The Thinking Machine

Jonathan Stephens

We’re entering a new era in robotics. One where the bottleneck isn’t just algorithms, it’s the entire stack. The foundation models, the data pipelines, the simulation environments, the training infrastructure. All of it has to come together for robots to move from demos to deployment. The Thinking Machine Podcast goes deep with the researchers, founders, and engineers working across this stack. That means conversations with teams building robotics foundation models like Groot and Gemini Robotics, architects of world models and neural simulators, and the people designing the data collection systems that make training possible at scale. If you’re building in robotics, investing in the space, or trying to understand where this field is really headed, this podcast is for you.

Episodes

  1. FEB 10

    Modeling the Real World with Tolga Kart

    Tolga Kart spent seven years building massive 3D worlds for Call of Duty at Sledgehammer Games. Then he left gaming for Tesla Autopilot, led simulation at Parallel Domain, and now he's the CEO of Third Dimension AI, a company building neural simulators that reconstruct reality from sensor data.In this episode, we dig into SuperSim, Third Dimension's first product, which takes driving logs and reconstructs them into photorealistic 4D environments where robots can train and validate their behavior. The results look so real that Tolga has to convince people they're not just watching video.In this episode we discuss:- How SuperSim reconstructs real-world scenes in hours, not months- The difference between a "digital twin" and a "digital cousin"- Why procedural generation hit its limits for robotics simulation- The domain gap problem and why it's finally being solved- Generating synthetic edge cases: erratic drivers, collapsing bridges, kids running into the street- Why Gaussian Splatting is a good medium for robotics simulation- What's next for simulation for humanoids, drones, and beyondAbout Tolga Kart:Tolga Kart is the Co-Founder and CEO of Third Dimension AI. He brings over 2 decades of experience building cutting-edge technology in gaming, autonomy, and AI. Tolga began his career in gaming, shipping two Call of Duty titles at Activision Games before transitioning to autonomous vehicles. At Tesla, he built the Autopilot TPM team and rebuilt the simulation team, fully integrating it into Autopilot's development framework. Most recently, he led and scaled Parallel Domain's engineering organization in two years.Follow Tolga on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tolgakart/Follow Tolga on X: https://x.com/tolgakartAbout Third Dimensions AI:Third Dimension AI is a spatial generation company building the 3D worlds that will power tomorrow's embodied AI—from robots to autonomous vehicles—and enable new frontiers of creativity in gaming and entertainment. Third Dimension was founded in 2024 and backed by venture capital firms Felicis, Abstract, Soma Capital, MVP Ventures, and Solari Capital.To learn more, visit https://www.thirddimension.aiThanks to Lightwheel for making this episode possible. Learn about how Lightwheel is making physical AI successful at: https://www.lightwheel.ai

    51 min

  2. FEB 1

    Building the Android OS for Robotics with Kimate Richards

    In this episode, Jonathan Stephens sits down with Kimate Richards, founder of 10Things, to explore what it really takes to deploy robots safely, reliably, and at scale. With decades of experience across robotics, control systems, and large-scale automation—including firsthand exposure to some of the most complex robotics deployments in the world—Kimate brings a refreshingly practical perspective to an industry often distracted by flashy demos. They unpack why robotics is fundamentally a systems problem, not just a hardware challenge, and why many robots fail when they leave the lab and enter real environments. Kimate explains his vision for 10Things as a kind of “Android operating system for robotics,” focused on developer productivity, simulation-to-real transfer, continuous learning, and safety-first design. The conversation dives into: Why most robots break down outside ideal conditionsThe hidden complexity of deploying robots around peopleHow simulation, reasoning models, and continuous feedback loops are changing robotics developmentWhat it will take for humanoid robots to be truly safe and useful in homes and workplacesWhy standardization and shared “contracts” for robot behavior matter This episode is a must-listen for anyone building, deploying, or thinking seriously about the future of robotics—from startups and researchers to product leaders and investors.Watch Kimate's 10 Things Demo. Thanks to Lightwheel for making this episode possible.

    1h 32m
  • 2 Episodes

About

We’re entering a new era in robotics. One where the bottleneck isn’t just algorithms, it’s the entire stack. The foundation models, the data pipelines, the simulation environments, the training infrastructure. All of it has to come together for robots to move from demos to deployment. The Thinking Machine Podcast goes deep with the researchers, founders, and engineers working across this stack. That means conversations with teams building robotics foundation models like Groot and Gemini Robotics, architects of world models and neural simulators, and the people designing the data collection systems that make training possible at scale. If you’re building in robotics, investing in the space, or trying to understand where this field is really headed, this podcast is for you.

Information

  • Creator
    Jonathan Stephens
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    2
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Jonathan Stephens