What if airports had self-driving mobility pods that could safely navigate through crowds, just like something out of The Jetsons? Or the Pixar movie Wall-E?

In this episode, John Koetsier sits down with Matthew Anderson, CEO of A&K Robotics, to explore the future of autonomous mobility. A&K Robotics is building AI-powered self-driving pods designed to help people navigate airports independently without relying on wheelchairs or staff assistance.

But the real breakthrough isn’t just autonomy. It’s crowd navigation. Matthew explains why navigating dense, unpredictable crowds is one of the hardest problems in robotics, and how A&K’s “crowd-centric AI” could become foundational technology for airports, stadiums, smart cities, conferences, and even humanoid robots in the future.

They also discuss:

* Why airports are the perfect proving ground for robotics

* The AI and sensor stack powering autonomous mobility

* Directional sound systems inspired by The Sphere in Las Vegas

* Scaling robotics startups from prototype to deployment

* Raising an $8M Series A round

* The personal story that inspired Matthew to build the company

* Why the future of robotics depends on moving safely through human environments

Guest:

Matthew Anderson — CEO, A&K Robotics

Company: A&K Robotics

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00:00 – Intro

00:30 – Meet A&K Robotics and the Vision for Autonomous Airport Mobility

01:20 – Why Crowd Navigation AI Is the Hardest Problem in Robotics

02:40 – Navigating Dense Airport Crowds and Passenger Flow

04:05 – Directional Sound and Designing a Better Airport Experience

05:50 – Building an “iPhone Experience” for Mobility Robots

06:30 – Sensors, LIDAR, and Operating Without GPS

07:20 – Fleet Management and Autonomous Operations in Airports

08:00 – Mapping Airports and Optimizing Routes Through Crowds

09:00 – Scaling the Business and Solving Systems Integration

10:00 – Charging, Docking Stations, and the Future Airport Network

10:45 – Raising an $8 Million Series A Round

11:20 – Customers: Vancouver International Airport and Aena

12:10 – Building a Polished Robotics Platform on Seed Funding

12:50 – Matthew Anderson’s Background in Robotics and Drones

14:00 – The Bigger Vision: Crowd Navigation for All Robots

14:40 – The Personal Story Behind the Company Mission

15:40 – Licensing Opportunities and the $5 Billion Airport Mobility Market

16:45 – Hiring, Scaling the Team, and Expanding Production

18:00 – Growing Up Hacking Robots and the AC/DC Story

19:10 – Why Building Robots Is Fun — and Why Accounting Wasn’t

20:40 – Final Thoughts and the Future of Autonomous Mobility