Giving robots a brain | Intrinsic’s Brian Gerkey
Giving robots a brain | Intrinsic’s Brian Gerkey  
Podcast: Dev Interrupted
Published On: Tue Apr 28 2026
Description: What if deploying a new capability to an industrial robot arm was as seamless as pushing an update to a web app? This week, Andrew sits down with Brian Gerkey, CTO of Intrinsic and a titan of the open-source robotics community, to discuss how modern AI is finally giving robotics the "brains" to handle the unpredictable physical world. Brian breaks down how to move away from rigid, monolithic automation toward software-defined, modular robotics using tools like ROS (Robot Operating System) and digital twins. Finally, Brian invites developers of all backgrounds to test their skills in Intrinsic's new AI for Industry Challenge by using AI to solve one of the hardest problems in manufacturing: plugging in a tangled cable. Read the guide: The APEX FrameworkFollow the show:Subscribe to our Substack Follow us on LinkedInSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelLeave us a ReviewFollow the hosts:Follow AndrewFollow BenFollow DanFollow today's stories:Brian’s Website: Learn more about Brian's work, research, and history in the open-source robotics community. Intrinsic: Explore the robotics software company led by Brian, which provides tools like Flowstate to build and deploy intelligent robotic solutions.AI for Industry Challenge: Get the toolkit and register to compete in Intrinsic's new challenge to solve complex dexterous manipulation and cable routing.ROS (Robot Operating System): The open-source middleware suite that has become the global standard for robotics software development.OFFERSStart Free Trial: Get started with LinearB's AI productivity platform for free.Book a Demo: Learn how you can ship faster, improve DevEx, and lead with confidence in the AI era.LEARN ABOUT LINEARBAI Code Reviews: Automate reviews to catch bugs, security risks, and performance issues before they hit production.AI & Productivity Insights: Go beyond DORA with AI-powered recommendations and dashboards to measure and improve performance.AI-Powered Workflow Automations: Use AI-generated PR descriptions, smart routing, and other automations to reduce developer toil.MCP Server: Interact with your engineering data using natural language to build custom reports and get answers on the fly.