How Boston is becoming a physical AI hub

A live stereo depth stream (left) and an RGB color stream (right) from an Intel RealSense D585 Pro AI-native 3D depth camera system.RealSense

Boston is emerging as a center for robotics and physical AI, with major players including Boston Dynamics, Amazon Robotics and, as of this month, Google DeepMind developing new industrial and domestic robots in the region.

The area is also attracting investment in the technologies that help robots perceive and navigate the physical world. Last month, RealSense, an Intel spinoff developing AI-powered computer vision tech, was bought by Natick, Mass.-based machine vision vendor Cognex. The $500 million deal folds one of the most widely used robot vision companies under a Massachusetts parent, adding to the area’s momentum.

In this Q&A, RealSense CEO Nadav Orbach, who will lead Cognex's new robotics division, spoke about the role of 3D perception in autonomous systems, the factors driving Boston's robotics ecosystem and how hub fits into the wider U.S. push to strengthen domestic supply chains.

RealSense develops 3D cameras to help robots understand the geometry of their surroundings. Why is this important as robots move into more complex environments?

Nadav Orbach: A conventional camera captures pixels representing colors, whereas a 3D camera also measures the distance from the camera to each point, giving you the geometry of the environment. That’s important for robotic perception because if a robot needs to pick something up or avoid hitting a wall, it needs to understand the full physicality of its surroundings.

We initially explored applications in laptops and tablets, but it was with the rise of robotics that we found product-market fit. Today, our cameras are used across industrial robotics, with around 40% of our business concentrated in industrial and warehouse robotics, including autonomous mobile robots, automated forklifts and inventory-management systems. Another quarter or so is humanoids and quadrupeds.