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ERIN RAPACKIROBOTICS & PHYSICAL AI
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Robotics & Physical AI industry builder

See what
robotics
needs next.

Erin Rapacki connects technical possibility with the business models, infrastructure, and human priorities that help an industry thrive.

Invite Erin to speak Explore the record

For the people building what comes next.

FIELD NOTES
FROM THE PHYSICAL WORLD

The future
takes intention.

DATA
SYSTEMS
PEOPLE

Technology with Purpose, Prosperity by Design.

PRO-BUILDER. PRO-WORKER.

Selected writing
& conversations

IEEE SpectrumWIREDROBOTS PODCASTNVIDIA

The perspective

Foresight comes
from proximity.

A career close to the companies, customers, and technologies shaping robotics reveals where progress gets stuck—and what needs to come together next. Erin brings that perspective to investors, industrial leaders, and policymakers.

01 / THE TECHNOLOGY

Recognize the missing pieces.

Data. Perception. Simulation. Integration. Look beyond a compelling demonstration to the capabilities needed for dependable work.

02 / THE INDUSTRY

Make adoption possible.

Connect technical progress to operating realities, purchasing decisions, business models, and the people responsible for deployment.

03 / THE PURPOSE

Build toward prosperity.

Direct innovation toward productive businesses, meaningful work, stronger communities, and a future families can thrive in.

Ideas, on the record

An early view.
A continuing conversation.

Original articles and interviews trace a consistent interest: the conditions that turn robotics into useful, lasting progress.

FROM THE ARCHIVE
JANUARY 2012
“And the type of data we need the most is 3D.”
Erin Rapacki · IEEE Spectrum, “It’s Time to Start 3D Scanning the World” ↗
  1. 2010August 9

    WIRED · In the conversation

    Talking about AI in the physical world.

    WIRED documented Erin speaking about the future of AI and robotics at the Memocracy Conference, alongside her work commercializing telepresence robots.

    Read the coverage
  2. 2011December 16

    ROBOTS Podcast · Episode 093

    The data behind robot intelligence.

    In “Turning robots into products,” Erin discussed cloud robotics and the shared 3D object data that could help robots recognize the world around them.

    Listen to the episode Data discussion: about 47–51 min
  3. 2012January 10

    IEEE Spectrum · By Erin Rapacki

    Start 3D scanning the world.

    Erin argued for large datasets of labeled 3D objects—and for collecting them through technologies and markets beyond robotics. Later that year, IEEE explicitly returned to her argument while covering Kinect@Home.

    Read IEEE’s August 2012 follow-up ↗
    Read the original
  4. 2013Industrial perception

    IEEE Spectrum · By Erin Rapacki

    Bring perception into industrial work.

    Writing from Industrial Perception, Erin connected 3D vision and manipulation with practical applications in manufacturing, distribution, and logistics.

    Read the article
  5. 2023January 3

    NVIDIA · By Erin Rapacki

    Make robot fleets work in the real world.

    Her writing connected simulation and real-time fleet optimization to responsive deployment, including robots as a service (RaaS), and the operating demands of existing facilities.

    Read the article
More from the archive

The next chapter

What does robotics
need to thrive?

Erin’s current focus is on the work between a technical breakthrough and broad, beneficial adoption.

  1. 01

    Automation that handles variation.

    Prepare for changing objects, tasks, and environments. “Variational Automation” is Erin’s lens for asking what a system can do when conditions change.

  2. 02

    Data that supports dependable work.

    Connect perception, simulation, evaluation, and operating feedback so teams can judge where a robot is ready—and where it needs help.

  3. 03

    A practical path to adoption.

    Bring buyers, integrators, technology companies, and capital together around workable deployments, sustainable service models, and clear responsibility.

  4. 04

    Prosperity as a design goal.

    Advance industry with people in mind: meaningful careers, livable wages, time for family, and more thoughtful use of land and resources.

Work with Erin

Turn perspective
into a next step.

For people making consequential decisions about robotics, Physical AI, and the future of industry.

01 / CONFERENCES & LEADERSHIP TEAMS

Speaking & briefings

A candid view of Physical AI, practical automation, and America’s industrial future—shaped for the decisions your audience needs to make.

Discuss a speaking engagement

02 / INVESTORS & INDUSTRIAL OPERATORS

Industry & adoption advisory

Clarify the opportunity, the operational constraints, and the questions to ask before selecting technology or committing to an automation strategy.

Explore working together

03 / TEAMS PREPARING FOR AUTOMATION

Courses & workshops

Build the understanding to evaluate robotics, prepare your operation, and have more useful conversations with vendors and integrators.

Ask about learning opportunities

04 / BUILDERS, CAPITAL & POLICY

Curated industry gatherings

Bring investors, manufacturers, technology leaders, and policy voices into the same conversation about what it takes to move industry forward.

Ask about upcoming gatherings
Selected speaking topics

Physical AI for Robots. WTF.   /   Variational Automation   /   From Robot Demo to Working Operation   /   Technology with Purpose, Prosperity by Design

Erin Rapacki, robotics and Physical AI industry builder
ERIN RAPACKISAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

Meet Erin

A career inside
the industry.

Erin Rapacki is a robotics and Physical AI industry builder, advisor, investor, and speaker. Her work spans product strategy, commercialization, and developer ecosystems across industrial robotics, perception, and simulation.

Her experience includes NVIDIA, Sense Photonics, Industrial Perception, and Adept. That breadth informs her view of what the industry needs next: capable technology, prepared customers, durable business models, and people who can bring them together.

Through her writing, courses, and gatherings at Machine Inbound, Erin helps leaders connect emerging technology to intentional industrial progress.

View Erin’s professional background

EXPERIENCE ACROSS THE ROBOTICS STACK

NVIDIA  ·  Sense Photonics  ·  Industrial Perception  ·  Adept

Start a conversation

What are you
working toward?

For speaking, advisory work, learning, or events, connect with Erin on LinkedIn. Share your organization, what you’re exploring, and the decision ahead of you.

Connect with Erin on LinkedIn