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Samuel is CEO and co-founder of Robotiq. His mission is to free human hands from repetitive tasks. He is also the author of Lean Robotics: A Guide to Making Robots Work in Your Factory. He lives in Québec City with his wife and four children.

https://robotiq.com

Physical AI: The DARPA Legacy & the Road Ahead — The Parallel Playbook: What Autonomous Driving Can and Can’t Teach Physical AI

The DARPA challenges offer a useful playbook for physical AI. They show how an impressive technical demonstration can help create an industry.

But they are not a timeline.

The first DARPA Grand Challenge for autonomous vehicles took place in 2004. DARPA launched the Robotics Challenge eight years later, in 2012, with the Finals taking place in 2015. It is tempting to conclude that physical AI is therefore eight or eleven years behind autonomous driving.

I don’t think that works.

Samuel Bouchard
By Samuel Bouchard
on Aug 11, 2026 in Physical AI. 17 min read time
Physical AI: The DARPA Legacy & the Road Ahead — The Parallel Playbook: What Autonomous Driving Can and Can’t Teach Physical AI

The DARPA challenges offer a useful playbook for physical AI. They show how an impressive technical demonstration can help...

Samuel Bouchard
By Samuel Bouchard
on Aug 11, 2026
Read more 17 min read time
Physical AI: The DARPA Legacy & the Road Ahead — From Face-Plants to Foundation Models

Part 1 of 2, Physical AI: The DARPA Legacy & the Road Ahead. What the DARPA Robotics Challenge Actually Built—and Why It Still...

Samuel Bouchard
By Samuel Bouchard
on Jul 28, 2026
Read more 13 min read time
What manufacturers are automating in 2026 (and why)

Walk through a modern plant in 2026 and you’ll notice something important: automation isn’t showing up only in the “high-tech”...

Samuel Bouchard
By Samuel Bouchard
on Dec 16, 2025
Read more 5 min read time
Inside Cascade Coffee’s playbook for sustainable, scalable automation

When you walk into Cascade Coffee’s facility north of Seattle, you immediately sense two things: the unmistakable smell of...

Samuel Bouchard
By Samuel Bouchard
on Nov 20, 2025
Read more 5 min read time
From risk to resilience: How PAL Ready and PAL Series make palletizing safer for every operator

October is Safe Work Month and a perfect time to rethink end-of-line safety.

For food and beverage manufacturers, where...

Samuel Bouchard
By Samuel Bouchard
on Oct 17, 2025
Read more 4 min read time
What’s the real cost of palletizing automation?

When manufacturers think about automating end-of-line operations, one question almost always comes first: What does a...

Samuel Bouchard
By Samuel Bouchard
on Oct 14, 2025
Read more 6 min read time
Meet PAL Ready and PAL Series: Two clear paths to smarter palletizing

Palletizing may look simple—stack boxes, ship them out—but it’s one of the most critical steps in your logistics chain. With...

Samuel Bouchard
By Samuel Bouchard
on Sep 16, 2025
Read more 4 min read time
Automation, ROI, and the advantages of Lean Robotics

The conversation around automation often starts with cost. Factory leaders ask: “Will this investment actually pay off?” The...

Samuel Bouchard
By Samuel Bouchard
on Aug 21, 2025
Read more 3 min read time
From blank floor space to a running robotic cell in 90 days

When most people think of installing a robotic cell, they imagine a process that takes half a year, maybe more. Endless design...

Samuel Bouchard
By Samuel Bouchard
on Aug 12, 2025
Read more 3 min read time

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