Amulya Vishwanath, who has led product marketing for NVIDIA’s robotics platform for seven years, says robotics is currently in a “Lego era” where fundamental building blocks such as actuators, robot hands, software and safety standards are still being rebuilt.
This view runs counter to those who believe that robotics leveraging the General Intuition model is on the verge of a “ChatGPT moment,” when chatbots with shocking capabilities will be unveiled in late 2022. (He said the moment will come when a single general foundation model will eliminate the need for much of today’s specialized robotics work.)
On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Dominic-Madri Davis interviews Vishwanath to discuss where he’s writing his first check as founder and managing partner of Techable VC. They also discussed what she learned as one of the first female executives to spin out of Nvidia and start an early-stage company investing in physical AI across robotics, materials science, and life sciences.
Listen to the full episode to hear more about what’s next.
Why Vishwanath defines physical AI as more than robots: “molecules, materials, drugs” or machines on a factory line. What does she mean by “conscious automation”? Why the best opportunities solve big problems, from family-run factories that can’t find workers to surgeons facing burnout. She talks about why she wants founders to see VC as a moat, and how she spent years at NVIDIA building the network she now uses for due diligence and customer referrals. She believes that the United States and China each have advantages. We also explain why humanoids are suitable for more than just dancing.
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