Why Has This Warehouse Job Resisted Robots for 40 Years?
We’ve all seen robots doing backflips. But most still can’t use their hands to make a cup of coffee.
AJ Meyer has spent his life closing that gap.
The MIT-trained robotic builder told me his key breakthrough arrived this year: simulations good enough to give robots millions of hours of practice with the messy physics of hands.
I recently caught up with AJ to see how his startup, the Pickle Robot Co., is putting robots on a job so punishing that no one lasts more than 90 days:
In our interview you’ll hear:
Why unloading a truck is harder than self-driving a car. (7:49)
Is robotics about to have its ChatGPT moment? (19:04)
What makes a great robotics company, and what to avoid. (39:20)
Why China leads the world in robotics … but not physical AI. (48:17)
What America looks like when the supply chain runs itself. (53:28)
—Stephen McBride
Stephen McBride is a co-founder of the Rational Optimist Society.
