True Ventures was an early investor in key robotics startups like Diligent and Bear Flag, thanks, in part, to Rohit Sharma’s thoughtful eye. The venture partner discusses how the firm determines early stage successes and charts his family’s journey from India farm to Palo Alto boardroom.

From ag robotics and humanoids to long investment timelines, founder empathy, and why optimism matters in venture, this conversation goes deep on how transformative technologies actually make it into the world.

We’d love to hear from you! Have thoughts or guest suggestions? Reach us at podcast@automate.org.

You can find the transcript and more episodes of Automated at automated.fm.

Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation. Subscribe today and leave a review on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

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‘‘Twas the night before Automated and all through TRI, not a robot was stirring, just Erin McColl and I. We watched several YouTube videos with great glee, for the latest in AI and autonomy.”

Welcome to this end-of-year special where host Brian Heater and Toyota Research Institute’s Erin McColl break down the most compelling robot videos of 2025. What’s real, what’s hype, and what actually moved automation technologies forward. From diffusion policies and dexterity challenges to home robots, humanoids, and honest failure cases, this episode explores the trends shaping robotics heading into 2026, plus the reveal of the 2025 Readers’ Poll winner.

See the full list of 10 videos under consideration on YouTube.

We’d love to hear from you! Have thoughts or guest suggestions? Reach us at podcast@automate.org.

You can find the transcript and more episodes of Automated at automated.fm.

Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation. Subscribe today and leave a review on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

Subscribe to the Automated Newsletter:

https://www.automate.org/automation/newsletter-automation-roundup

You can also find us on:

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/

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Ahead of Disney’s Avatar: Fire and Ash’s release, we’ve got one hot conversation with Ben Procter. The film’s production designer, who previously worked on the Transformers series and Prometheus, discusses how real-world robots influenced the sequel’s autonomous systems and mechs.

From Avatar’s crab suits to swarm construction robots, this conversation dives deep into how real robotics, industrial design, and human biomechanics shape some of cinema’s most iconic machines. Ben Procter explains how mech suits are piloted, why insects, not humans, are the real inspiration, and how realism makes science fiction hit harder.

We’d love to hear from you! Have thoughts or guest suggestions? Reach us at podcast@automate.org.

You can find the transcript and more episodes of Automated at automated.fm.

Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation. Subscribe today and leave a review on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

Subscribe to the Automated Newsletter:

https://www.automate.org/automation/newsletter-automation-roundup

You can also find us on:

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.