An Nvidia insider-turned-VC on why robotics hasn’t hit its ChatGPT moment, yet
TechCrunch Theresa Loconsolo ● Covered by 2 sources
An ex-Nvidia robotics lead says the field is still rebuilding its basics. That’s why she says the big AI-to-robots breakthrough hasn’t arrived yet.
Based on reporting by TechCrunch, Theresa Loconsolo — read the original for the full story.
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Amulya Vishwanath thinks robotics is still at square one in a lot of places. After seven years leading product marketing for Nvidia’s robotics platforms, she now describes the field as being in its “Lego era,” where the core pieces are still being put back together: actuators, robotic hands, software, and safety standards.
That is a pretty direct pushback against the idea that robotics is on the edge of its own ChatGPT moment. The claim from the other camp is simple enough: give machines a single general foundation model and a lot of the specialized robotics work disappears. But Vishwanath isn’t buying the rush.
Her comments came on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, where Dominic-Madori Davis talked with her about where she is placing her first bets as founder and managing partner of Techable VC. The firm is an early-stage investor focused on physical AI.
And she’s not just looking at robots. Vishwanath said Techable VC is also investing across materials science and life sciences, which fits her broader view that physical AI is still early and still assembling its parts. In that sense, the slowdown isn’t a bug. It’s the story.
My take — AI-written commentary, not fact-checked reporting
The robotics crowd loves one-model-to-rule-them-all stories because they sound clean and sell well. But hardware, safety, and real-world messiness do not care about a keynote demo. The smarter bet is the boring one: build the pieces first, then brag later.
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