Machine Minds

Greg Toroosian
  • 5.0 (13)
  • Technology
  • Updated Weekly

Machine Minds - the minds behind the machines! This is the show where we dive deep into the intricate worlds of robotics, AI, and Hard Tech. In each episode, we bring you intimate conversations with the founders, investors, and trailblazers who are at the heart of these tech revolutions. We dig into their journeys, the challenges they've overcome, and the breakthroughs that are shaping our future. Join us as we explore how these machine minds are transforming the way we live, work, and understand our world. 

  1. 4d ago

    No Cab, No Driver, New Rules for Freight with Eyal Cohen

    Autonomous trucking has long focused on retrofitting yesterday's vehicles. Humble Robotics is taking a different path by reimagining freight from the ground up. Founder and CEO Eyal Cohen joins Greg to share why the future of logistics won't simply be autonomous trucks, but purpose-built electric freight platforms designed specifically for a world where vehicles move seamlessly from dock to dock without human intervention. With more than two decades building breakthrough technologies across electric vehicles, autonomy, and robotics, Eyal has witnessed multiple waves of innovation from inside companies ranging from startups to Apple and Uber. Drawing on those experiences, he explains why building transformative hard tech requires more than exceptional engineering. It demands patient capital, uncompromising hiring standards, rapid iteration, and a team united by trust. In this conversation, Greg and Eyal explore: Why Humble Robotics rejected traditional truck designs in favor of a purpose-built autonomous freight platformThe vision for fully autonomous dock-to-dock freight movement and what it could mean for supply chainsHow simplicity in vehicle design unlocks improvements in cost, payload capacity, reliability, and operational efficiencyWhy freight's labor challenges are driven more by long-term workforce shortages than immediate job displacement, and how autonomy can help fill growing capacity gapsLessons from two decades across electric vehicles, autonomous systems, startups, Apple, and Uber that shaped Eyal's approach to company buildingWhy culture, trust, and hiring exceptional people across every function are more important than technology aloneHow Humble Robotics built its first vehicle at remarkable speed while maintaining an uncompromising commitment to safety and engineering qualityThe dangers of premature scaling in hard tech and why founders should prioritize customer feedback before optimizing for production volumeWhy patient investors like Eclipse understand the realities of commercializing hardware and supporting ambitious long-term technology betsEyal's perspective on the return of "moonshot" innovation and why society should once again embrace bold, world-changing engineering challengesWhether you're building robots, autonomous vehicles, or the next generation of industrial technology, this episode offers a thoughtful look at what it takes to turn ambitious ideas into products that can reshape the physical world, one carefully engineered step at a time. Learn more about Humble Robotics: https://humblerobotics.ai/ Connect with Eyal Cohen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eyal-cohen-humble/ Connect with Greg Toroosian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian/

    No Cab, No Driver, New Rules for Freight with Eyal Cohen

  2. Jul 15

    Investing in the Future of Physical Industry with Scott Walbrun

    Scott Walbrun brings a unique perspective to venture capital. Having started his career inside the automotive industry before moving into investment banking and venture, he has spent years helping deep tech founders navigate one of the hardest challenges in robotics: turning impressive technology into repeatable, scalable businesses. As Principal at BMW i Ventures, Scott sits at the intersection of physical AI, robotics, manufacturing, industrial software, and advanced materials. In this conversation, he joins Greg to discuss what separates great robotics companies from great robotics demos, why commercial urgency often matters more than technical perfection, and how founders can build businesses that survive the long road from prototype to widespread deployment. Greg and Scott also explore how AI is reshaping the physical world, why venture investors are increasingly focused on real-world reliability over flashy demonstrations, and what founders should understand before raising institutional capital in today's deep tech landscape. Highlights: Scott's journey from automotive finance and investment banking to becoming a venture investor focused on robotics, mobility, and deep techWhy so much breakthrough technology never makes it from the lab into commercial markets, and what successful founders do differentlyHow BMW i Ventures evaluates Series A and B companies across physical AI, robotics, industrial software, advanced materials, and manufacturing technologiesWhy commercial validation is just as important as technical validation when building a venture-scale companyThe hidden costs of deploying robotics at scale, including maintenance, field service, reliability, and total cost of ownershipWhat investors really mean when they ask about repeatability, and why one successful pilot is rarely enoughHow physical AI is moving beyond hype into real applications across manufacturing, quality inspection, warehouse automation, and enterprise operationsThe biggest mistakes robotics founders make when trying to scale too quicklyWhy founders should personally own customer development before building large sales teamsScott's advice for raising venture capital, building durable businesses, and maintaining the sense of urgency that separates exceptional founders from everyone elseWhether you're building robotics, industrial AI, or any capital-intensive technology company, this episode offers practical insight into what investors look for, what customers actually value, and how to bridge the gap between breakthrough innovation and lasting commercial success. Learn more about BMW i Ventures: https://www.bmwiventures.com/ Connect with Scott Walbrun on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottwalbrun/ Connect with Greg Toroosian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian/

    Investing in the Future of Physical Industry with Scott Walbrun

  3. Jul 8

    Inside the Hidden Layer of Robotics with Simone Gianotti

    From surgical robots and autonomous underwater vehicles to humanoids and space exploration, motion control is one of the invisible technologies making modern robotics possible. Yet despite its critical role, it's often overlooked until something goes wrong. Simone Gianotti, Application Engineer Manager at Elmo Motion Control, joins Greg to explore what it takes to deliver precision, reliability, and flexibility across some of the world's most demanding robotic applications. Drawing on a career that spans aerospace engineering, automation, sales, and technical leadership, Simone shares why successful robotics companies know when to build, when to buy, and why solving customer problems often matters more than finding the perfect engineering answer. In this conversation, Greg and Simone explore: Why motion control sits at the heart of high performance robotics, from medical devices and humanoids to subsea vehicles and planetary roversThe common engineering challenges that appear across radically different robotic platforms, including tuning, reliability, electrical noise, and thermal managementWhy many robotics startups lose valuable time trying to build every subsystem themselves instead of focusing on their core innovationHow products that perform perfectly in the lab can encounter unexpected problems once they reach real world deploymentsThe importance of designing for safety, scalability, and future product generations from the very beginning rather than retrofitting laterWhat separates exceptional application engineers, combining deep technical expertise with customer empathy and collaborative problem solvingThe robotics markets seeing the strongest momentum today, including medical robotics, subsea systems, and humanoid platformsHow AI is changing robotics development and why many companies are shifting their focus toward building intelligent software rather than complete robotic systemsThe ongoing debate around humanoid robots versus more task specific designs, and why the industry is still discovering which approaches will ultimately winSimone's perspective on the future of AI powered motion control and what truly intelligent servo drives could eventually make possibleWhether you're developing next generation robotic systems, selecting components for demanding applications, or simply curious about the technology enabling modern automation, this conversation offers an insightful look inside one of robotics' most important building blocks. Learn more about Elmo Motion Control: https://www.elmomc.com/https://www.elmomc.com/media/elmo-in-action/https://www.elmomc.com/media/case-studies/https://www.roboticstomorrow.com/article/2026/05/elmo-motion-control-talks-about-their-newest-servos/26508#new_tabhttps://www.elmomc.com/products/industrial-environment/titanium-family-industrial/https://www.elmomc.com/products/industrial-environment/servo-drive-platinum-family/Connect with Simone Gianotti on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-gianotti-889ba427 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian/

    Inside the Hidden Layer of Robotics with Simone Gianotti

  4. Jun 24

    Why the Future of Robotics Runs on Orchestration with Saurabh Gupta

    Warehouse automation is entering a new phase. The challenge is no longer building individual robots. It's coordinating fleets of robots, software systems, and human workers into a seamless, intelligent operation. Saurabh Gupta, Chief Technology Officer at GreyOrange, joins Greg to explore why orchestration is becoming the defining layer of modern warehouse automation. Drawing on a career that spans Apple, Amazon, educational robotics, healthcare, and autonomous systems, Saurabh shares lessons from helping scale technologies that bridge the gap between technical complexity and real-world usability. From working on the first iPhone production line to leading the evolution of GreyOrange from a robotics company into a warehouse orchestration platform, Saurabh offers a unique perspective on what it takes to move robotics from impressive demos to scalable, reliable systems that deliver business value. In this conversation, Greg and Saurabh explore: Lessons from Apple's product culture and why the best technology is often invisible to the userWhat working on the original iPhone taught Saurabh about vision, product design, and disruptive innovationHow educational robotics revealed the importance of understanding human behavior before building technologyWhy the gap between a robotics demo and a real-world deployment remains one of the industry's biggest challengesThe transition from viewing robotics as a hardware problem to understanding it as an orchestration problemGreyOrange's evolution from warehouse robot manufacturer to software platform coordinating robots, humans, conveyors, and automation systemsWhy vendor-agnostic orchestration is critical for the future of warehouse automationHow AI creates practical value through exception handling, prediction, and real-time operational decision-makingThe role of data in building warehouse "world models" capable of anticipating disruptions before they happenWhy fully autonomous warehouses may be the wrong goal and what highly orchestrated human-robot collaboration looks like insteadCommon mistakes robotics companies make when scaling products, manufacturing, and deploymentsWhat separates impressive engineering organizations from effective engineering organizationsThe importance of simulation-first development and testing before real-world deploymentWhy robotics founders must be crystal clear about the single problem their product solvesSaurabh's vision for intelligent warehouse systems that can autonomously anticipate and resolve problems before humans even notice themFor anyone building robots, deploying automation, or trying to understand where AI and physical systems are headed next, this episode offers a practical look at how orchestration, intelligence, and human-centered design are shaping the future of warehouse operations. Saurabh's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saurabhgupta6/ GreyOrange LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gogreyorange/ GreyOrange website: https://www.greyorange.com/ GreyMatter - GreyOrange's warehouse solution: https://www.greyorange.com/greymatter/ Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian/

    Why the Future of Robotics Runs on Orchestration with Saurabh Gupta

  5. Jun 18

    Humanoids Beyond the Hype with Jide Akinyode

    Humanoid robots are moving beyond flashy demos and into some of the hardest environments on Earth: shipyards, energy sites, manufacturing floors, construction projects, and other industrial settings where skilled labor is scarce and the work is often dangerous, physically demanding, and difficult to automate. Greg sits down with Jide Akinyode, co-founder and COO of Persona AI, to unpack what it really takes to build humanoids for heavy industry. Jide traces his path from NASA Johnson Space Center, where he started at 19 and spent a decade working on advanced dexterity, robotic astronauts, humanoids, and mobile manipulators, to Nauticus Robotics, where he helped bring robotic manipulation into harsh subsea environments. Now at Persona AI, Jide is focused on building industrial humanoids that can do real work in places where traditional automation struggles. The conversation explores why shipbuilding is such a compelling first market, why the humanoid form factor matters in cluttered human-built environments, and what robotics companies often underestimate about deployment, maintenance, workflow integration, and customer adoption. Highlights: Jide’s path from NASA Johnson Space Center to Nauticus Robotics, and how building robots for space and subsea environments shaped his view of commercial robotics.What changed in 2024 that shifted him from humanoid skeptic to founder, including stronger component supply chains, better simulation tools, reinforcement learning, behavior mimicry, and embodied AI.Why Persona AI is starting with heavy industries like shipbuilding, energy, construction, and manufacturing rather than homes, offices, or retail environments.The labor gap in skilled trades, including welders, grinders, painters, and fabricators, and why Persona sees humanoids as an alternative labor solution for industrial operators.Why humanoids do not need to look human, but do need the mobility, dexterity, and flexibility to work in spaces designed around human bodies and hands.What shipyards reveal about automation: tight spaces, massive structures, fragmented workflows, and the surprising reality that welders may spend only a small portion of their day actually welding.The challenge of moving from impressive demos to industrial deployments, including transparency with customers, realistic POCs, expectation management, and proving reliability over time.How Persona evaluates first deployments by looking at robot density, task value, customer readiness, cost of the current workflow, and the likelihood of real adoption.Why the challenge is not just hardware or autonomy, but the entire stack: mechanical design, embedded systems, controls, perception, autonomy, fleet management, manufacturing, operations, and customer workflow integration.What a successful early deployment could look like, from rugged robots surviving shipyard environments to reliably laying down welds in small and medium block assembly.The breadth of talent required to build humanoids, from actuation, structures, mechanisms, embedded software, controls, manipulation, locomotion, perception, autonomy, data collection, ML, manufacturing, supply chain, and operations.Why ML, autonomy, manipulation, and grasping talent are especially hard to find in today’s robotics market.How Jide thinks about culture, communication, and company building as COO, including why his “product” is now the team, the operating system, and the way Persona scales.The future Jide wants to see: humans moved away from dangerous physical work and upskilled into robot operators, fleet managers, and technical supervisors.Jide’s advice for anyone building robotics that changes the physical world: talk to customers, listen deeply, strip away assumptions, and get ready for hard work.For anyone building robots, hiring robotics teams, or trying to understand where humanoids will actually create economic value, this conversation offers a grounded look at the long road from demo videos to real industrial deployment. Learn more about Persona AI: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/persona-humanoids-at-work/posts/?feedView=allX / Twitter: https://x.com/personaaiincInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/persona_ai_official/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@persona_ai_incConnect with Jide Akinyode on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jideakinyode/ Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian/

    Humanoids Beyond the Hype with Jide Akinyode

  6. Jun 10

    Making Material Movement Autonomous with Michael Lawrence

    Autonomous forklifts and pallet jacks may generate plenty of headlines, but the real challenge isn't building robots that can move. It's building solutions that fit seamlessly into existing operations, deliver measurable ROI, and earn customer trust over years of deployment. Michael Lawrence, Director of Sales and Business Development at Anantak Robotics, joins Greg to discuss what it actually takes to bring autonomous material handling systems into warehouses and manufacturing environments. Drawing on a career that spans electrical engineering, entrepreneurship, robotics, and commercial strategy, Michael shares why successful automation is as much about partnerships, process design, and customer education as it is about technology. At Anantak Robotics, Michael helps bridge the gap between technical capability and operational reality, helping customers deploy autonomous tuggers, pallet jacks, and forklifts that solve real-world material movement challenges without forcing facilities to redesign how they work. In this conversation, Greg and Michael explore: Why many robotics companies underestimate the importance of business ecosystems, service networks, and partnerships when bringing automation to marketThe lessons Michael learned building his first autonomous construction equipment company and how they shaped his view of commercializationWhy warehouse automation sales cycles often take years, not months, and what separates successful deployments from stalled pilot projectsHow Anantak approaches autonomous material handling with tuggers, pallet jacks, and forklifts designed for existing warehouse and manufacturing environmentsThe importance of fitting into customer workflows rather than forcing facilities to adapt to the technologyWhere autonomous material movement delivers the fastest ROI and why clearly defined operating procedures accelerate adoptionWhat "practical autonomy" looks like in messy, real-world environments filled with variability, edge cases, and imperfect conditionsWhy customer champions, change management, and operator feedback are critical ingredients for long-term deployment successThe role of humans in the loop and why robots are best viewed as tools that eliminate repetitive tasks rather than replace peopleCommon misconceptions customers have about warehouse automation and how education helps close the expectation gapWhy Michael believes many robotics companies focus on building technically impressive products instead of solving the problems customers actually care aboutHis perspective on humanoid robots, material handling automation, and where the industry is headed over the next decadeHow consolidation, improved capabilities, and growing customer familiarity could drive the next major wave of warehouse automation adoptionFor anyone building robotics companies, deploying automation, or trying to understand what separates hype from real-world value creation, this episode offers a grounded look at how practical autonomy is reshaping material handling operations one deployment at a time. Learn more about Anantak Robotics: Website: anantak.comEmail: sales@anantak.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/anantak-roboticsConnect with Michael Lawrence on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mglaw/ Connect with Greg Toroosian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian/

    Making Material Movement Autonomous with Michael Lawrence

  7. Jun 3

    Building the Foundation Model for Construction with Francesco Iorio

    Construction is one of the world’s largest industries, yet much of the design process still depends on manual coordination, long hours, and workflows that struggle to keep pace with growing project complexity. Francesco “Frio” Iorio, co-founder and CEO of Augmenta, joins Greg to explore how AI-native design tools could fundamentally reshape the future of construction, engineering, and collaboration across the built environment. Before founding Augmenta, Frio spent years working in computational science, generative design, and advanced AI systems at Autodesk Research. His experience applying artificial intelligence to manufacturing, aerospace, and simulation eventually led him toward one of the hardest design problems imaginable: construction. At Augmenta, he and his team are building AI systems capable of generating detailed construction blueprints for electrical systems and eventually entire buildings, helping contractors and engineers dramatically compress timelines while reducing burnout and coordination overhead. In this conversation, Greg and Frio explore: Why construction presents a fundamentally different AI challenge than software or manufacturing, and why design in the built environment has “no amortization”How Augmenta’s AI generates construction-ready electrical blueprints from scratch, similar to how AI coding agents generate softwareWhy building design is ultimately a geometry, constructability, and real-world reasoning problem rather than a language problemThe hidden complexity of “unwritten rules” in construction, and how AI must learn the field knowledge that experienced foremen and electricians develop over decadesHow AI-driven design can reduce weeks of coordination work into days or even hours on hospitals, data centers, and other mission-critical infrastructure projectsWhy contractor burnout, labor shortages, and compressed schedules are accelerating demand for AI-powered workflowsThe challenge of building trust with contractors and field teams, and why deep customer collaboration became essential to Augmenta’s product developmentWhat Augmenta’s five-year strategic partnership with EJ Electric signals about the broader construction industry’s readiness for advanced AI adoptionHow AI could reshape collaboration between engineers, contractors, owners, and specialty trades by compressing pre-construction timelines and improving coordinationWhy Frio believes the biggest impact of AI in construction will not just be automation, but a fundamental restructuring of how projects are delivered and how companies operateFor anyone interested in AI for physical industries, construction technology, or the future of engineering workflows, this episode offers a deep look into how intelligent systems could transform the way buildings are designed and delivered. Learn more about Augmenta: https://www.augmenta.ai/https://www.linkedin.com/company/augmenta-ai/posts/?feedView=allConnect with Francesco Iorio on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francescoiorio/ Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian/

    Building the Foundation Model for Construction with Francesco Iorio

  8. May 27

    Robots Don’t Replace Work. They Redesign It. — with Michelle Lo

    As robotics and AI reshape manufacturing, the hardest challenge is often not the technology itself. It is helping people, processes, and entire organizations successfully adapt to it. GrayMatter Robotics is tackling that challenge head-on by building AI-powered automation systems designed for real-world manufacturing environments where variability, human expertise, and operational complexity are everywhere. Michelle Lo, Director of Customer Strategy and Success at GrayMatter Robotics, joins Greg to discuss what it actually takes to deploy automation in high-mix manufacturing environments. Drawing from her background in electric vehicles and industrial automation, Michelle shares why successful robotics adoption depends just as much on customer alignment, operator trust, and long-term partnership as it does on the robots themselves. Greg and Michelle explore the realities of manufacturing transformation, from backlog-driven demand and workforce shortages to the nuanced collaboration between humans and robots on the factory floor. They also unpack why configurable automation platforms are enabling faster deployment cycles, how manufacturers evaluate ROI beyond labor replacement, and why “perfect” automation is not always what customers actually want. Highlights: Michelle’s journey from EVs and automotive manufacturing into customer strategy and robotics at GrayMatter RoboticsWhy automation adoption is a long-term transformation journey rather than a one-time deploymentThe hidden labor shortages driving demand for automation across industries like aerospace, specialty vehicles, and industrial manufacturingHow GrayMatter Robotics partners directly with operators during deployment to improve adoption and long-term successThe difference between configurable automation platforms and fully custom systems and why deployment speed mattersWhy manufacturers evaluate robotics based on throughput, consistency, quality, and capacity rather than simple labor replacementLessons from real-world production environments where no two parts, surfaces, or workflows are ever exactly the sameHow AI-powered automation systems adapt to high-mix manufacturing environments with constantly changing variablesMichelle’s perspective on humanoid robots and why purpose-built industrial systems are often better suited for manufacturing tasksThe surprising reality that some customers intentionally want “imperfect” robotic finishes to preserve the familiar look and feel of legacy productsHow AI and predictive factory intelligence could optimize everything from workflow orchestration to production efficiency in the near futureWhat makes a successful automation partnership before, during, and after deploymentIf you are building automation for manufacturing, deploying robotics at scale, or navigating the human side of industrial transformation, this episode offers a grounded look at how AI-powered systems are changing the factory floor while keeping people at the center of the process. Learn more about GrayMatter Robotics: https://graymatter-robotics.com/https://www.linkedin.com/company/graymatter-robotics/https://x.com/GrayMatterRobotConnect with Michelle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michlo/ Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian/

    Robots Don’t Replace Work. They Redesign It. — with Michelle Lo
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About

Machine Minds - the minds behind the machines! This is the show where we dive deep into the intricate worlds of robotics, AI, and Hard Tech. In each episode, we bring you intimate conversations with the founders, investors, and trailblazers who are at the heart of these tech revolutions. We dig into their journeys, the challenges they've overcome, and the breakthroughs that are shaping our future. Join us as we explore how these machine minds are transforming the way we live, work, and understand our world. 

Information

  • Creator
    Greg Toroosian
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    147
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Machine Minds
  • Show Website
    Machine Minds

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