Episode
#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
3:20:48
Published: Tue Nov 16 2021
Description
Boris Sofman is the Senior Director Of Engineering and Head of Trucking at Waymo, formerly the Google Self-Driving Car project. He was also the CEO and co-founder of Anki, a home robotics company. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - LMNT: https://drinkLMNT.com/lex to get free sample pack - Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/lex and use code LEX to get 1 month of fish oil - ROKA: https://roka.com/ and use code LEX to get 20% off your first order - Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit - BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off EPISODE LINKS: Boris's Twitter: https://twitter.com/bsofman Boris's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsofman Waymo's Twitter: https://twitter.com/waymo Waymo's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/waymo Waymo's Website: https://waymo.com/ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (07:32) - Robots in science fiction (13:13) - Cozmo (38:28) - AI companions (45:23) - Anki (1:10:56) - Waymo Via (1:42:34) - Sensor suites for long haul trucking (1:52:30) - Machine learning (2:10:26) - Waymo vs Tesla (2:21:02) - Safety and risk management (2:30:06) - Societal effects of automation (2:41:11) - Amazon Astro (2:45:35) - Challenges of the robotics industry (2:50:03) - Humanoid robotics (2:57:06) - Advice for getting a PhD in robotics (3:04:37) - Advice for robotics startups (3:15:43) - Advice for students
Chapters
The episode features an interview with Boris Sofman, ex-CEO of Anki and current VP of Vision Fund.
00:00 - 02:32 (02:32)
Summary
The episode features an interview with Boris Sofman, ex-CEO of Anki and current VP of Vision Fund. They discuss advancements in robotics, AI, and computer vision and how these technologies will be utilized across industries.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The podcast host advertises for Indeed, offering a free $75 sponsor job credit and for ROKA, the makers of glasses and sunglasses, discussing their innovations.
02:32 - 07:52 (05:20)
Summary
The podcast host advertises for Indeed, offering a free $75 sponsor job credit and for ROKA, the makers of glasses and sunglasses, discussing their innovations.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The co-founder of Anki, Boris Sofman, talks about the development of Cosmos, a robot with a personality and level of intelligence that matches the mechanical, sensor and AI constraints that were involved in its creation, bringing to life a Pixar-like character in the real world.
07:52 - 14:32 (06:39)
Summary
The co-founder of Anki, Boris Sofman, talks about the development of Cosmos, a robot with a personality and level of intelligence that matches the mechanical, sensor and AI constraints that were involved in its creation, bringing to life a Pixar-like character in the real world. The pursuit of robotics and AI, whether applied in the near future or not, is a challenge for people that are passionate about these fields.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The founders of Cosmo AI discovered that despite the simplicity of physical constraints, they have an amplified impact on people that an exact similar experience virtually cannot replicate.
14:32 - 22:47 (08:15)
Summary
The founders of Cosmo AI discovered that despite the simplicity of physical constraints, they have an amplified impact on people that an exact similar experience virtually cannot replicate. In order to make their product affordable, the cost of goods had to be under $100.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Cosmo's character AI was developed by creating a library of emotional responses which would dictate his actions in response to external stimulus.
22:47 - 31:42 (08:55)
Summary
Cosmo's character AI was developed by creating a library of emotional responses which would dictate his actions in response to external stimulus. The development team initially proposed a system whereby each character's emotional response would be unique and influenced by personality traits, whereas others favored a game mechanics approach.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
This podcast discusses the potential for companion AI to move beyond entertainment and into everyday life, with examples such as a virtual friend like in the movie Her or a Cosmo that can connect with kids with autism.
31:42 - 41:49 (10:06)
Summary
This podcast discusses the potential for companion AI to move beyond entertainment and into everyday life, with examples such as a virtual friend like in the movie Her or a Cosmo that can connect with kids with autism.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The speaker opens up about the difficult decision to shutdown their company, including playing negotiating games with credit line timelines and bridge loans from investors while appreciating the balance between their hardware, AI, and character.
41:49 - 50:52 (09:03)
Summary
The speaker opens up about the difficult decision to shutdown their company, including playing negotiating games with credit line timelines and bridge loans from investors while appreciating the balance between their hardware, AI, and character.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The emotional engine in gaming is a giant library of parameterized emotional responses that map the player's current state in the game with their emotions, the world, and people playing with them.
50:52 - 1:04:59 (14:07)
Summary
The emotional engine in gaming is a giant library of parameterized emotional responses that map the player's current state in the game with their emotions, the world, and people playing with them.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The push to replicate human-like robots has led to creating replicas of skin which poses potential challenges in terms of functionality.
1:04:59 - 1:11:31 (06:31)
Summary
The push to replicate human-like robots has led to creating replicas of skin which poses potential challenges in terms of functionality. This approach also limits the flexibility and potential for deviation from expected speech patterns.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The autonomous vehicle space offers a range of unique challenges and opportunities, from leveraging core tech stacks to solving perception and planning challenges.
1:11:31 - 1:20:13 (08:42)
Summary
The autonomous vehicle space offers a range of unique challenges and opportunities, from leveraging core tech stacks to solving perception and planning challenges. Companies in this space have the potential to create entirely new models for logistics and transportation.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
San Francisco, Phoenix, and LA represent unique challenges for automating trucking due to their dense pedestrian areas, different types of freeways and other complexities.
1:20:13 - 1:26:21 (06:07)
Summary
San Francisco, Phoenix, and LA represent unique challenges for automating trucking due to their dense pedestrian areas, different types of freeways and other complexities. These challenges test the limits of developing autonomous technology for long-haul freeway stretches of trucking.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The intelligence for autonomous trucking will mostly be on the truck, but for surface street capabilities, the team will be building the first ground-up designed autonomous truck depot, from which drivers don't need to move trucks around, but where the truck goes directly to the shipping container.
1:26:21 - 1:32:01 (05:40)
Summary
The intelligence for autonomous trucking will mostly be on the truck, but for surface street capabilities, the team will be building the first ground-up designed autonomous truck depot, from which drivers don't need to move trucks around, but where the truck goes directly to the shipping container.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The trucking industry is highly fragmented with surprisingly small percentage of the overall market captured by the top 10 or 50 fleets.
1:32:01 - 1:42:51 (10:50)
Summary
The trucking industry is highly fragmented with surprisingly small percentage of the overall market captured by the top 10 or 50 fleets. Automation and logistics may have a generalized capability of changing the industry if the one constraint in the network can be resolved.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Autonomous vehicles are solving complex problems with a fusion of LIDAR, camera, and radar data.
1:42:51 - 1:54:48 (11:57)
Summary
Autonomous vehicles are solving complex problems with a fusion of LIDAR, camera, and radar data. The optimization for long-range sensors and the ability to handle end-to-end machine learning are key for solving long-tail challenges unique to trucks.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Validating autonomous driving is harder than proving the software works since it needs to encounter problems in an infinite dimensional space as fast as possible.
1:54:48 - 2:06:53 (12:04)
Summary
Validating autonomous driving is harder than proving the software works since it needs to encounter problems in an infinite dimensional space as fast as possible. Getting relative safety of autonomous driving compared to human driving is a challenge since most safety cases are driven by physical operational driving data, including cases where the driver intervened.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Real-world driving remains the ultimate validation set for autonomous driving.
2:06:53 - 2:13:47 (06:54)
Summary
Real-world driving remains the ultimate validation set for autonomous driving. However, there is still a significant gap between the progress made in L2 autonomous driving and what it takes to achieve L4.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Iteration pace slows down with driverless technology due to fear of regression which requires more rigor.
2:13:47 - 2:22:17 (08:30)
Summary
Iteration pace slows down with driverless technology due to fear of regression which requires more rigor. As companies work on multiple products, there are technical and organizational challenges to solving increasingly broad and complex problems, including scaling driverless technology.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The speaker believes that as individuals and society begins to fully understand the benefits of automated vehicles, there will be less hesitation and more of a desire for implementation.
2:22:17 - 2:31:40 (09:22)
Summary
The speaker believes that as individuals and society begins to fully understand the benefits of automated vehicles, there will be less hesitation and more of a desire for implementation. There is a multi-dimensional argument beyond just logic and safety, including society's readiness and perception, education, and regulation.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The short haul and urban routes in trucking are the areas that will still require human drivers in the future and offer the most benefits, while the long haul routes will be more automated; optimizing logistics will lead to better use of humans and better pay for truck drivers.
2:31:40 - 2:41:15 (09:35)
Summary
The short haul and urban routes in trucking are the areas that will still require human drivers in the future and offer the most benefits, while the long haul routes will be more automated; optimizing logistics will lead to better use of humans and better pay for truck drivers.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The challenge for Amazon's new product is to meet the bar of what the mass market consumer would find valuable enough to justify the high price point, and it may take a while to evolve into the ideal applications.
2:41:15 - 2:49:58 (08:42)
Summary
The challenge for Amazon's new product is to meet the bar of what the mass market consumer would find valuable enough to justify the high price point, and it may take a while to evolve into the ideal applications. However, Amazon is known for aggressively iterating their products and could potentially attract millions of buyers in the future.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Humanoid robots' role in robotic applications that don't require a direct human-like appearance is becoming more obvious, and their simpler and approachable interface provides more flexibility and capability.
2:49:58 - 2:55:47 (05:49)
Summary
Humanoid robots' role in robotic applications that don't require a direct human-like appearance is becoming more obvious, and their simpler and approachable interface provides more flexibility and capability. The focus is on human-robot interaction part.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The potential for the development of autonomous vehicles in the trucking industry is vast, with the ability to partner with a variety of experts in different fields such as perception, planning and logistics making for a well-rounded and innovative product.
2:55:47 - 3:04:59 (09:12)
Summary
The potential for the development of autonomous vehicles in the trucking industry is vast, with the ability to partner with a variety of experts in different fields such as perception, planning and logistics making for a well-rounded and innovative product. Although it is a long process, advancements in technology and robotics are making it an exciting and interesting field.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
In the startup world, having the right idea and team are important, but the size of the target market and competition can often be deciding factors in success.
3:04:59 - 3:12:47 (07:47)
Summary
In the startup world, having the right idea and team are important, but the size of the target market and competition can often be deciding factors in success. Oftentimes the market dominates over team quality and execution, as the timing and industry-specific challenges can create significant headwinds in certain environments that can be difficult to overcome.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The speaker reflects on their own career path and the importance of finding a balance between work and personal life, highlighting the need to connect with friends and family.
3:12:47 - 3:19:18 (06:30)
Summary
The speaker reflects on their own career path and the importance of finding a balance between work and personal life, highlighting the need to connect with friends and family. They also discuss how their company had to pivot from focusing on technology to emphasizing how their product is fun for families.
Episode#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
In this podcast, Boris Safman discusses the potential for robotics to revolutionize our world through advancements in artificial intelligence technology, and the love and friendship that people can experience with their robots.
3:19:18 - 3:20:37 (01:19)
Summary
In this podcast, Boris Safman discusses the potential for robotics to revolutionize our world through advancements in artificial intelligence technology, and the love and friendship that people can experience with their robots.