Are we about to create real life Terminators? Humanoid robots built for war?
In this episode of TechFirst I talk with Sankaet Pathak, founder and CEO of Foundation, a California-based humanoid robot company that is not afraid of the defense market. We dig into why he is building humanoid robots that can work three shifts a day, how they plan to scale from dozens of robots to tens of thousands, and why he believes humanoid robots will one day build bases in Antarctica and cities on the moon.
We also dive deep into military use cases. From logistics and infrastructure to “first body in” building breach operations, we explore how humanoid robots could change asymmetric warfare, deterrence, and who wins future conflicts.
In this episode
• Why humanoid robots are the next strategic advantage for countries and companies
• How Foundation went from zero to a working production robot in about 18 months
• The hardware secrets behind Phantom: actuators, efficiency, and safety
• Why their robots can run almost 24 hours a day, three shifts at a time
• The master plan: Antarctic bases, moon cities, and infinite robot labor
• Why Sankaet thinks home robots should feel like a “genie in a bottle”
• How humanoid robots may enter military operations and what that means for war
• Whether robot soldiers lead to dominance, stalemate, or new forms of peace
Guest: Sankaet Pathak, founder and CEO of Foundation
Website: https://foundation.bot
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00:00 – Are we about to build real life Terminators?
00:55 – Meet Sankaet Pathak and Foundation
02:08 – How Foundation built a production humanoid in 18 months
04:17 – Scaling plan: 40 robots today, 10,000 next year, 40,000 after
06:11 – Why manufacturing is still mostly manual and what they learned from Tesla
09:31 – The Foundation master plan: Antarctica, the moon, and infinite labor
14:21 – Phantom specs: size, strength, payload, and real factory work
15:36 – Actuators as robot muscles and why backdrivability matters
18:41 – Running three shifts a day and solving heat and durability
21:01 – Robot hands today and the tendon driven hands of tomorrow
23:40 – Why home robots should feel like a “genie in a bottle”
25:51 – Why the military needs humanoid robots
27:54 – Dangerous, boring, and impossible jobs robots should take over
29:22 – Drones, costs, and asymmetric warfare
32:18 – First body in and robots that can pull the trigger
33:16 – The future of war as “video game” and who wins
34:49 – Peace through strength and 100,000 robots as deterrent
35:22 – Final thoughts and what comes next for Foundation