connect with Jessica Bath: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-bath-pt-dpt-phd-a2331499/ Jessica Bath at UCSF: https://profiles.ucsf.edu/jessica.bath Support Parkinson’s research through The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research: https://www.michaeljfox.org/donate We’d love to hear from you. Have thoughts or guest suggestions? Reach us at podcast@automate.org. You can find the transcript and more episodes of Automated at automated.fm. Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation. Subscribe today and leave a review on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the Automated Newsletter. https://www.youtube.com/@automatedpodcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/automated-with-brian-heater/id1837762221 https://open.spotify.com/show/60olq6brlBEIJWggx2fMR6 https://www.automate.org/automation/automated-newsletter LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/

    Kathryn Zealand and Jessica Bath on Wearable Robotics, Parkinson’s, and the Future of Mobility
  5. Aug 5 ·  Video

    Andrei Danescu on Why the Market Does Not Want More Robots

    The market does not want more robots. It wants real-time answers about what is actually happening inside the warehouse. In this episode of Automated, Brian Heater visits Dexory’s new Nashville facility for a conversation with CEO and co-founder Andrei Danescu about his path from Formula 1 engineering to building one of the most distinctive systems in warehouse automation. Andrei explains why motorsport experience transfers so well to robotics. Both fields require hardware, software, control systems, telemetry, and mechanics to perform reliably under pressure. A robot cannot simply produce an impressive demonstration in a lab. It has to work every day in a complex and unpredictable environment. Brian and Andrei trace Dexory’s evolution from autonomous concierge robots at Heathrow and retail mapping tools to the warehouse intelligence platform it has become today. When logistics companies began approaching the team during the pandemic, Dexory did not immediately jump at the opportunity. The company first tested whether warehouse scanning was a real market need or simply another robotics novelty. That validation led to a hard pivot into logistics and the development of a telescoping autonomous robot capable of scanning warehouse racks with millimeter-level precision. But Andrei says the robot itself is only part of the product. DexoryView combines robotics, perception, autonomy, data processing, and a digital twin that allows customers to understand what is happening across their operations. The conversation also explores why Dexory chose to design, engineer, manufacture, deploy, and support its technology in-house. Andrei argues that robotics is a full-stack discipline. Outsourcing the difficult parts can also mean outsourcing the lessons that help a company improve its product and serve customers more effectively. They also discuss how Andrei’s Formula 1 experience inspired Dexory’s approach to digital twins. Just as racing teams use simulations to test different setups before changing a physical car, warehouse operators can use historical data and scenario analysis to test changes before disrupting an active facility. Finally, Andrei explains why warehouse digital twins could become infrastructure for future autonomous forklifts, humanoid robots, and other AI systems, why Dexory selected Nashville for its US expansion, and why the company deliberately never gave its towering robot a name. Connect with Andrei Danescu https://www.linkedin.com/in/darthvader1/ Learn more about Dexory https://www.dexory.com/ We’d love to hear from you. Have thoughts or guest suggestions? Reach us at podcast@automate.org. You can find the transcript and more episodes of Automated at automated.fm. Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation. Subscribe today and leave a review on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the Automated Newsletter. https://www.youtube.com/@automatedpodcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/automated-with-brian-heater/id1837762221 https://open.spotify.com/show/60olq6brlBEIJWggx2fMR6 https://www.automate.org/automation/automated-newsletter You can also find us on: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/

    Andrei Danescu on Why the Market Does Not Want More Robots
  6. Jul 29 ·  Video

    Ali Agha on Robot Hallucinations, Physics, and Real-World AI

    Physical AI is moving into the real world. But once a robot leaves the lab, Ali Agha says edge cases become the environment. In this episode of Automated, recorded live at Automate in Chicago, Brian Heater speaks with Ali Agha, founder and CEO of FieldAI, about building autonomous robots that can operate safely in unpredictable, unstructured places. Ali’s path to FieldAI runs through MIT, Qualcomm, NASA JPL, and DARPA. At Qualcomm, he worked to put autonomy on the low-power Snapdragon processor that would later fly aboard NASA’s Mars helicopter. At JPL, he led aerial mobility research and helped develop robotic systems for caves, subterranean networks, and other environments where maps, GPS, and reliable communication are not available. That work eventually led to the DARPA Subterranean Challenge. Ali’s team sent legged, wheeled, and flying robots into unknown environments to map, explore, and coordinate missions with no prior information. The experience changed how he thought about autonomy. In the physical world, the unusual case quickly becomes the normal case. That idea now sits at the center of FieldAI’s approach. Instead of asking a data-only model to learn every physical rule from raw camera and LiDAR input, FieldAI combines data-driven learning with physics and uncertainty quantification. The goal is to help a robot recognize when it is approaching the limits of what it knows, slow down, and make a safer decision. Brian and Ali dig into what robot hallucinations look like when an AI model controls a physical machine. A wrong answer from a chatbot can be corrected. A wrong move from a robot around people, equipment, or an active jobsite carries a much higher cost. They also examine why FieldAI runs its autonomy entirely on the robot without Wi-Fi, 5G, or a cloud connection. Ali argues that building safety into the architecture from day one allows robots to enter real customer workflows, collect useful data, improve, and create the deployment flywheel that robotics has struggled to start. Construction is especially valuable because the environment changes by the hour. FieldAI is also deploying in energy, manufacturing, logistics, and urban operations, giving its models experience across very different conditions and tasks. Finally, Ali explains why FieldAI is staying robot-agnostic while other physical AI companies move toward building full hardware stacks. Its software is already operating across 34 different robot embodiments, from multi-ton vehicles to quadrupeds and humanoids. Connect with Ali Agha https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-agha-7aa5212a Learn more about FieldAI https://www.fieldai.com/ Learn more about FieldAI’s Field Foundation Models https://www.fieldai.com/news/fieldai-announces-over-400m-in-funds-raised-to-advance-embodied-ai-at-scale We’d love to hear from you. Have thoughts or guest suggestions? Reach us at podcast@automate.org You can find the transcript and more episodes of Automated at automated.fm Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation. Subscribe today and leave a review on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Also subscribe to the newsletter. https://www.youtube.com/@automatedpodcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/automated-with-brian-heater/id1837762221 https://open.spotify.com/show/60olq6brlBEIJWggx2fMR6 https://www.automate.org/automation/automated-newsletter You can also find us on: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/

    Ali Agha on Robot Hallucinations, Physics, and Real-World AI
  7. Jul 22 ·  Video

    Samantha Johnson on the Robot Giving DeafBlind People a New Way to Connect

    Robotics is often judged by how quickly, powerfully, or autonomously a machine can move. Samantha Johnson built a robot to solve a much more human problem: helping DeafBlind people access information and communicate with the people they love. In this episode of Automated, Brian Heater speaks with Samantha Johnson, co-founder and CEO of Tatum Robotics, about how a chance meeting with a DeafBlind woman named Elaine inspired a tactile signing robot that is now being used in the real world. When Samantha asked Elaine how they could stay in touch, Elaine explained that they could not call each other. Samantha immediately began wondering whether a robot could create a new form of communication. Months later, the pandemic made the need even more urgent as social distancing disrupted the in-person contact and interpreting services on which many DeafBlind people relied. Samantha explains how she went from studying bioengineering and looking up basic servo instructions online to building robotic hand prototypes in her apartment. She also shares how almost every assumption she made during the first user test turned out to be wrong. A silicone covering intended to make the hand feel human instead felt like a monster, and users refused to touch it until the material was removed. That experience shaped the way Tatum Robotics develops its technology. DeafBlind consultants, users, and advisors have been involved throughout the process, guiding decisions about the hand’s size, movement, speed, grammar, personalization, and physical design. Brian and Samantha also discuss the pressure she faced from investors who wanted her to set the DeafBlind application aside and instead build a general-purpose robotic gripper. Samantha explains why she refused to compromise the company’s mission and how grants, startup programs, MassRobotics, and the Perkins School for the Blind helped the team continue developing the product. The conversation explores the communication barriers that many people rarely consider. One DeafBlind user explained that after taking a nap, he could not tell whether he had been asleep for two hours or two days. Others had lost contact with friends for more than a decade or could no longer call their own family members. Samantha shares how the robot is now helping users check the time, read news and weather updates, manage notifications, schedule appointments, and make phone calls. One woman used the system to call her daughter for the first time, repeatedly telling her, “It’s your mom. It’s your mom on the phone.” They also dig into the technical challenges of building a low-cost, compliant, tendon-driven hand capable of the dexterity required for tactile finger spelling. Samantha explains how the company customizes the robot for individual users and why one tester briefly forgot she was touching a machine rather than a human hand. Finally, Samantha discusses Tatum Robotics’ next phase, including a full robotic arm capable of more complex signing and potential applications in healthcare, museums, patient portals, and other public environments. Connect with Samantha Johnson https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-johnson-7001b413a Learn more about Tatum Robotics https://tatumrobotics.com/ We’d love to hear from you. Have thoughts or guest suggestions? Reach us at podcast@automate.org. You can find the transcript and more episodes of Automated at automated.fm. Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation. Subscribe today and leave a review on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.  Also subscribe to the Automated Newsletter. https://www.youtube.com/@automatedpodcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/automated-with-brian-heater/id1837762221 https://open.spotify.com/show/60olq6brlBEIJWggx2fMR6 https://www.automate.org/automation/automated-newsletter LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/

    Samantha Johnson on the Robot Giving DeafBlind People a New Way to Connect
  8. Jul 15

    Dr. Ayanna Howard on Human-Centered Robotics, AI Guardrails, and Physical AI

    Robotics and AI are moving fast. But Dr. Ayanna Howard says the real test is not just whether machines become more capable. It is whether those systems are built with people, safety, accessibility, and real-world impact at the center. In this episode of Automated, Brian Heater speaks with Dr. Ayanna Howard, Dean of The Ohio State University College of Engineering, about human-centered robotics, agentic AI, healthcare robotics, accessibility, and what it really takes to move automation into the real world. Dr. Howard’s career has spanned NASA robotics, field robotics, healthcare robotics, assistive technology, AI ethics, and engineering leadership. Across all of that work, one theme has remained constant: technology should help improve the human condition. Brian and Dr. Howard discuss her early fascination with The Bionic Woman, how she started working at NASA after her freshman year of college, and why her work on glacier robots helped shape the way she thinks about Earth, humanity, and the responsibility of technologists. The conversation also digs into the state of physical AI today. Dr. Howard explains why many of the robotics breakthroughs getting attention now are built on ideas researchers were exploring decades ago. Compute, sensors, and AI models have changed dramatically, but the hardest robotics problems, including manipulation, autonomy, and real-world deployment, are still not solved. Brian and Dr. Howard also discuss humanoid robots and the gap between polished demos and messy real-world environments. A robot handling similar boxes on a flat conveyor belt may be impressive, but warehouses, hospitals, homes, and public spaces are far more complicated. The conversation then turns to AI guardrails. Dr. Howard explains why she is especially concerned about LLMs and agentic AI, and why bias, regulation, and safety become much more urgent as AI systems move into higher-stakes applications. They also explore why accessibility is central to the future of physical AI. Dr. Howard explains that robots encounter many of the same barriers as people with disabilities, and that a more accessible world would make it easier for both people and robots to move through it. Finally, Dr. Howard shares what still makes her optimistic, including low-cost robotics that could support children with cerebral palsy, older adults, injured athletes, hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and schools. Connect with Dr. Ayanna Howard https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayanna-howard Learn more about Dr. Ayanna Howard https://www.ayannahoward.com/ Learn more about The Ohio State University College of Engineering https://engineering.osu.edu/ We’d love to hear from you. Have thoughts or guest suggestions? Reach us at podcast@automate.org You can find the transcript and more episodes of Automated at automated.fm Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation. Subscribe today and leave a review on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Also subscribe to the Automated Newsletter. https://www.youtube.com/@automatedpodcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/automated-with-brian-heater/id1837762221 https://open.spotify.com/show/60olq6brlBEIJWggx2fMR6 https://www.automate.org/automation/automated-newsletter You can also find us on: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/

    Dr. Ayanna Howard on Human-Centered Robotics, AI Guardrails, and Physical AI

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Get a direct line to the biggest names and brightest minds in robotics, Physical AI, and automation. Automated with Brian Heater brings you long-form conversations and unfiltered insights into how we got here, where we’re going, and what’s behind the technologies that are shaping how we live and work. 

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