Physical AI + Robotics & Applications
Theme: “Embodied Intelligence: AI in the Physical World”
Expected topics (TBC):
Healthcare & Assistive Robotics: Surgical robots, rehabilitation AI, diagnostics systems.
State of ROS2 Today: Middleware evolution, real-time, security, distributed systems.
Scaling Physical AI: Execution Governance as the next silicon abstraction.
Mobility & Transportation: Autonomous vehicles, last-mile robotics, sensor fusion challenges.
Human-Robot Interaction: Safety, trust, UX, multi-modal perception and adaptation.
Agenda
18:00 Doors open
18:30 - 18:50 Talk 1
18:50 - 19:10 Talk 2
19:10 - 19:30 Talk 3
19:30 - 19:50 Talk 4
19:50 - 20:00 Buffer
20:00 - 21:00 Networking & Food & Drinks
21:00 Doors close
Speakers
Talk 1 - Toward General Purpose Embodied AI for Assistive Robotics
Speaker: Luca Nunziante
Abstract: As part of Moonshot Goal 1, researchers are pushing the boundaries of Brain-Robot Interfaces (BRIs) to enable people with disabilities and the elderly to achieve greater independence. However, translating such ambitious concepts into everyday reality requires solving complex challenges at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, Neuroscience, and Robotics. This talk explores the pathway toward general-purpose embodied AI, focusing on the challenges of assistive robotics: robust generalist control policies, accurate user intent decoding from biosignals, and seamless user interfaces
Bio: Luca is a Robot Learning Researcher at Araya. His background is computer science and he completed his M.Sc. in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at La Sapienza University of Rome. His research interests lie in Robot control and learning, lately focusing especially on Vision Language Models and Reinforcement Learning.
Talk 2 - Scaling Physical AI - Execution Governance as the Next Silicon Abstraction
Speaker: Jean-Charles Cabelguen
Abstract: As AI moves from simulation into embodied systems, new limits emerge that cannot be solved by intelligence alone. In physical robots, execution (not planning) determines safety, performance, reliability, and ultimately system value. Today’s stacks treat execution as low-level control, leaving a missing architectural layer between AI intent and physical reality.
This talk introduces execution governance as a new abstraction for scaling Physical AI: a system-level approach that enforces physical invariants, manages energy and authority over time, and transforms bounded intent into governed motion. Rather than optimizing single metrics, execution governance aligns safety, sustained performance, and long-term reliability across multiple time scales.
We will explore how this perspective structures robotics architecture, influences the semiconductor value chain, and opens new pathways for certifiable, scalable embodied intelligence.
Bio: JC is the founder of Kyostra, a company developing motion governance systems for humanoid and advanced robotic platforms, bridging the gap between AI intent and physical execution.
With an academic background in biomechanics and over a decade of experience in decentralized cloud computing, hardware encryption, and quantum computing, JC builds deeptech ventures with a strong focus on real-world industry adoption. At Kyostra, he architects new system-level abstractions for scaling physical intelligence, particularly the role of embedded systems and semiconductors as the final authority layer when autonomous systems interact with the real world.
JC envisions a future where humanoids are powered by advanced Physical AI, but perform reliably through hardware design strategies anchored in execution governance, safety, and long-term robustness. This philosophy forms the foundation of the Smart Bodies by Design paradigm.
Talk 3 - State of ROS2 Today: Middleware evolution, real-time, security, distributed systems
Speaker: Tomoya Fujita (Software Architect, Sony)
Abstract: This talk offers a fast, focused look at the ROS ecosystem in 2026: where it stands today with the Kilted Kaiju release, what's coming in Lyrical Luth (May 2026, the next LTS), how the newly formed Open Source Robotics Alliance (OSRA) is reshaping community governance, and what the latest metrics tell us about adoption, contributions, and ecosystem health.
Bio: Tomoya Fujita, Software Engineer at Sony, is on the ROS Project Management Committee, core maintainer of ROS 2, Google Summer of Code mentor, and IEEE Robotics and Practice Senior Editor Board
Talk 4 - AI for Electronics Design: Towards Autonomous Hardware Engineering
Speaker: Radu Berdan
Abstract: Electronics hardware design has remained largely unchanged for decades. While software development has been transformed by automation and AI, hardware engineers still rely on manual workflows: reading hundreds of pages of datasheets, connecting components by hand, and verifying every detail to avoid costly mistakes.
In this talk, we explore how large language models and agent-based AI systems can improve this process. We will show how LLMs already enable a new form of schematic verification, how functional circuits could be generated automatically, and envision how these together can contribute toward fully autonomous hardware design.
Bio: Radu Berdan is the founder of Galvano.ai, an autonomous electronics engineer that accelerates end-to-end hardware development. He holds a PhD from Imperial College London, where he specialized in memristive systems and advanced microelectronic architectures. He also founded ArC Instruments, developing precision measurement hardware for memristor research.
Following his doctoral work, Radu led and contributed to frontier hardware programs across industry in Japan: neuromorphic computing, neural network accelerators, and efficient computer vision systems. His career spans semiconductor architecture, embedded systems, and applied machine learning, placing him at the intersection of artificial intelligence and physical hardware design.
Through Galvano.ai, he is now working toward a future where useful physical technology can be created as easily as software.
Organizers
Ilya Kulyatin: Fintech and AI entrepreneur with work and academic experience in the US, Netherlands, Singapore, UK, and Japan, with an MSc in Machine Learning from UCL.
Supporters
Tokyo AI (TAI) is the biggest AI community in Japan, with 4,000+ members mainly based in Tokyo (engineers, researchers, investors, product managers, and corporate innovation managers).
Value Create is a management advisory and corporate value design firm offering services such as business consulting, education, corporate communications, and investment support to help companies and individuals unlock their full potential and drive sustainable growth.
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