Mere Mortals Conversations

Why give a robot legs when wheels already work? Humanoid robots promise to fit the world we built for people. But walking, balancing and handling objects introduce engineering challenges—and someone has to pay for that complexity. In this October episode of Mere Mortals Robotics, I explore why companies build robots shaped like us, where simpler machines could make more sense, and which human features actually earn their place. We discuss: • Why human environments and demonstrations make humanoids appealing • Different approaches from Atlas, Digit and Figure • How carrying a load changes balance and centre of mass • Why reaching farther demands more torque • How small failure risks compound across a complete job • Cost per completed task versus the cost of adapting a building • Human preferences, the uncanny valley, privacy and trust • Why the next few years could favour a mixture of humanoids and arms on wheels This is an approachable exploration for curious people. I’m learning alongside you and working through the questions in plain English. CHAPTERS 00:00 Why humanoids? 01:11 Why copy the human body? 05:00 Atlas, Digit and Figure: different engineering bets 06:27 Fixed arms, wheels, quadrupeds and humanoids 08:10 Balance and the centre-of-mass problem 10:31 Reach, torque and power 11:52 Why long jobs compound failure risks 13:00 The economics of a completed task 14:06 A more complex robot—or a redesigned room? 15:40 Do people want human-looking robots? 16:36 Privacy, trust and responsibility 17:59 My outlook: a mixture of robot bodies 19:20 Which human features earn their place? Subscribe for more Mere Mortals Robotics: useful questions about machines, physical AI and the future of work. Which would you choose for your home: a humanoid, an arm on wheels, or several specialised robots? with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/ Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReU Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/ Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/ Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts Value 4 Value Support: V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

Building strength, staying calm under pressure and being present with the people I love. These are the ideas I’ve been working through over the past month or so. In this Mere Mortals Learnings episode, I share five lessons from my monthly notes and personal codex: developing physical and mental strength, bringing warmth home after difficult days, making creative habits small enough to repeat, appreciating ordinary family moments and taking action on what I can influence. There’s also a bonus observation about technology and the skills we lose when we stop practising them. These are lessons I’m putting into practice through training, parenting, relationships and creating Mere Mortals content. Which lesson connects with your life right now? Let me know in the comments. CHAPTERS 00:00 Monthly learnings and the personal codex 00:56 Bonus: skills fade without practice 01:39 Get strong, stay useful 03:54 Lift heavy, land soft 07:12 Make it small, make it happen 09:06 Ordinary today, irreplaceable tomorrow 11:31 Take the step, drop the loop 13:15 Turning reflections into a personal codex Subscribe to Mere Mortals for more conversations about practical philosophy, personal growth and living deliberately. Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/ Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReU Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/ Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/ Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts Value 4 Value Support: V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

Everybody NEEDS compute, but what are you willing to pay for it? In Episode #530 of 'Meanderings', we unpacked what it might actually take to finance the robotic future, starting with the current AI boom, looming IPOs and whether we’re approaching a classic bubble moment. We explored the idea that even if some of the biggest AI companies stumble financially, the underlying value of compute, models and automation won’t just disappear — it may simply get cheaper and become even more useful. Along the way, we dug into inflation versus deflation, why so much capital is pouring into data centres and memory, and how falling compute costs could create the next wave of practical adoption rather than signal the end of the trend. We also got into the more grounded question of where AI is already useful today. We compared model intelligence with the real unlock of agentic workflows and integrations, and discussed why the biggest near-term gains may come less from “smarter chatbots” and more from systems that can actually do things end-to-end. From there, we zoomed out to robotics, cybersecurity, privacy, physical-world constraints, and what kinds of jobs or human experiences may be hardest to replace. The big theme running through the conversation was this: digital AI may be close to a temporary overbuild, but that same excess could end up fuelling a much bigger shift once robots, real-world applications and human adoption catch up. What are your thoughts on this, reach out and let us know! Timeline: (00:00:00) Intro (00:00:30) Setting the scene for financing the robotic future (00:03:20) Anthropic IPO talk and signs of an AI bubble peak (00:06:01) Debt, inflation and whether AI could be deflationary (00:10:45) Have large language models already peaked for daily use? (00:17:00) Productivity gains, media workflows and why jobs remain (00:24:38) Privacy concerns, open source tools and cybersecurity limits (00:37:24) AI personhood, digital labour and robot ethics (00:43:18) Compute costs, overbuild risks and the next wave of agents (00:53:20) Why robotics adoption may lag despite huge AI demand (00:57:33) Who benefits most from AI powered workflows next year (01:09:07) Which careers are resilient in an AI heavy world (01:14:13) Digital life, parks, and hopes for human connection Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/ Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts Value 4 Value Support: V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

It's time for our monthly check in where we review our goals from last month and see what's coming up for the next. Do you set yourself monthly goals and if so, how many do you set? Juan and I on the first week of every month go over our progress from the previous month and where we are heading for the next. Emphasis as always is on the shortcomings; what we didn't achieve in the previous monthly goals and how we will fix that for the month that comes. We hope you get some value from this series, showcasing our own methodology. What do you do differently (and why?), reach out and let us know! Timeline: (00:00:00) Intro (00:00:45) Fitness wins, nutrition and creative consistency (00:03:14) Courting Jas and the flat battery-flower story (00:07:37) Choosing a physical boss battle: powerlifting comp (00:13:45) The one unfinished goal and spring energy (00:15:00) Serenity, yoga and friendly social progress (00:17:30) Finances, crypto security and renovation trade-offs (00:27:32) October goals: power, recovery and more creation (00:36:09) October goals: events, yoga, BTC and long-term plans (00:45:31) Connecting habits, antifragility and spring momentum (00:49:30) Wrap-up and plans for more live episodes Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/ Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts Value 4 Value Support: V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

The robot boom is attracting big money. But who actually gets paid when the machines get to work? In this Mere Mortals Robotics episode, I explore the robotics money map: the market’s size, the major players, and the economics that could determine what gets deployed between now and 2029. From NVIDIA, Alphabet and Amazon to Figure, Unitree and Boston Dynamics, we look beyond humanoid headlines to industrial robots, warehouse automation, autonomous machinery and robots working in our homes.This is me learning in public, testing ideas and trying to understand where robotics becomes genuinely useful. Recorded in September 2026. Company valuations and market figures reflect the discussion at that time. Cost examples and deployment scenarios are illustrative assumptions, rather than company quotes or guaranteed forecasts. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction: mapping the robot economy 01:36 Industrial robots versus humanoids 03:13 What counts as the robotics market? 04:08 Factory robot growth towards 2029 05:42 China’s role in robot adoption 07:17 Service robots and transport 08:09 Automation and global supply chains 09:31 Big tech and the robotics money map 11:06 Specialists, humanoids and autonomous machinery 13:22 Who pays for robots to learn? 15:12 The potential AI–robotics feedback loop 16:20 Can robots learn before arriving? 17:46 Getting more from existing robots 19:13 Why reliability compounds across a job 21:29 The cost of a useful robot hour 23:16 Human support and fleet failures 25:23 Obsolescence and resale risk 26:16 Who keeps the savings? 27:35 What could actually be deployed by 2029? 29:36 More robot output, less supplier revenue? 31:13 Insurance, risk and deployment plans 32:30 Home robot subscriptions and useful hours 33:20 Different countries, different opportunities 34:06 Five metrics that would change my mind 35:03 What needs to happen next? 36:20 Closing thoughts Where do you think robots will become economically useful first: warehouses, factories, mining or our homes? Let me know below. Subscribe for more Mere Mortals conversations exploring robotics, AI and the future of work. #Robotics #HumanoidRobots #RobotEconomyConnect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/ Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReU Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/ Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/ Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts Value 4 Value Support: V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast