Industrial AI Robots: How Michael Chen Is Building the Robot Workforce of the Future
What if robots weren’t science fiction anymore?
What if they could work alongside people today, handling repetitive physical tasks while humans focus on creative, technical, and relationship-driven work?
In this episode of the Rebellious Times Podcast, I sat down with Michael Chen, Co-Founder and CEO of Yondu AI, to explore how industrial AI robots are moving from research labs into warehouses, factories, and distribution centers.
Michael’s journey is extraordinary.
Growing up in a small town in Florida, he watched his entire family work tirelessly in their takeout restaurant. Rather than simply accepting the workload, he began building small machines to help automate everyday tasks, planting the seed for what would eventually become Yondu AI.
From Family Restaurant to MIT Robotics
Michael’s passion for robotics eventually took him to MIT, where he became the first student from his county to attend the university.
There he worked on one of the world’s first open-source bipedal robots and led hardware development inside MIT’s largest AI laboratory.
That experience convinced him that the future wasn’t about building robots for demonstrations.
It was about putting them to work.
Building Yondu AI
Michael and his co-founder met at MIT before creating one of the first robots that could be controlled using natural language.
That breakthrough eventually earned them a place in Y Combinator, leading both founders to leave MIT and build Yondu AI full time.
Their mission is ambitious:
Create affordable, flexible industrial AI robots capable of performing repetitive warehouse and manufacturing tasks while working safely alongside people.
Why General Purpose Robots Are Different
Traditional industrial robots perform one repetitive task extremely well.
General-purpose robots are different.
Rather than requiring expensive infrastructure and custom programming, Yondu’s robots can be deployed into existing facilities, trained through human demonstrations, and continually improve using AI.
Every lesson learned by one robot helps improve the entire fleet.
That’s a completely different model for industrial automation.
AI Is Finally Moving Into the Physical World
For many of us, AI has lived behind a keyboard.
Michael is helping bring AI into the physical world.
Today Yondu’s robots focus on logistics, including:
- Picking
- Packing
- Unboxing
- Warehouse operations
But the same technology is already attracting interest from manufacturing, automotive suppliers, and industrial operations across multiple sectors.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Robotics and AI
03:02 Michael Chen’s Journey to Robotics
06:07 The Birth of Yondu AI
09:01 Understanding General Purpose Robots
12:06 Current Applications and Future Potential
14:55 Addressing Job Concerns in Automation
18:02 The Future of Robotics and Human Roles
Will Robots Replace Jobs?
Naturally, automation raises concerns.
Michael doesn’t dismiss those concerns.
Instead, he argues that repetitive manual work will increasingly become automated while human roles shift toward creativity, leadership, technical expertise, customer relationships, and oversight.
His goal isn’t replacing people.
It’s allowing businesses to grow while giving workers opportunities to move into higher-value roles.
Why This Conversation Matters
Every technological revolution eventually leaves the screen.
The AI revolution is now entering warehouses, factories, and supply chains.
Whether you’re excited or cautious, robotics is becoming one of the defining technologies of the next decade.
And founders like Michael Chen are helping shape what that future looks like.
Michael Chen links:
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