Amulya Vishwanath says physical AI is in its “LEGO era”

Robotics is still assembling its foundations, according to Amulya Vishwanath, founder and managing partner of Techable Ventures. She described the field as being in a “LEGO era” in an interview with TechCrunch’s Equity, where she discussed the prospect of a ChatGPT-like moment for robotics.

Vishwanath said foundational robotics software and building blocks are being rethought. She pointed to robotic hands and actuators as components that could eventually come together in more capable systems. Both general-purpose and special-purpose robots are being developed, she said, and she expects them to improve over time.

“I think it’s just a matter of time before things fall into place,” Vishwanath said, comparing the process with earlier development during the internet era and the Industrial Revolution.

She also described talent as critical to the U.S. market and a strength for her firm. Techable Ventures helps connect founders with talent, she said, drawing on the network she built during her time in the industry. Vishwanath spent nearly seven years as a product marketer at Nvidia before starting the firm, which focuses on physical AI. Earlier, she worked in the same role at a company later acquired by Intel and as a digital signal processing engineer at Interconnect Systems, later acquired by Molex.