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Open-Source Robotics: The Next Big Shift in AI? | Jan Liphardt, CEO@OpenMind

25 Apr 2026 · 1 min

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1:05

In this interview segment, Jan Liphardt (Open Mind) discusses the current state and future concerns of humanoid robotics. He describes a home humanoid called the Booster—about one meter tall and weighing 24 kg—and notes its limited capabilities, such as merely standing up and shaking hands. Liphardt contrasts this with the massive deployment of 1.1 million warehouse robots by Amazon, highlighting that large, experienced industries (e.g., automotive) have long been mastering robotics. He explains that Open Mind was founded after his personal disappointment with a consumer humanoid that offered no functional value beyond basic gestures. Liphardt warns against a future where pre‑configured, opaque humanoids appear at consumers’ doors, emphasizing the danger of “magic‑black‑box” software that users cannot understand or maintain. He raises practical concerns for eldercare, such as the need for charging and user‑friendly operation. Finally, he challenges the traditional education‑career model, asserting that the idea of learning a single skill in college and using it for a lifetime is obsolete in the rapidly evolving robotics landscape.

Chapters

There are some crazy people that have humanoids in their home, like in my house. The Booster is about a meter in height. It weighs 24 kilograms.
Where is this happening right now?
Amazon has deployed 1.1 million robots for warehouse operations. There's already really big companies that have decades of experience, and most obviously it's the car industry. The only reason Open Mind was started because I opened a box with a humanoid in my living room and I was super underwhelmed with what humanoid was able to do. It could like get up and shake hands, but that was it, which is incredibly dumb.
My grandma needs help, and the help cannot ask grandma to put in batteries and, you know, charge it.
I do not want to live in a future where a humanoid shows up at your front door, knocks on the door, and says, "Hey, I'm your new humanoid. I come pre-configured and my software is secret and magic." That, to my mind, would be horrifically sad. It would be very depressing because this technology would appear like complete magic.
What do you think we should be preparing for?
This old notion that you go to college, you learn a skill, and that's what you do for the rest of your life, as far as I'm concerned, is completely dead.