Jeff Cardenas of Apptronik at Manifest 2024

In this talk

1. 0:23

   From Valkyrie to Apptronik

   Apptronik began in Austin in 2016, growing out of work connected to the DARPA Robotics Challenge and NASA’s Valkyrie humanoid. Cardenas said he saw an opportunity for versatile robots designed to perform many tasks, rather than fleets of machines built for one job each.

2. 3:16

   Why use a human form

   Cardenas gave three reasons: easier integration into spaces built for people, broader use across tasks, and the potential to teach robots from human demonstrations. He said automation integration can cost six times as much as the robot itself, and argued that one robot could handle different warehouse jobs as needs shift through the day.

3. 5:02

   AI can expand what robots learn

   Cardenas described training through on-site demonstrations or video, with robots applying what they have already learned to new examples. He said these methods are still early, and that conventional robotics techniques can support initial material-handling work while newer approaches help with dexterous or multistep tasks.

4. 10:26

   Early applications and deployment plans

   Cardenas compared the field to personal computers in the early 1980s, noting that moving from a promising demonstration to reliable, around-the-clock production remains a major step. Apptronik was focusing first on moving boxes and totes, with pilots underway in 2024 and limited commercial deployments planned for 2025.