Upgrading Humanity with Dr. Harry Kloor of Beyond Imagination - Robotics - #FII6 - Day 2

In this talk

1. 3:45

   Training Beomni through human operation

   Kloor describes Beomni as a robotics platform that learns tasks from people using a VR system with haptic feedback. The operator's actions provide data for an AI engine, which can learn to perform each task autonomously. Training examples include handing instruments to surgeons, laboratory work, agriculture, and kitchen assistance for older adults.

2. 5:04

   Expanding access to care and work

   Kloor argues that automating labor could reduce production costs and make services more accessible. He imagines remotely operated robots extending nursing care, and work centers where people perform jobs through robot avatars. He says the system learns tasks one by one, with autonomy increasing as it gains experience.

3. 6:22

   Remote support for older adults

   Kloor highlights elder care as an area with too few professionals, especially in the United States, Japan, China, and Europe. A family member far away could use a robot to prepare meals, support exercise, or spend time in the garden with a parent. When family members are unavailable, AI could handle tasks, with one professional overseeing ten older adults.

4. 7:31

   From workplaces to homes

   Kloor envisions Beomni moving from health care into manufacturing, hospitality, retail, energy, and logistics. He estimates that the robot's price could eventually fall to $40,000 to $50,000 as production scales, and says its round-the-clock operation could cover the work of four to six people. He also imagines household uses such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, gardening, and tutoring.

5. 9:43

   Robot capabilities and sustainability

   Kloor presents robotics as a way to reduce the environmental impact of labor and suggests waterproof robots could help restore coral reefs. He says Beomni can operate for up to 12 hours and travel over sand, snow, and mud, using wheels and a gyroscope for stability. He also describes an AI designed to combine vision, sound, movement, and reasoning, including awareness that objects remain present when briefly obscured.