EPISODE
David Reger, Mike Wior
00:01:00 David Reger, founder and CEO of Neura Robotics, is a pioneer in cognitive robotics, aiming to integrate robots into daily life by enhancing their cognitive abilities. In the conversation, he discusses the company's focus on developing robots with physical AI brains capable of performing tasks autonomously across various sectors, emphasizing the importance of diverse embodiments, including mobile manipulators and humanoids, to adapt to human-centric environments. Reger also highlights the establishment of Neura Gyms worldwide, facilities designed to train robots in physical tasks, thereby generating essential data to refine their AI capabilities.
00:02:00 Mike Wior, co-founder and CEO of Allen Control Systems (ACS), discusses the company's development of Bullfrog, an autonomous robotic weapon station designed to counter small, fast-moving drones by combining AI, computer vision, and machine learning to achieve both speed and accuracy. He highlights Bullfrog's 100% success rate in neutralizing 13 Army-operated drones during a November field test, emphasizing its capability to address the evolving drone threat landscape. Wior also notes ACS's rapid growth, with the team expanding to approximately 250 employees and securing a $200 million Series B funding round to scale manufacturing and deployment efforts.