From disaster response inspiration to reimagining the backbone of global manufacturing, GrayMatter Robotics is tackling one of the largest untapped opportunities in automation: bringing true autonomy to the 90% of factory work still done by hand.

Warehouse automation is no longer a question of if, but when. As supply chains face growing pressure from labor shortages, unpredictable demand spikes, and rising customer expectations, robotics is becoming a critical lever for speed, accuracy, and resilience.

A rare in-person episode brings together four founders building at the frontier of drones, autonomy, and physical AI. Recorded live from the Drones and Robotics AI Summit in New York, this conversation spans search and rescue, wildlife protection, aerial logistics, and next-generation drone platforms—offering a real-time snapshot of where the industry is heading.

From early experiments with dismantled electronics to building AI systems that power real-world machines, Ash Saxena has spent decades at the intersection of research, entrepreneurship, and applied intelligence. Now, as Founder & Chief AI Officer of TorqueAGI, he is focused on one of the most ambitious challenges in technology: enabling robots to perform meaningful work in the physical world.

Hardware has long lagged behind software in speed, accessibility, and iteration. But that gap is starting to close.

Matthias Wagner, founder and CEO of Flux, joins Greg to unpack how AI is transforming electronics design from a slow, manual, and fragmented process into something far more collaborative, automated, and accessible. After years at Facebook and a deep frustration with legacy hardware tooling, Matthias set out to build what he calls the first AI hardware engineer. A system that can help anyone design, iterate, and manufacture electronics with the speed and flexibility of modern software.

From climbing robots inspecting boiler tubes to AI-powered platforms optimizing the world’s most critical assets, Gecko Robotics is redefining how we understand and maintain the infrastructure that powers modern society.