In ep 61 of Automate It , Stefan and Ilia dive headfirst into robot subversion hoodies, self-cleaning backyards, and the philosophical sinkholes of the Three Laws of Robotics. They explore why "don't hurt humans" is harder to code than it sounds, the limits of common sense in machine learning, and how old sci-fi still haunts today’s AI safety debates. Then, things get weird. From fiber optic controlled drones in Ukraine to perimeter defense bots equipped with buzzsaws, the duo brainstorm real (a...
Jun 25, 2025•49 min
On this episode of Automate It, Stefan and Ilia dive into Aurora’s recent announcement about running driver-out trucks on public highways—an undeniably huge technical feat, but one that curiously failed to make a media splash. But first, they play the Robot Invention Game, drawing a wild scenario: applying deep learning to railroads.
May 14, 2025•38 min
This week on Automate It, we're excited to have a special guest! Carnegie Robotics co-founder David LaRose joins the podcast to share his perspective on the evolution of robotics from academic research to rugged real-world systems. He reflects on what’s changed - and what hasn’t - over the last 15 years, from safety systems that still rely on spreadsheets to why so many autonomous vehicle projects have stalled. David also unpacks the real challenges of selling to the DoD, the importance of enabl...
Apr 24, 2025•1 hr 13 min
In the 58th episode of Automate It, Polymath Robotics co-founders Stefan Seltz-Axmacher and Ilia Baranov discuss why hardware for robots is so dang expensive. But first, they play the robot invention game and come up with a humanoid axe murderer.
Apr 09, 2025•31 min
On Ep 57 of Automate It, Stefan and Ilia get into Polymath Robotics' latest progress—scaling the team, launching new customer projects, and pushing forward despite the usual challenges. Then they play the robot game, brainstorming how machine learning could help identify high-value recyclables -- devolving into "spot the $10 treasure," complete with GPU budgets, conveyor belt chaos, and the eternal battle between processing speed and precision. Then, they tackle the vertical vs. horizontal integ...
Mar 13, 2025•43 min
On this episode of Automate It , Stefan and Ilia break down the surprisingly flawed state of collision avoidance systems in mining—where billion-dollar companies still rely on network-dependent GPS safety systems that can fail with network outages, jamming, or spoofing. They get into why legacy mining autonomy is stuck in the past, how vendor lock-in prevents progress, and what a modern, sensor-driven approach to safety should actually look like. But first, they play the robot invention game, br...
Feb 20, 2025•42 min
On Ep 55 of Automate It, we invite Adrian Macneil, CEO of Foxglove, to play the robot game -- which takes a turn into pest control, debating whether humanoid robots should stomp or grab mice. Then, Adrian gives us a deep dive on the state of robotics developer tools, why debugging robots is still a mess, and what it takes to build a software company in a hardware-heavy industry. Plus: why robotics is where SaaS was in the early 2000s—and what that means for the future....
Feb 14, 2025•55 min
In Ep 54 of Automate It, Polymath's co-founders tackle the tough topic of safety -- and what it means for a big heavy robot to be "safe enough." But first, they play the robot invention game, which creates industrial grey goop. Try the grey stuff it's delicious, indeed.
Jan 29, 2025•31 min
On Ep 53 of Automate It, the guys discuss their takeaways from CES 2025 - including Jensen Huang's big announcement on autonomous vehicles, how the Chinese auto industry is leapfrogging everyone, evolution of the Lidar industry, a big OEM stepping back from autonomy, and more. But first, they play the robot invention game, which they basically use to make fun of a VTOL "company" that exhibited at CES this year.
Jan 21, 2025•39 min
On Ep 52 of Automate It, Stefan and Ilia discuss the demise of Cruise Automation and why it's representative of the hidden dangers in autonomy programs. But first, they play the robot game and invent a ground-penetrating radar application for fast food.
Dec 13, 2024•39 min
This week on Automate It, the guys invent a robot that spearfishes for shipping containers at the bottom of the ocean. Then, they're talking one of the mysteries of the universe: why "hype" robotics is often perceived as more valuable than robots that actually, you know, work.
Dec 04, 2024•47 min
On Episode 50 of Automate It (!!) the guys play the robot invention game and come up with a robot for assessing your cleanliness levels. Then, we're diving DEEP (pun intended) into the challenges of underwater robots.
Oct 31, 2024•30 min
In Episode 49 of Automate It, Stefan & Ilia reflect on whether MINEXPO is secretly the best robotics conference. Then, they break down Tesla's humanoid robot demo and whether fake demos are ever "okay." But first, the robot invention game results in a pyromaniac AI for data collection.
Oct 17, 2024•34 min
In Ep 48 of Automate It, Stefan and Ilia discuss why we don't work with AMRs. But first, they play the robot invention game and come up with quad rotors for smart cities.
Sep 20, 2024•36 min
In Episode 47 of Automate It, Stefan and Ilia play the robot game and invent autonomous shopping carts that can return themselves. They also learn that Stefan is the type of person to abandon shopping carts (shocking!). Then, the main discussion of the day: why doesn't the military have better robots? The guys break down why the Defense Industrial Complex hasn't kept up with consumer-grade robots in recent conflicts (and what can be done about it).
Sep 10, 2024•34 min
On Episode 24 of Automate It, Polymath Robotics co-founders Stefan and Ilia play the robot invention game and come up with a swarm of zeppelins that yeet pizza at you. Or as Ilia puts it, a robot version of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. It's silly but turns into an in-depth discussion on the state of swarm technologies. Then, they're talking robotics regulation: will SB 1047 really kill the booming AI industry?
Aug 09, 2024•49 min
In Ep 45 of Automate It, Stefan & Ilia try to play the robot game but mostly get sidetracked talking about movie magic. Then, they're debunking a popular myth in robotics: that Starlink will solve all your remote connectivity problems.
Aug 01, 2024•33 min
On ep 44 of Automate It, Polymath Robotics co-founders Stefan and Ilia play the robot invention game and come up with a cheap nuclear reactor by dunking plutonium in a swamp. *In other news, we're now on several CIA lists. (Thanks Adam A for the topic suggestions!) Then, our main topic of the day: robots on a boat! What are the challenges of operating robots when your ground isn't stable?
Jul 14, 2024•45 min
On Episode 43 of Automate It, Polymath Robotics co-founders Stefan and Ilia break down the hidden tradeoffs and challenges of building a vertical robotics company. But first, they play the robot invention game, which results in a humanoid robot for predictive maintenance around the home.
Jun 20, 2024•47 min
In Episode 42 of Automate It, Polymath Robotics co-founders Stefan and Ilia are talking all about radar. What's it good for? What's it not? And most importantly, why's it so hot right now?
May 28, 2024•45 min
In Episode 41, Stefan & Ilia play the robot invention game in response to Nat Friedman's tweet about a robot that quietly picks up leaves. Then, they're are rolling up their sleeves and tackling a dirty topic: DIRT! Why is dirt hard for robots? Can't they just, like, dig? The guys break down what makes dirt such a challenging problem.
Apr 30, 2024•34 min
Wow, it's the 40th episode of Automate It! This week we're joined by extra special guest, Ed Niedermeyer. Ed is the author of Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors and co-host of the popular Autonocast podcast. Ed joins Stefan and Ilia for the robot game, where they invent a six-figure electric smart truck for the everyman. Then, it's a free-ranging discussion on all things autonomy - Tesla, self-driving cars, and Ed's favorite industry stories.
Apr 25, 2024•44 min
Introducing the reluctant AI episode! First, the guys play the robot invention game and come up with a machine vision robot for urban farms. Then, it's the main topic of the day: is AI useful for robotics? And boy are they reluctant about it.
Apr 19, 2024•35 min
This week on Automate It, Stefan and Ilia invent a sushi boat robot, giving Stefan an opportunity to rant about about sushi feasts. Then, they're talking about Polymath's April Fools joke - that we were pivoting to humanoid robots - and why some people thought it was real.
Apr 05, 2024•30 min
Wow, we actually published 2 weeks in a row! This week on Automate It, Stefan & Ilia work on 3d printing at the beach. Then, they unpack Stefan's assertion that robotics projects are "default blocked".
Mar 28, 2024•34 min
Guess who's back back back again: This week on Automate It, Stefan & Ilia invent a quadcopter for micromanaging your employees. Then, they're talking their favorite VC question: "so, how are you using AI?"
Mar 22, 2024•44 min
We're back! After a 6 week hiatus (unintentional, we promise) "Automate It" is back with a bang. On Ep 35, Stefan and Ilia play the robot invention game and come up with a spider robot that keeps you cool in the summer. Then, they dig into whether the tech industry is over "autonomy" in general, and what autonomy even means anymore.
Feb 21, 2024•20 min
This week on Automate It, the co-founders of Polymath Robotics play the robot invention game and mostly end up making fun of kitchen robots. Then, they're breaking down the state of VC in the Robotics industry. Coming to CES in Las Vegas Jan 9-12? Stop by North Hall Booth #10852 to test drive our robots and meet the guys!
Jan 05, 2024•31 min
On Episode 33 of Automate It, Stefan and Ilia try to play the robot game, but mostly just end up talking about trains. Then, they're talking approaches to GPS-denied localization. In other words, how does the robot figure out where it is without GPS?
Dec 14, 2023•24 min
On Ep 32 of Automate It, the robot game creates a humanoid robot for film sets. Then, the main topic of the day -- in robotics, is it possible to have sensor overkill? Stefan & Ilia break down why MORE is not always a good thing. Got a topic you want to hear about? Shoot us a note at hello@polymathrobotics.com Episode notes: The Spiderman stunt video that Ilia references is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyXl3IhonRM...
Dec 08, 2023•25 min
