#374 – Robert Playter: Boston Dynamics CEO on Humanoid and Legged Robotics
Lex Fridman Podcast
Lex Fridman
4.7 • 13K Ratings
🗓️ 28 April 2023
⏱️ 152 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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EPISODE LINKS:
Boston Dynamics YouTube: https://youtube.com/@bostondynamics
Boston Dynamics Twitter: https://twitter.com/BostonDynamics
Boston Dynamics Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bostondynamicsofficial
Boston Dynamics Website: https://bostondynamics.com
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OUTLINE:
Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) - Introduction
(07:18) - Early days of Boston Dynamics
(15:39) - Simplifying robots
(19:37) - Art and science of robotics
(24:20) - Atlas humanoid robot
(41:14) - DARPA Robotics Challenge
(55:34) - BigDog robot
(1:09:23) - Spot robot
(1:30:48) - Stretch robot
(1:33:36) - Handle robot
(1:39:10) - Robots in our homes
(1:47:57) - Tesla Optimus robot
(1:56:39) - ChatGPT
(1:59:43) - Boston Dynamics AI Institute
(2:01:14) - Fear of robots
(2:11:36) - Running a company
(2:17:13) - Consciousness
(2:24:46) - Advice for young people
(2:26:42) - Future of robots
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The following is a conversation with Robert Plader, CEO of Boston Dynamics, a legendary robotics |
| 0:06.9 | company that over 30 years has created some of the most elegant, dexterous, and simply amazing robots |
| 0:14.5 | ever built, including the humanoid robot atlas and the robot dog spot. One or both of whom you've |
| 0:23.6 | probably seen on the internet either dancing, doing backflips, opening doors, or throwing around |
| 0:30.4 | heavy objects. Robert has led both the development of Boston Dynamics, humanoid robots, and their |
| 0:37.3 | physics-based simulation software. He has been with the company from the very beginning, |
| 0:43.1 | including its roots at MIT, where he received his PhD in aeronautical engineering. This was in 1994 |
| 0:51.2 | at the legendary MIT Leg Lab. He wrote his PhD thesis on robot gymnastics, as part of which he |
| 0:59.0 | programmed a bipedal robot to do the world's first 3D robotics on the salt. Robert is a great |
| 1:06.1 | engineer, a robot assistant leader, and Boston Dynamics, to me as a robot assistant, is a truly |
| 1:11.6 | inspiring company. This conversation was a big honor and pleasure, and I hope to do a lot of great |
| 1:17.7 | work with these robots in the years to come. Now, a quick few second mention of each sponsor. |
| 1:24.1 | Check them out in the description. It's the best way to support this podcast. We've got Net |
| 1:28.4 | Suite for Business Management Software, Linode for Linux Systems, and Element for Zero |
| 1:35.1 | Sugar Electrolytes. Choose wisely, my friends. Also, if you want to work with our team, |
| 1:40.2 | we're always hiring. Go to LuxFreemann.com slash hiring. Now, onto the full ad reads. As always, |
| 1:46.0 | no ads in the middle. I try to make this interesting, but if you must commit the horrible, |
| 1:50.7 | terrible crime of skipping them, please do check out our sponsors. I do enjoy their stuff. I really do, |
| 1:56.9 | and maybe you will as well. This show is brought to you by Net Suite, an all-in-one cloud business |
| 2:04.6 | management system. Running a business as this podcast reveals from Robert Plader and Boston Dynamics |
| 2:13.4 | is really hard. It's not just about the design of the system. It's not just about the engineering, |
| 2:18.4 | the software, the hardware, all the complicated research that goes into it, all the different |
... |
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