A useful robot has to earn its place in someone’s workflow.

For Rodney Brooks, that means safe interactions, measurable results, and customers who want more.

Recorded in front of a live audience at Circuit Launch in Mountain View with Silicon Valley Robotics, this episode of Automated brings Brian Heater back together with the show’s first returning guest. Rodney, co-founder and CTO of Robust.AI and co-founder of iRobot, draws on decades of building robots to explain what it takes to turn technical progress into a working business.

Rodney discusses scaling beyond 100 deployed robots, handling unreliable warehouse Wi-Fi, and designing machines that people can take control of. He shares what his team learned when workers used emergency stops to reserve their robots, along with safety lessons from Roomba, Baxter, and Sawyer.

The conversation also explores physical AI and the limits Rodney sees in learning manipulation from video. He explains why forces and touch matter, how robot eyes can communicate intent, and where specialized machines could help an aging population.

Brian and Rodney examine the difference between a pilot and a deployment, the human work surrounding autonomous vehicles, and privacy concerns around teleoperated home robots. Rodney’s test for a robotics business includes a customer-support team that can respond at 3 a.m., measurable ROI that leads to repeat orders, and sustainable economics for each robot shipped.

Learn more about Rodney Brooks and read his writing:
https://rodneybrooks.com/blog/ Rodney Brooks

Learn more about Robust.AI:
https://www.robust.ai/ AI-Powered Collaborative Mobile Robots

Learn more about Silicon Valley Robotics:
https://www.svrobo.org/ svrobo.org

Learn more and register for IEEE Humanoids 2026, December 6–9 in Santa Clara:
https://2026.ieee-humanoids.org/

We’d love to hear from you. Have thoughts or guest suggestions?
Reach us at podcast@automate.org.

You can find the transcript and more episodes of Automated at automated.fm.

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Rodney Brooks on Physical AI, Robot Safety and Real-World Deployment

Automated with Brian Heater

Rodney Brooks on Physical AI, Robot Safety and Real-World Deployment