Jan Liphardt, founder and CEO of OpenMind and Stanford bioengineering associate professor, joins Going Direct host Jordan to discuss open software, robot intelligence, and how humanoids could be deployed.
Liphardt says robotics has no single bottleneck because machines differ in form, capability, and purpose. OpenMind is building OM1, an open-source software stack intended to connect robot hardware with AI models and make it easier for developers to contribute. He describes its aim as similar to Android for humanoids.
Liphardt contrasts traditional robotics software with OM1’s approach of connecting large language models to sensor inputs and robot actions. He says roughly 1,000 models are relevant to robotics, and argues that combining smaller models can suit human-facing tasks such as education, reception, and companionship. Tasks needing fast, precise hand movements, such as chopping onions, call for a different architecture.
OpenMind works with robot makers to adapt its software to their hardware, which Liphardt says can take about a week once engineers understand the system. He describes an upcoming humanoid app store where developers could combine models, rules, prompts, and movement policies into downloadable functions. He expects the company to start with tasks that do not require hands, then add dexterity as hardware improves.
Liphardt says companies often restrict access to proprietary workflows and data, while general-purpose data may not match a robot’s sensors or environment. He says simulation can reduce the amount of real-world data needed, and that OpenMind prototypes hardware before relying on specialist manufacturers. Deploying a robot in a hospital also requires compliance, insurance, maintenance, training, and connections to hospital systems.
Liphardt wants more people to understand and shape robotics, including developers outside technology hubs, and invites people to visit OpenMind’s lab or contribute through GitHub. He is optimistic about possible gains in healthcare, elder care, local production, and personalized teaching, while warning that people and institutions will need time to adapt. He says robots built for labs can still need many changes before they fit comfortably into homes or workplaces.
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Jan Liphardt, founder of OpenMind, talks with The Humanoid Hub host at the host’s San Francisco office about open-source robotics software, humanoid use cases, and modular AI systems.
