Rethinking Robotics: Electric Sheep's Journey to Safer, Smarter Machines
Mon Nov 13 2023
In this episode, I spoke with Nag Murty, Founder & CEO, and Michael Laskey, VP of Autonomy at Electric Sheep, about their innovative approach to robotics in the physical world. Electric Sheep is reimagining how robots can be designed, built, and deployed for outdoor maintenance tasks, starting with lawn mowing. Their unique approach combines cutting-edge AI, a focus on intrinsic safety, and a novel business model that could reshape the robotics industry.
3 Ideas from the Interview
- Electric Sheep is throwing away classical robotics approaches and instead using machine learning for everything, including localization and high-level control.
- They've redesigned lawnmowing robots to be intrinsically safer by making them smaller and lighter, rather than relying solely on sensors for safety.
- Instead of selling robots or using a subscription model, Electric Sheep buys profitable landscaping businesses and integrates their robots into existing operations.
2 Quotes that Stood Out
"We believe that the future of robots is a learning robot. A robot that can understand the world in an intuitive way, can relate to it with more of a natural instinct that progresses over time from experiences, and can be interacted with in sort of the UX that you might interact with like an outdoor work animal." - Michael Laskey
"The value of the company is not just like what we buy it for in terms of its earnings. It's the data and you're buying essentially the services of all the operators who can perform reinforcement learning for you on the ground." - Nag Murty
1 Opportunity
Apply Electric Sheep's approach to other service industries by acquiring small to mid-sized businesses and integrating AI and robotic solutions. This model allows for data collection across various environments, enabling the creation of comprehensive "world models" for AI-powered automation while maintaining profitability through existing operations. Potential industries could include hospitality, healthcare, or facility management.