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Autonomous forklifts and pallet jacks may generate plenty of headlines, but the real challenge isn't building robots that can move. It's building solutions that fit seamlessly into existing operations, deliver measurable ROI, and earn customer trust over years of deployment.
Michael Lawrence, Director of Sales and Business Development at Anantak Robotics, joins Greg to discuss what it actually takes to bring autonomous material handling systems into warehouses and manufacturing environments. Drawing on a career that spans electrical engineering, entrepreneurship, robotics, and commercial strategy, Michael shares why successful automation is as much about partnerships, process design, and customer education as it is about technology.
At Anantak Robotics, Michael helps bridge the gap between technical capability and operational reality, helping customers deploy autonomous tuggers, pallet jacks, and forklifts that solve real-world material movement challenges without forcing facilities to redesign how they work.
In this conversation, Greg and Michael explore:
For anyone building robotics companies, deploying automation, or trying to understand what separates hype from real-world value creation, this episode offers a grounded look at how practical autonomy is reshaping material handling operations one deployment at a time.
Learn more about Anantak Robotics:
Connect with Michael Lawrence on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mglaw/
Connect with Greg Toroosian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian/
Construction is one of the world’s largest industries, yet much of the design process still depends on manual coordination, long hours, and workflows that struggle to keep pace with growing project complexity. Francesco “Frio” Iorio, co-founder and CEO of Augmenta, joins Greg to explore how AI-native design tools could fundamentally reshape the future of construction, engineering, and collaboration across the built environment.
Before founding Augmenta, Frio spent years working in computational science, generative design, and advanced AI systems at Autodesk Research. His experience applying artificial intelligence to manufacturing, aerospace, and simulation eventually led him toward one of the hardest design problems imaginable: construction. At Augmenta, he and his team are building AI systems capable of generating detailed construction blueprints for electrical systems and eventually entire buildings, helping contractors and engineers dramatically compress timelines while reducing burnout and coordination overhead.
In this conversation, Greg and Frio explore:
For anyone interested in AI for physical industries, construction technology, or the future of engineering workflows, this episode offers a deep look into how intelligent systems could transform the way buildings are designed and delivered.
Learn more about Augmenta:
Connect with Francesco Iorio on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francescoiorio/
Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian/
As robotics and AI reshape manufacturing, the hardest challenge is often not the technology itself. It is helping people, processes, and entire organizations successfully adapt to it. GrayMatter Robotics is tackling that challenge head-on by building AI-powered automation systems designed for real-world manufacturing environments where variability, human expertise, and operational complexity are everywhere.
Michelle Lo, Director of Customer Strategy and Success at GrayMatter Robotics, joins Greg to discuss what it actually takes to deploy automation in high-mix manufacturing environments. Drawing from her background in electric vehicles and industrial automation, Michelle shares why successful robotics adoption depends just as much on customer alignment, operator trust, and long-term partnership as it does on the robots themselves.
Greg and Michelle explore the realities of manufacturing transformation, from backlog-driven demand and workforce shortages to the nuanced collaboration between humans and robots on the factory floor. They also unpack why configurable automation platforms are enabling faster deployment cycles, how manufacturers evaluate ROI beyond labor replacement, and why “perfect” automation is not always what customers actually want.
Highlights:
If you are building automation for manufacturing, deploying robotics at scale, or navigating the human side of industrial transformation, this episode offers a grounded look at how AI-powered systems are changing the factory floor while keeping people at the center of the process.
Learn more about GrayMatter Robotics:
Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michlo/
Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian/
From bootstrapping a defense intelligence startup with five credit cards to backing some of the most ambitious robotics and autonomy companies in the world, Paige Craig has built his career around one core belief: exceptional people matter more than polished ideas.
In this conversation, Paige Craig, founder and managing partner of Outlander VC, joins Greg to unpack how his unconventional path through the Marine Corps, intelligence work, and entrepreneurship shaped his philosophy as an investor. Paige shares why he spends more time analyzing founders than products, how his team evaluates leadership under chaos, and why physical AI and robotics will define the next two decades of innovation.
The discussion also dives deep into the realities of robotics deployment, the hidden complexity behind autonomy, and what separates founders who can survive the brutal transition from prototype to real-world scale.
Highlights:
Connect with Paige Craig on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paigecraig/
Learn more about Outlander VC: https://outlander.vc/
Connect with Greg Toroosian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian/
From engineering-first robots to emotionally intelligent companions, Andromeda Robotics is redefining what human-robot interaction can look like in the real world.
Grace Brown, founder and CEO of Andromeda Robotics, joins Greg to share her journey from a STEM-obsessed student in Australia to building one of the most distinctive companies in the humanoid robotics space. What started as a response to isolation during COVID has evolved into Abby, a social companion robot designed to bring meaningful connection into aged care environments.
Rather than optimizing for flashy demos or industrial efficiency, Grace and her team are focused on something far more complex: building robots that people trust, relate to, and genuinely care about. In this conversation, she unpacks why emotional intelligence is the missing layer in robotics, how design and psychology shape adoption, and what it will take for humanoids to scale in human environments.
Highlights:
Learn more about Andromeda Robotics:
Connect with Grace Brown:
Connect with Greg Toroosian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian/
From autonomous vehicles to factory floors, a new wave of vision technology is transforming how manufacturers think about quality. Bucket Robotics is at the center of that shift, bringing simulation-driven inspection systems to an industry long reliant on manual checks and outdated tooling.
Matt Puchalski, founder and CEO of Bucket Robotics, joins Greg to share how his experience in self-driving cars shaped a fundamentally different approach to quality inspection. Instead of relying on expensive hardware or months of data collection, his team is using CAD-based simulation to generate training data instantly, unlocking faster deployment, lower costs, and more scalable automation.
We explore why quality inspection remains one of the most painful bottlenecks in manufacturing, how legacy vision systems have failed to keep up, and what it takes to build robots that actually work outside of polished demos.
Highlights:
Matt's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-puchalski/
Bucket's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bucketrobotics/
Matt's email: [email protected]
Bucket's Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Bucket_Robotics
Connect with Greg Toroosian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian/
From disaster response inspiration to reimagining the backbone of global manufacturing, GrayMatter Robotics is tackling one of the largest untapped opportunities in automation: bringing true autonomy to the 90% of factory work still done by hand.
Ariyan Kabir, co-founder and CEO of GrayMatter Robotics, joins Greg to share how a firsthand experience with an earthquake in Bangladesh sparked his mission to build intelligent machines that can take on dangerous, tedious work. What started as a question about why robots were not helping in high-risk environments has evolved into a company building “factory superintelligence,” a full stack physical AI platform designed to transform how goods are made.
In this conversation, Ariyan breaks down why traditional robotics has struggled in high variability environments, how GrayMatter is bridging the gap with multimodal sensing and foundation models for manufacturing, and why solving these challenges is critical not just for productivity, but for economic resilience and national security.
Highlights:
For founders, engineers, and operators thinking about the future of manufacturing, this episode offers a deep dive into how physical AI will reshape the industrial world and why the race to build intelligent factories is just getting started.
Learn more about GrayMatter Robotics:
Connect with Ariyan Kabir:
Connect with Greg Toroosian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian/
Warehouse automation is no longer a question of if, but when. As supply chains face growing pressure from labor shortages, unpredictable demand spikes, and rising customer expectations, robotics is becoming a critical lever for speed, accuracy, and resilience.
Kait Peterson, VP and Head of Marketing at Locus Robotics, joins Greg to break down how modern warehouse automation is evolving from rigid, capital-intensive systems into flexible, scalable solutions that can adapt in real time. Drawing on 15 years in supply chain technology, Kait shares how robotics, data, and physical AI are reshaping fulfillment operations and why the next wave of adoption will look very different from the last.
Kait brings a unique perspective at the intersection of marketing, robotics, and human-centered leadership. From making hundreds of cold calls selling warehouse software early in her career to helping scale one of the most recognized brands in warehouse automation, she has seen firsthand how the industry has shifted from skepticism to rapid acceleration. Now at Locus Robotics, she helps translate complex automation systems into clear business value while championing greater inclusion across the tech ecosystem.
In this conversation, Greg and Kait explore:
For anyone building, deploying, or evaluating automation in supply chain operations, this episode offers a practical and forward-looking view of where warehouse robotics is headed and what it takes to succeed in a rapidly evolving market.
Learn more about Locus Robotics: https://locusrobotics.com/
Learn more about The Feminist Exec: https://www.feministexec.com/
Connect with Kait Peterson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitvinson/
Connect with Greg Toroosian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian/
A rare in-person episode brings together four founders building at the frontier of drones, autonomy, and physical AI. Recorded live from the Drones and Robotics AI Summit in New York, this conversation spans search and rescue, wildlife protection, aerial logistics, and next-generation drone platforms—offering a real-time snapshot of where the industry is heading.
From detecting phones in disaster zones to decoding animal communication, deploying drone delivery networks at city scale, and rethinking the cost-performance curve of aerial systems, each founder shares how they are tackling hard, real-world problems—and what it takes to move from prototype to deployment.
In this conversation, Greg speaks with Manny Cerniglia (Flyhound), Sara Nozkova (Flox Intelligence), Santiago Barrera (Aerialoop), and Justin Call (Modovolo) about:
This episode is a fast-moving look at the builders pushing drones and robotics out of the lab and into the real world—one deployment, one partnership, and one hard-earned lesson at a time.
Connect with Manny Cerniglia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mannyce/
Learn more about Flyhound: https://www.flyhound.com/
Connect with Sara Nozkova: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sára-nožková-91339685/
Learn more about Flox Intelligence: https://floxintelligence.com/
Connect with Santiago Barrera: https://www.linkedin.com/in/santiagobarrerav/
Learn more about Aerialoop: https://www.aerialoop.com/
Connect with Justin Call: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justincall/
Learn more about Modovolo: https://modovolo.com/
Connect with Greg Toroosian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian/
From early experiments with dismantled electronics to building AI systems that power real-world machines, Ash Saxena has spent decades at the intersection of research, entrepreneurship, and applied intelligence. Now, as Founder & Chief AI Officer of TorqueAGI, he is focused on one of the most ambitious challenges in technology: enabling robots to perform meaningful work in the physical world.
Ash brings a rare depth of experience, from his PhD work at Stanford alongside Andrew Ng to founding and scaling multiple AI-driven companies. His perspective cuts through the noise of today’s AI hype cycle, offering a grounded view on what is actually working, what is misunderstood, and where the real opportunities lie in robotics and embodied intelligence.
We explore how the shift from data-driven AI to reasoning-based systems is reshaping robotics, why most companies are approaching the problem the wrong way, and what it takes to move from impressive demos to reliable deployment in the real world.
Highlights:
Learn more about TorqueAGI: LinkedIn | Twitter | Website
Connect with Ash Saxena: LinkedIn | Stanford
Connect with Greg Toroosian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian/
From the publisher's feed
Machine Minds - the minds behind the machines! This is the show where we dive deep into the intricate worlds of robotics, AI, and Hard Tech. In each episode, we bring you intimate conversations…