Teddy Warner: Building Emotionally Intelligent Robots with Intempus
Teddy Warner, a 19-year-old entrepreneur, has always had a passion for robotics. Growing up in a family involved in the industry, Warner gained hands-on experience working in a machinist shop during his high school years. Now, he is the founder of Intempus, a robotics company that aims to bring a human touch to robots.
Intempus is pioneering the development of technology that adds human-like emotional expressions to existing robots. By enhancing robots with the ability to display emotions, Warner believes that humans will be able to interact more effectively with these machines and predict their movements more accurately. Moreover, the data generated from these emotional interactions can be utilized to improve AI models.
According to Warner, these emotional expressions will be conveyed through kinetic movements. He emphasizes the importance of non-verbal communication in human interaction, stating that subtle movements of the arms and torso play a significant role in conveying subconscious signals.
Warner drew inspiration for Intempus while working at the AI research lab, Midjourney. He observed that many AI models lack spatial reasoning capabilities because the data used to train them comes from robots that operate based on observation and action, without an intermediate step involving physiological states such as emotions.
Realizing the need to bridge this gap, Warner embarked on a research journey. He experimented with various data sources, including fMRI and polygraph tests, eventually finding success in capturing emotional cues through sweat data. This led him to explore other physiological indicators like body temperature, heart rate, and photoplethysmography to enhance the emotional capabilities of robots.
Since launching Intempus in September 2024, Warner has dedicated his efforts to research and development. He has secured partnerships with seven enterprise robotics companies and is a participant in Peter Thiel’s Thiel Fellowship program, which supports young entrepreneurs in building their startups.
Looking ahead, Warner plans to expand his team, conduct user testing, and refine the emotional capabilities of Intempus’ technology. While the current focus is on retrofitting existing robots, Warner remains open to the possibility of creating emotionally intelligent robots from scratch in the future.
As Warner envisions a future where robots can convey emotions and intentions seamlessly, he is determined to demonstrate the effectiveness of Intempus’ technology in the coming months. With his innovative approach to blending robotics and emotions, Warner is poised to make a significant impact in the field of AI and robotics.
