Jan Liphardt, founder and CEO of Open Mind and Stanford bioengineering professor, discusses U.S. readiness to build physical AI with NEXT host John Koetsier.
Open Mind’s Physical AI Readiness Index estimates that building a humanoid without Chinese suppliers could cost 2.85 times as much, turning a $50,000 robot into one costing about $150,000. Liphardt says the challenge also includes securing materials and components such as rare earths, magnets, gears, actuators, and chips.
Liphardt says U.S. manufacturing capacity is spread across the country, with relatively few suppliers for some components. He contrasts this with Shenzhen, where businesses making parts such as bearings, sensors, and circuit boards are clustered nearby, enabling faster design cycles. He suggests existing automotive capabilities could support advanced robotics.
Liphardt ranks China first, Japan second, and the U.S. third in physical AI readiness, citing Japan’s strength in actuator engineering. He argues that access to hardware supply chains and the ability to integrate components matter alongside AI models. China leads the index with 83 points, compared with 69.6 for Japan and 69 for the U.S.
Liphardt points to Ukraine’s drone production as an example of rapid iteration, with design changes informed by frontline experience in days or weeks. He says U.S. states could similarly support real-world robot trials in settings such as hospitals or infrastructure projects, giving engineers useful feedback and training data.
Liphardt describes the U.S. lead in AI as narrow and says China’s large manufacturing base could give it far more physical AI training data. He sees vertical integration, as pursued by Tesla and Optimus, as strategically sensible despite the difficulty of making cost-effective robots that way. Koetsier also discusses prices ranging from 1X’s announced $20,000 price to six-figure systems.
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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.
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.
