Shows
Building Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 74 | Why Early Corporate Experience Is Valuable for Entrepreneurs (w/ Benji Barash)I sit down with Benji Barash, CEO of Roboto AI, to talk Amazon, robotics, and why knowing what to do with your data is key to scaling:Benji spent years at Amazon working on drone delivery, but started to see a growing problem in robotics, the data was piling up faster than teams could make sense of it.He left Amazon to build a solution. Today, Roboto AI helps robotics companies analyze massive amounts of sensor logs and time-series data. It’s like a copilot for engineers trying to figure out why something broke, how to...2025-08-071h 06Building Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 73 | Learn It Yourself Before Hiring for Expertise (w/ Madison Maxey)In this episode, I talk with Madison Maxey, founder of LOOMIA, a company building soft, flexible electronics for everything: Everything? Everything! From robotics to automotive interiors. Maddie’s journey spans fashion school, a Thiel Fellowship, a return to Stanford in her mid-20s to study material science, and a decade of turning prototypes into real-world tech.We talk about growing up with a soldering iron and a sewing machine, how she designed a smart jacket for Zac Posen and Google, and why building a company means more than building a product. Maddie shares wh...2025-07-3150 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 72 | Found the perfect track, combining science and design (w/ Matthieu Lapeyre)Yesterday, they launched a $299 robot. It looks like a toy, but it opens up a world of AI. Today, I talk to the person who made it real.Matthieu Lapeyre is the founder of Pollen Robotics and one of the most quietly influential roboticists in Europe. He’s been building open-source humanoids long before it was cool, from Poppy to Reachy to Reachy Mini.We talk about how growing up without a tech background shaped him, why he left research to ship hardware, and how he kept going through years of bootstrapping with barely enough to...2025-07-1053 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 71 | The Team Ends Up Like Charting the Path Too (w/ Kaan Dogrusoz)In this episode, I talk with Kaan Dogrusoz, Co-Founder and CEO of Weave Robotics, a YC-backed team building Isaac, a personal home robot:Kaan grew up in Istanbul, chased curiosity across physics, art, and engineering, and eventually made his way to Carnegie Mellon, then Apple, where he spent nearly a decade working on robotics and shipping features like Double Tap on the Apple Watch.But something kept pulling at him. He didn’t want to be part of a massive machine anymore. He wanted to build something real, something personal, a robot he’d want in h...2025-07-0354 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 70 | Real Confidence Comes From The Work (w/ Benjamin Bolte)🎙️ I talked with Benjamin Bolte, founder of K-Scale Labs, who left Meta to build something he actually believes in: an open-source humanoid robot!After working on Autopilot at Tesla, he saw the inside of Optimus and decided the big players were getting it wrong.Benjamin walks me through how he built the first robot with Alibaba parts and 3D-printed parts in his apartment, why raising too much money too early is a trap, and how soldering wires all night helped him remember why he’s doing this in the first place. He’s not chasi...2025-06-2654 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 69 | You can really build things with a small team (w/ Nikolaus West)In this episode, I talk with Nikolaus West, Co-Founder & CEO of Rerun; their team is building the data stack for Physical AI:We get into the early days of Rerun: how an open-source visualization tool for multimodal data became widely adopted across robotics, spatial computing, and even inside companies like Apple and Meta. But that was just the start. Now, they’re building a full-stack platform for logging, querying, and managing robotic-scale data, from raw logs to model training.Niko shares his personal journey from business school in London to engineering in Sweden, to sta...2025-06-191h 13Building Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 68: Personal Agency and Shaping One's Own Life (w/Chang Liu)🎙️ I spoke with Chang Liu, founder and CEO of Extend Robotics, a startup developing intuitive VR interfaces to control robot arms and train AI models using real-world data.Chang shares his story from growing up in China to moving to the UK for university, studying at Newcastle and Southampton, and completing a PhD in aerial robotics. After postdoc work at Imperial College on autonomous drone systems, he made the leap into entrepreneurship and started Extend Robotics.We talk about the early pivots (from drone teleoperation to building lightweight robotic arms) and how the company eventually focus...2025-06-1255 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 67: Doing Plan A to Do B Doesn’t Work (w/ Dhanush Radhakrishnan)Took me 2 years to land this one...🎙️ In this episode, I talk with Dhanush Radhakrishnan, Co-Founder and CEO of Clone Robotics:The company building lifelike, musculoskeletal androids that move like humans and could become the next personal computing platform.Dhanush shares how watching Iron Man at 13 sparked a lifelong obsession with tech, leading him from plasma thrusters and nuclear fusion research to founding a YC-backed robotics company now making headlines with their human-like androids.We talk about why his first startup didn’t work out (and why Plan A to do B never does...2025-06-0453 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 66 | Ship One New Product Every Week Until Something Sticks (w/ Tibo Louis-Lucas)In Episode #66, I talk with Tibo LOUIS-LUCAS, founder of Tweet Hunter and Taplio, two SaaS tools he built, scaled, and sold for over $10 million:Tibo shares how he went from a series of startup failures to shipping one new product every week with his co-founder. That process eventually led to Tweet Hunter. What started as a personal tool to grow on Twitter turned into a fast-growing SaaS company doing over $100k MRR.We talk about why he stepped away from managing teams, what he learned from building the wrong products, and how growing up in...2025-05-2155 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 65 | The Failing Part is Not Very Valuable if You Don't Learn (w/ Victor Splittgerber)In this episode, I talk with Victor Splittgerber, CEO of WAKU Care; a Berlin-based company redefining maintenance for robots, machines, and automation systems.Victor shares how his early curiosity (and an eBay side hustle selling Star Wars kits at 15) laid the groundwork for becoming a founder. From rowing for Berlin’s national team to studying mechanical engineering in Dresden, to building his first startup out of moss, he’s always followed ideas that made sense to him, both technically and personally.Today, Victor leads one of the fastest-growing CMMS platforms in robotics, scaling from 1,000 to 10,000+ asse...2025-05-151h 04Building Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 64 | Degrees and Job Doesn't Matter - What Matters Is Being True (w/ Haixuan Xavier Tao)I talked to Haixuan Xavier Tao, founder of 1ms.ai and maintainer of Dora-rs, a Rust framework linking AI and robotics for modular, cloud-first systems.Haixuan shares his personal journey growing up in a Chinese immigrant family in France, the sense of duty that shaped his career path, and how he went from BCG and BNP Paribas to writing Rust for fun. We talk about his father's entrepreneurial story, why he walked away from corporate prestige, and how open-source became his outlet to give back.Also, we get into the limits of current LLMs in ro...2025-05-081h 01Building Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 63 | At the Start, Fundamental Knowledge Matters Most (w/ Dmitrii Rudnitckii)In Episode #63, I talk with Dmitrii Rudnitckii, VP and former CTO at Humanoid, with 25+ years in automation, encryption, computer vision, and robotics:We cover his journey from automating ships in the late 90s to building autonomous factories and now leading one of the most ambitious humanoid robot projects in the UK.Dmitrii shares insights about studying computer science in Russia, the importance of deep fundamentals over quick wins, the challenges of moving into leadership, and why soft skills are harder to learn than coding.We also talk about Humanoid’s mission, their wheel-based an...2025-04-2952 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 62 | Physical AI Has a Data Problem (w/ Pedro Milcent)Episode #62 of Building Deep Tech!With Pedro Milcent, Co-Founder of Deplace AI; data collection & curation for robotics and physical AI:In this episode, I chat with Pedro Milcent, a French-Brazilian founder building something new in the world of robotics and AI. Pedro’s story starts unconventionally, as he finished high school at 14, went straight to law school, then pivoted to business, earning a full-ride scholarship to USC before diving into the startup world.Pedro’s first startup, Payby, tackled payments in Brazilian restaurants. Now, he’s co-founded Deplace AI, a company solving one of the...2025-04-2554 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 61 | Bad feedback is the most important feedback (w/ Nicolas Rabault)In this episode, I talk with Nicolas Rabault, former CTO and Co-Founder of Pollen Robotics, recently acquired by Hugging Face:Nicolas had a rocky start. He struggled in school and took an unconventional path into engineering, driven by a deep obsession with hacking, building, and making things move.He shares the story behind Pollen: how a small research team in Bordeaux built one of the most beloved open-source robotics platforms, and why openness and modularity were at the core of their vision.After Pollen, Nicolas founded Luos, an open-source framework that makes hardware...2025-04-1754 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 60 | Once You Know What You Want to Do, Life Gets Easier (w/ Eris Sako)In this episode, I talk with Eris Dhionis Sako, Co-Founder & CEO of Duatic AG, a robotics startup based in Zurich:Eris shares his journey from growing up in Albania and studying in Greece, to becoming a leading robotics engineer at ETH Zurich.Over the past 8+ years, he’s designed actuators, robotic arms, and more at the Robotic Systems Lab. Now, he’s taking that experience into entrepreneurship with Duatic, helping teams worldwide build better robots.We talked about his early days, what shaped him, who inspired him, and the mindset behind hardware startups. (And what’s...2025-04-1054 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 59 | Most Important Thing: The Ability To Get Shit Done (w/ Etienne Lacroix)🎙️ Episode #59: Willpower, Product Thinking & Building Vention... with Etienne Lacroix:In today’s episode, I talk with Etienne Lacroix, Founder and CEO of Vention, a company making industrial automation faster, more accessible, and more affordable for manufacturers around the world. Etienne shares the roots of his drive and discipline, shaped by a father who was full of energy and a mother who placed strict value on education. We talk about how those influences helped him develop the mindset needed to build and lead a company.He walks us through his ear...2025-04-0345 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 58 | Find the Right Co-Founder... It’s Everything (w/ Sandor Felber)In this episode, I talk with Sandor Felber, a Robot Learning Researcher at MIT's CSAIL, where he’s building intelligent control systems for humanoid robots:We talk about how he got into robotics, from electric race cars at Edinburgh University Formula Student to control frameworks for teleoperation and deep reinforcement learning locomotion.Sandor has also worked at Tesla, building actuator systems, and now focuses on legged and whole-body control for humanoids.He and his co-founder, Nathan, were recently accepted into the South Park Commons founder fellowship, where they’re working on deploying humanoid robo...2025-03-2749 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 57 | A True Master Is An Eternal Student (w/ Ryan Saavedra)Episode #57: Advancing Bionic and Robotic Hands with Ryan Saavedra, CEO & Founder of Alt-Bionics, Inc.In this episode, I talk with Ryan Saavedra, founder and CEO of Alt-Bionics, a company making advanced yet affordable bionic hands for both prosthetics and robotics.Ryan started Alt-Bionics in 2020 while studying Electrical Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Since then, he’s been on a mission to bridge the gap between human and robotic dexterity. We talk about the challenges of building accessible prosthetics, his work with humanoid robots, and how modular design can change th...2025-03-2053 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 56 | You Should Know Why You’re Doing It (w/ Antoine Van Malleghem)In this episode, I talk with Antoine Van Malleghem, a robotics engineer and Co-Founder of Botronics:They are building the next-generation autonomous golf trolley using machine learning, and advanced computer vision.Antoine shares his journey from IT consultancy to robotics entrepreneurship, why he took a pay cut to follow his passion and the technical challenges of developing AI-driven autonomous systems. Building a company is tough.Antoine and his co-founder, Eric Piraux, had to return to consulting temporarily to fund their journey. But that didn’t shake them; they knew exactly why th...2025-03-1353 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 55 | Just keep on building and you’ll figure out what you want. (w/ Frédéric Legrand)My newest guest is Frédéric Legrand, a founding engineer at Phospho (YC W24), an AI company based in Paris focused on making AI robotics more accessible.Frédéric grew up in France but spent nearly a decade in Hong Kong before returning for his higher education. With a passion for building (both in software and hardware), he’s now working on helping machine learning engineers get started with AI in robotics.At Phospho, he’s building SDKs, tutorials, and dev kits to make real-world robotics more approachable, all in Python.We discu...2025-03-0650 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 54 | Work hard, make it fail less and get better (w/ Sankaet Pathak)In this episode, I talk with Sankaet Pathak, founder of Foundation. Their first product? A humanoid robot built for real-world tasks:Foundation is an advanced technology company developing autonomous machines. Why start with humanoids?To automate labour across manufacturing, logistics, and defence. Sankaet shares his journey from computer engineering and physics at the University of Memphis to leading AI and robotics innovation.We discuss why current AI models struggle with real-world physics, why Foundation is taking a different approach to autonomy, and what it will take to bring humanoid robots from...2025-02-2757 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 53 | Make Bionic Limbs Accessible To Humans & Robots (w/Aadeel Akhtar)This week, I talked with Aadeel Akhtar, PhD Akhtar, CEO and Founder of PSYONIC, a company redefining prosthetics with AI-powered bionic limbs: You might have seen him on Shark Tank or heard about PSYONIC’s Ability Hand, an advanced prosthetic that’s setting new standards for accessibility and performance.Aadeel’s story is fascinating. He started out studying neuroscience and medicine and then pivoted to building next-generation bionics.We discuss his journey from academia to entrepreneurship, what it takes to scale deep tech hardware, and why the future of prosthetics isn’t just for huma...2025-02-2047 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 52 | Building Autonomous Household Robots (w/ Usman Roshan)In this episode, I talk with Usman Roshan, founder of 7Xrobotics and Associate Professor in AI and Machine Learning at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Usman and his co-founder are building autonomous household robots designed to tackle everyday tasks like dishwashing and laundry folding; turning AI into real, practical solutions for the home.We discuss his journey from academia to robotics entrepreneurship, his research on deep learning models for video understanding, and how he’s developing affordable, AI-powered robots with a total cost of around $7,000.Usman shares insights on the challenges of building a wo...2025-02-121h 09Building Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 51 | Don't Found a Startup Without Decade-Long Passion (w/ Adrian Macneil)In today's 51st episode, I talk to Adrian Macneil, Co-Founder and CEO of Foxglove:
Adrian Macneil is the Co-Founder & CEO of Foxglove, a purpose-built robotics development platform to increase the GDP of robotics.
Coming from New Zealand with a degree in Computer Science, Adrian knew early on that his home country wasn’t big enough for his ambitions. He moved to San Francisco, the center of entrepreneurship and tech startups.
He was an early employee at Coinbase, working long hours through its highs and lows, before joining Cruise, where he built large-scale infrastructure fo...2025-02-051h 08Building Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 50 | Resilience Is Born From Struggle and Grit (w/Nikolai Ensslen)I sit down with the Founder and CEO of Synapticon, Nikolai Ensslen:
Nikolai Ensslen and Andrija Feher are the founders of Synapticon, a company reshaping motion control for robotics and industrial automation.
He shares his journey from studying Engineering Science at the University of Bayreuth to building and leading a global company that seamlessly integrates servo drives, sensors, brakes, and functional safety into AI-powered systems.
Nikolai shares his early influences - growing up in a creative household, with parents deeply involved in art and design, and a father renowned in marketing. Despite this...2025-01-3045 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 49 | Build Great Tech & Also Lay Foundations for What's Next (w/ Sanjeev Sharma)
In this episode, I sit down with Sanjeev Sharma, the visionary Founder and CEO of Swaayatt Robots.
Sanjeev shares his journey from academia to building autonomous driving technology that thrives in India's uniquely chaotic and adversarial traffic conditions.
We discuss his decision to forego a PhD opportunity at UMass Amherst to bootstrap Swaayatt Robots, how he demonstrated autonomous navigation on Indian roads (a global first!!) and the incredible potential for autonomous systems in military and civilian applications.
Sanjeev’s story is one of persistence and hard work, with insights on navigating stochastic traffic, motion planning, reinforcement learning, and working an...2025-01-231h 04Building Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 48 | Go To The Shop Floor & Talk To More People (w/ Fotis Dimeas)In my latest episode, I talk to the Progressive Robotics Co-Founder & CEO Fotis Dimeas:
In this episode of Kinematic Conversations, I speak with Fotis Dimeas, who moved from an academic career to co-founding Progressive Robotics, a deep-tech spin-off making robotics better for manufacturing and logistics.
Fotis shares his journey from earning a Ph.D. in Robotics at the University of Patras to his research at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. We discuss the challenges of closing the "valley of death" between research and industry and the vision behind Progressive Robotics: making robots smarter, safer, and easier...2025-01-1654 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 47 | Co-Elevation & Healthy Challenging (w/ Robert MacKenzie)Ep 47: Robert MacKenzie former CTO and Chief Product Officer of ANYbotics:
Robert is originally from Canada but has spent more than half of his life in Europe. He completed his bachelor's degree in Canada before moving to Germany, where he earned his master’s at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).
His journey eventually led him to Zurich, where he completed his PhD at ETH Zurich. Over the years, Robert has worked as a senior project manager and executive in various companies before joining ANYbotics.
In this episode, we talk about Robert’s jour...2025-01-081h 03Building Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 46 | Success is a Team Effort (w/ Christian Piechnick)In episode #46 I sit down with Christian Piechnick, Co-Founder and CEO of Wandelbots:
We are going back in time and Christian is telling me how he started to program while he was still a kid, with his parent's first computer, helping out the company his mother was working for by writing a program.
Wandelbots, a TU Dresden spin-off founded in 2017 by Christian Piechnick and a team of five, enables non-programmers to teach industrial robots faster and more cost-effectively using smart technology.
Christian and I discuss the challenges of entrepreneurship in Germany, his interest...2025-01-021h 09Building Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 45 | The Value of Fixing and Building (w/ Miika Satori)Back from the holidays with a brand-new episode! #45 features Miika Satori, founder of Cambrian Robotics
Miika Satori, originally from Finland, has a long background in startups and innovation. With Cambrian Robotics, he focuses on advancing robot capabilities to tackle complex tasks.
In this episode, Miika reflects on his upbringing in rural Finland, where he learned the value of fixing and building from his father.
We explore his early entrepreneurial ventures and his journey with Cambrian, including their $3.5M seed funding and groundbreaking work on robot arms with advanced vision and skills.
...2024-12-271h 00Building Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 44 | Bringing Robots Into Your Home (w/ Mehul Nariyawala)In this episode, I sit down with Mehul Nariyawala, Co-founder of Matic Robots:
Matic is a company on a mission to simplify home cleaning with autonomous robots powered by cutting-edge AI and vision-based technologies.
Mehul shares his journey from moving to the U.S. from India at a young age, pursuing studies in bioinformatics and earning an MBA, to co-founding Flutter—acquired by Google in 2013 for ~$40M—and later co-founding Matic Robots in 2017.
We also explore Mehul's insights into balancing functionality and user experience in robotics, scaling a hardware company, and the future of a...2024-12-191h 10Building Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 43 | From Curiosity to Creation (w/ Kelsey Pool)In this episode, I speak with Kelsey Pool, a mechanical engineer, roboticist, and open-source advocate based in San Francisco:
Kelsey shares her journey from studying mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder to working on groundbreaking projects in robotics and healthcare.
We dive into her latest project, Zeroth-01 Bot—the world's smallest open-source end-to-end humanoid robot. Starting at just $350, it's designed to be accessible, fully hackable, and revolutionary for education and research.
Kelsey also reflects on her time at Multiply Labs and her decision to carve out space for impactful personal projects....2024-12-1449 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 42 | When to Pivot, Make Bold Decisions & Take Action (w/ Brandon King)Episode #42: with Brandon King, Mechanical Engineer and Robotics Enthusiast:
In this episode, I speak with Brandon King, a Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Alabama, preparing to graduate in December 2024. Brandon brings experience from internships at Michelin and BLOX, as well as his leadership role on the Controls Team for the EcoCAR program.
We explore his work in manufacturing and robotics, his approach to problem-solving in engineering, and the lessons he has learned through hands-on projects and internships.
Brandon shares his thoughts on moving from academics to industry, including knowing when to...2024-12-0450 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 41 | From Research to Robotics Industry (w/ Christian Löchte)Episode #41, with Christian Löchte, Co-Founder of FORMHAND Automation GmbH, to explore the story behind their universal gripping technology:
Christian shares his journey in robotics and mechanical engineering, spanning over 20 years, and how his passion for mechanics led to the creation of FORMHAND's flexible gripping modules.
We talk about his upbringing, the challenges of building a high-tech startup, the unique applications of FORMHAND's gripping pads in logistics and production, and how they’re transforming efficiency across industries.
If you’re in academia but feel that entrepreneurial spirit, this episode is for you:
We...2024-11-2749 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 40 | Revolutionizing Sensors for Robotics (w/ Klajd Lika)Episode #39: Revolutionizing Sensors for Robotics, with Klajd Lika, CEO of Bota Systems AG:
Klajd shares how his family immigrated from Albania to Greece and the support and love that shaped his journey. He also talks about his education in Athens and his early work in robotics, including hydraulic systems and quadruped robots.
At Bota Systems, based in Zurich, Switzerland, Klajd and his team develop innovative sensors that help robots interact with their environment precisely and easily. Their products simplify automation for industries like manufacturing and healthcare, enabling applications like surface finishing, assembly, and collaborative robotics.2024-11-2153 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 39| Power of Perseverance (w/ Rutav Shah)In this episode, I sit down with Rutav Shah, a first-year PhD student at the University of Texas at Austin. Rutav’s journey in robotics and machine learning started at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, where he earned his Bachelor’s in Computer Science.
Now at UT Austin, he’s diving into advanced research in machine learning and robotics.
Rutav shares his experiences from his time as an undergraduate researcher in the Autonomous Ground Vehicle Research Group to his current projects at UT Austin. We discuss his perspectives on AI-driven robotics, the potential of autonomou...2024-11-1450 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 38 | Focusing on One Problem at a Time (w/ Nima Gard)In Episode #38, I talk with Nima Gard, Director of AI at Path Robotics, which just closed its Series D with a $100M raise:
We recorded this episode on Halloween—you’ll spot him in Spock ears, while I stayed costume-free.
Nima shares his journey from Iran to the U.S., starting with a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering, and his move to Ohio, where he completed his Ph.D. in Geodetic Engineering at Ohio State University.
Five years ago, Nima joined Path Robotics as a Senior Computer Vision Engineer—his first industry role outside...2024-11-0647 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 37 | The Future of Open-Source Robotics (w/ Petar Crnjak)Episode #37: The Future of Open-Source Robotic Arms, with Petar Crnjak, founder of Source Robotics:
Today’s guest, is a Mechatronics Engineer from Zagreb University of Applied Sciences with a focus on robotics and electric vehicles. Petar’s work has led him to create useful, award-winning open-source robotic arms, which are widely used in schools and universities for learning.
In robotics, Petar has developed robotic arms that are easy to use and accessible to students. His designs have earned awards and are popular in education, helping students gain hands-on experience in robotics.
In this episode, we talk about his journey into...2024-10-3157 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 36 | Robotics Software Engineering & ROS (w/ Aryan Jagushte)Robotics Software Engineer Aryan Jagushte is my guest in today's 36th episode:
Aryan has been focused on robotics, working as a Robotics Software Engineer, gaining experience in the Robot Operating System (ROS) in his academic education and working on projects using ROS1 and ROS2.
He has hands-on knowledge of mobile robots and applies techniques like Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) and navigation algorithms to develop autonomous robots for complex environments. Aryan is also working with aerial robotics and robotic arms.
In addition to his technical work, Aryan has worked as a STEM educator, shar...2024-10-1053 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 35 | Humanoids to be part of people’s everyday life (w/Haoru Xue)In today's episode (#35), I speak with Haoru Xue, a PhD student at University of California, Berkeley, specializing in humanoid whole-body control:
Haoru has had an exciting journey in robotics, working alongside top researchers at Carnegie Mellon and UC Berkeley. He’s been involved in projects like autonomous racing, where his team earned top spots in the Indy Autonomous Challenge.
Beyond his research, Haoru is really focused on building robots that can make a real impact, something I can totally relate to. We also talked about his perspective on the open-source community in robotics.
He...2024-10-0348 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 34 | Focus on the problems (w/ Klas Nilsson)My guest today is Klas Nilsson, Founder and CTO of Cognibotics, with over 40 years in robotics!
Coming from a non-academic background and always interested in math, his curiosity about machines led him to spend time first at ABB, and then many years in research at Lund University.
Always striving to fill the blind spots, he transitioned from mechanical engineering to computer science.
Eventually, he found enough evidence that something was missing in robotics, leading him to make another transition—this time as the founder of Cognibotics.2024-09-2652 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 33 | Why Perseverance is Key (w/ Vladimir Baranov)My guest today is Vladimir Baranov, founder of 🤖 𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗼𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹, whose mission is to inspire a love of engineering in children worldwide:
While there are many robotics classes for high school students, options for younger children are limited. Vladimir's project proves that kids are far more capable than we often think.
With over two decades of experience across various industries, Vladimir’s passion for building and his entrepreneurial journey have been shaped by bravery, resilience, and a broad skill set.
We discuss his challenges growing up, how he overcame them, what led him to the world of robotics, and why he’s dedica...2024-09-1249 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 32 | Enjoy Years of Hard Work (w/ Jacopo Tani)Jacopo Tani, CEO of Duckietown, an open-source robotics and AI platform that began as an MIT project in 2016, joins me today:
Originally from Rome, Jacopo is a trained space engineer with a PhD, having worked at MIT and ETH Zurich on dynamic systems and control before transitioning into entrepreneurship.
In this episode, he shares invaluable lessons on hard work, perseverance, mentorship, friendship, and seizing opportunities. He emphasizes the importance of staying focused on your goals while being adaptable to the path that unfolds.
This is for anyone facing challenges, looking for insights on how to p...2024-09-051h 05Building Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 31 | AI, AR, AV and Robots (w/ Robert Scoble)A legend in the tech world - Robert Scoble.
Siri, Tesla, Instagram and others launched on his blog/show, today - he is my guest:
Sitting down with him was nothing short of a wild ride!
Robert's journey began in the late 70s, back when Silicon Valley was still a small community, not the tech powerhouse it is today.
Always in tune with the pulse of innovation, Robert embodies the zeitgeist. He launched his tech blog in the late 90s and was among the first to see Tesla, Flipboard, Instagram, Siri...2024-08-291h 07Building Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 30 | Philosophy, AI and Robots (w/ Ronnie Vuine)This episode holds a special place for me as I sit down with founder & former CEO of Micropsi Industries:
Ronnie Vuine, my former boss, and I have had countless private discussions over the years, and now we’ve finally recorded an episode for my podcast.
In this episode, we dive into his journey as a computer science student, where he studied under the renowned cognitive scientist Joscha Bach, known for his groundbreaking work on AI, consciousness, and philosophy.
We explore the challenge of translating the human mind into computer science, the experience of bu...2024-08-221h 10Building Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 29 | Starting Le Robot @ Hugging Face (w/ Remi Cadene)Remi Cadene was at Tesla working on Optimus, and now builds robots at Hugging Face:
Remi's academic journey took him from Paris, where he earned his PhD at Sorbonne, to postdoctoral studies at Brown University. He later joined Tesla in California, starting as an intern and eventually becoming a permanent research scientist.
In this episode, we discuss his time overseas, his unique experience working with Andrej Karpathy at Tesla, and how his passion for open-source projects brought him back to Europe.
Now, he's part of Hugging Face and leading Le Robot, an exciting...2024-08-151h 14Building Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 28 | Hands-On Learning: Building Over Books (w/ Ali Ahmed)Today we talk to Robomart Co-founder & CEO Ali Ahmed about their self-driving shops and his early passion for entrepreneurship.
We discuss his non-technical background, why he stepped away from a PhD position, and how he followed his passion for building.
Follow Ali through his journey of fast-growing startups and various entrepreneurial adventures that ultimately led him to the world of robotics.2024-08-0850 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 27 | Life Is Not A Race (w/ Mathias Mantelli)Mathias Mantelli is a Robotics Software Developer from Brazil working on Embodied AI:
Coming from a non-technical background, we discuss his journey in academia, culminating in a PhD in Mobile Robotics with a focus on localization and SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping).
Today, he helps robots move on their own by creating smart ways for them to navigate and avoid obstacles. He is particularly interested in fleet management for warehouse applications and semantic scene understanding in robotics.
He shares more about his journey and offers wise words for those still struggling to find...2024-08-0152 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 26 | ROS, R&D in Robotics (w/ Shubham Nadi)Today, my guest is Shubham Nandi, the Co-founder of RigBetel Labs, specializing in Robot R&D Services and Consultancy:
He oversees the Research and Mentorship department of RigBetel Labs, as they do research for startups and companies in robotics.
Passionate about educating and empowering individuals in the ever-changing technology sector, he drives mentorship programs, enabling people to achieve their maximum potential.
We discuss how the founders met in college, honed their skills through nationwide competitions, and built a successful company.2024-07-1150 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 25 | Cars, Wood and AI Robots (w/ Abhinav Das)Orangewood Labs builds AI-powered robotic arms, simple to operate. Today I talked to CEO and Co-Founder Abhinav Das:
Backed by Y Combinator, Orangewood is headquartered in the US, with their R&D team in India. They aim to democratise robots, leveraging the latest advancements in ML and generative AI.
We talk about his journey from building affordable cars for rural India, designing wood furniture for co-working spaces, going to the US, and building robots, with all the ups and downs of a young startup founder.2024-07-041h 04Building Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 24 | Embodied AGI: Less Than $10,000 (w/ Matt Freed)My guest is Matt Freed, co-founder of K-Scale Labs, a machine-learning startup developing an 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡-𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗖𝗘 𝗛𝗨𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗢𝗜𝗗 𝗥𝗢𝗕𝗢𝗧, easily manufactured by individuals using 3D printing.
With a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering, and a Master's in Computer Science from Cornell, Matt Freed leads hardware at K-Scale Labs, based in Palo Alto, Bay Area.
We discuss his transition from hardware to software, the importance of open-source for society, how awesome & collaborative the humanoid robotics community is, and their business model.2024-06-271h 05Building Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 23 | AR, Drones and Humanoids (w/ Lingkang Zhang)Our guest today is Lingkang Zhang, founder of Red Rabbit Robotics, specialising in humanoid robots.
Extensive experience in autonomous robots and self-driving vehicles. Previously, Lingkang founded a company that developed machine vision solutions for drones.
He holds a master's degree in Human-Robot Interaction and an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from Beijing.
We discuss his journey and the challenges he faced along the way.2024-06-2055 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 22 | 3D/XR Rech & Robotics (w/ Dr. Eike Schäffer)🎙 In episode #22, we sit down with ROBOTOP's CEO & Founder Dr.-Ing. Eike Wolfram Schäffer:
After his double degree in Industrial & Mechanical Engineering, he stayed in academia and finished his PhD in robot-centric automation solutions, before he founded Robotop.
We speak about his curiosity sparked early by LEGO, his time as a tutor, educating customers and how 3D / XR technologies can transform the way we work with robots, by virtual walk-throughs & rapid 3D layouting.2024-06-131h 12Building Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 21 | No-Code Robotics (w/ Daryl Lim)Today's guest is Daryl Lim, the CEO and co-founder of Augmentus, an AI-robotics software company based in Singapore.
Augmentus offers a no-code platform that simplifies industrial robot programming, making it accessible to non-technical users.
I spoke with Daryl (a Forbes 30 Under 30) about the challenges of founding a tech company, the importance of talking to customers early on and their expansion in the US.2024-05-3046 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 20 | AI-Powered Entrepreneurship (w/ Alex Enache)Today I talk with Alex Enache, an AI automation consultant, entrepreneur, and educator.
With a Master's Degree in International and Intercultural Communication, Alex quickly saw the potential of the tech industry, diving into chatbots and human-machine communication.
Starting as a corporate trainer in Berlin, Alex self-educated on emerging AI tools, testing and leveraging them fully. We talk about the journey that led him to transition into a consultant and entrepreneur, helping others harness practical AI to save time and boost results.2024-05-1655 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 19 | How to Become a Self-Taught Robotics Software Engineer (w/ Chandandeep Singh)Chandandeep Singh is a researcher at DFKI, the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, where he works on robot learning.
Starting his education in India, he was more focused on the mechanical side of robotics, until during his master's he transitioned into software engineering.
He documented and shared his journey, aiming to inspire and educate future roboticists through blogs, videos, and courses.2024-05-091h 00Building Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 18 | Bridging Robotics and Cultures (w/ Robert Liebhart)Today's guest is Robert Liebhart, an accomplished entrepreneur with a focus on integrating European robotic technologies into the South Korean market.
Beginning with Germany's Maschinenmarkt, he extended his expertise to various sectors including automation and robotics, and is now CEO at KoreaSolutions.
We discuss his journey through the industry, his role in shaping Korea's automation landscape, and his insights on connecting European innovation with Korean enterprise.2024-05-0255 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 17 | Technical Sales With Heart (w/ Robert Vogel)My latest guest is Robert Vogel, an experienced Automation Specialist with almost 20 years in the industry.
Originating from the robotized system plant engineering sector, he successfully specialized in the "Robot" system component, and now focused on the "Motor" components.
We talk about his passion for automation, being with KUKA for over a decade and his in-depth automotive insights.2024-04-2551 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 16 | How to Get AI into Manufacturing (w/ Aymeric de Pontbriand)Episode #16 is with Scortex CEO Aymeric de Pontbriand:
This podcast is not only about robotics but also automation and manufacturing.
Scortex helps manufacturers enhance operations and reduce costs by managing inspections and quality data on production lines.
We talk about Aymeric's early love for data, the challenges for startups in manufacturing and the future of automation in the industry.2024-04-1853 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 15 | How to Bootstrap a Humanoid Robotics Startup (w/ Ian Pritchard)In this episode, I sit down with Ian Pritchard:
Alongside his brother, they're building Anthrobotics, a startup that's challenging the norms of robotics with open-source humanoid robots, balancing their project with full-time commitments.
A Radio Operator in the Canadian Armed Forces and a graduate in Nanotechnology and Electronics Engineering from NAIT, we walk through his journey of robotics.2024-04-1157 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 14 | Open-Source Humanoids (w/ Rob Knight & Trent Shumay)Recently, an emerging startup made headlines with its foray into launching an open-source humanoid, sparking a conversation on innovation in robotics.
This prompted me to bring Rob and Trent together for a comprehensive discussion - questioning the need to "reinvent the wheel."
We explore the advantages of open-source development in juxtaposition with corporate-led initiatives. Moreover, we'll uncover insights into the anticipated launch of DexHand V2.2024-04-041h 10Building Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 13 | Helping Latinas in STEM (w/ Jesica Chavez)In episode 13, we're joined by Jesica Chavez:
An engineer who's spent 15 years enhancing customer growth and operational efficiency in the robotics and tech industries.
Originally from Mexico, Jesica has carved out a successful career in the US, embracing diverse roles across the sector.
Our conversation dives into her inspiring journey, her passionate advocacy for women in technology, and her commitment to mentoring Latina women in STEM fields.2024-03-2855 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 12 | How to Innovate a Robotics Giant (w/ Jürgen Blume)In today's episode, I'm joined by Jürgen Blume, Principal Software Developer at KUKA:
Since 2014, he's played a crucial role in Application Engineering, creating tailored software solutions for clients.
Jürgen is also deeply involved in the Business Innovation Lab, focusing on cutting-edge research to enhance customer value.
He holds a diploma in computer science and a PhD in engineering, specializing in human-robot interaction, from the Technical University of Munich.
We'll discuss the challenges of fostering innovation in large corporations, understanding customer needs accurately, and strategies for success.2024-03-2148 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 11 | Take the Risk of Failure (w/ Jens Kotlarski)In this episode, I'm joined by Voraus Robotik CEO Jens Kotlarski!
He studied Mechanical Engineering in Germany, furthered his education in Canada, and finished with a PhD.
Jens led a prestigious robotics research group before venturing into the entrepreneurial world with Yuanda Robotics, which, despite its initial promise, faced financial difficulties.
Today, he steers Voraus Robotik, focusing on cutting-edge robotics technology. We'll discuss his academic roots, the lessons from Yuanda's downfall, and his rebound with Voraus Robotik. 2024-03-1455 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 10 | Robots That Learn and Help (w/ Chris Paxton)Welcome, to episode #10 with Chris Paxton!
Chris is an AI + Robotics Research Scientist at Meta and before that at NVIDIA. He's all about making robots smarter and more helpful by teaching them to understand the world and make decisions on their own.
Today, we're talking with Chris about his work making robots less like machines and more like helpers, his journey in the world of AI and robotics, and his advice for anyone looking to get into this field.2024-03-0759 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 9 | How to Find Your Path in Robotics (w/ Akshet Patel)Here we go again: Akshet Patel!
After our last episode, many people reached out to me, happy that Akshet shared his struggles as a newcomer without experience in the robotics industry and how he overcame them.
Due to popular demand, we talk today about how to find your way into robotics, not to be overwhelmed by the diversity of subfields robotics has to offer, resources and the importance of networking.2024-02-2958 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 8 | Overcoming Obstacles in Engineering Abroad (w/ Akshet Patel)Today's episode #8 stars Akshet Patel!
With a deep-rooted passion for electronics and engineering, he pursued his Bachelor's in Mechatronics Engineering in India before earning his Master's in Robotics & Computation from University College London.
We explore Akshet's challenges in securing work in the UK as a newcomer without experience, his committed strategy to navigate these hurdles, and the guidance he offers to young engineers facing similar situations.2024-02-2247 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 7 | The Best Way To Become A Roboticist (w/ John Vial)My guest today is Dr. John Vial from Perth, Australia:
He has a PhD in Robotics, from the University of Syndey and works in PM and technical leadership of a small robotics team, building the next generation of legged robots.
We talk about his studies, being a founder at one time and his goal, to enable more people to get into robotics.2024-02-1553 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 6 | Pioneering AI Robotics in Manufacturing (w/ Tobias Rietzler)My guest on the 6th episode: Tobias Rietzler!
CEO of Robominds, Tobias is an electrical engineer & visionary Co-Founder of the AI robotics company.
We talk about his unusual upbringing in Thailand, his first steps into robotics and how hard it was to bring AI into the ancient manufacturing industry.2024-02-0847 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 5 | Women in Robotics (w/ Vanessa Loiola)In this episode, Vanessa Loiola, an industrial engineer and founder of Valoy Automation, shares her journey in robotics.
Originating from Brazil and now innovating in Ireland, she found her initial inspiration in Iron Man and has since developed expertise with industry giants like KUKA, FANUC, and ABB.
Discover how she navigates the challenges of a male-dominated industry and her vision for the future of robotics.2024-02-0145 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 4 | Apps & Robotics- Digital to Physical (w/ Trent Shumay)In my fourth episode, I am talking to Trent Shumay!
As a Computer Scientist, he started in the wild gaming industry of the mid90s, working a lot on 3D Rendering.
Today he runs an independent secret workshop where he's focused on building robotic applications related to manufacturing technology.
We will talk about both worlds and everything in between!
2024-01-2552 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 3 | The Importance of User-Friendly Interfaces (w/ Eric Rosen)In my third episode I am talking to Eric, he's a robotics research scientist at Boston Dynamics AI Institute and holds a PhD in Computer Science from Brown University.
His research is centred on crafting algorithms and intuitive interfaces for robot learning and task planning, simplifying the process for individuals to teach and collaborate with robots.
We talk about his studies, algorithms & his work at the AI Institute.2024-01-2241 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 2 | Open-Source Robotics - Access for All (w/ Rob Knight)My latest podcast episode features a special guest: Rob Knight!
An accomplished founder and robot hardware designer, with over two decades in cutting-edge robot R&D and building.
We dive into his journey from studying at Cambridge, rapid robot development, and his current focus on commercializing AI-integrated hardware.2024-01-1140 minBuilding Deep Tech with Ilir AliuEp 1 | Give Unexpectancy Room (w/ Andreas Bihlmaier)This is my first podcast episode, my guest: Andreas Bihlmaier!
He is a roboticist and head of robotics software architecture at IntrinsicAI.
We talk about his unexpected turn into robot tech, being a founder and his path to Intrinsic - robotics software and AI company at Alphabet.2024-01-0431 min