Brabant as a physical AI hotspot: how does that work?
Physical AI is on the rise. Brabant’s high-tech sector is on the cusp of a major transformation driven by this new technology. But what exactly does physical AI involve? And what does it mean for the future? Ecosystem developer Wouter de Bruin and internationalisation expert Sjoerd van Driel explain.
More and more entrepreneurs in Brabant are focusing on physical AI. For example, SARA is developing a care robot that enhances residents’ well-being in care settings and improves work-life balance for care staff. Trabotyx is developing a robot that uses cameras and AI to weed. Naext helps people navigate complex environments, such as hospitals and railway stations, using AI and computer vision. And LionVolt is developing sustainable 3D solid-state batteries for improved energy storage.
All these companies are making an impact in their own way and have one thing in common: they are based on physical AI. The technology behind it has great potential and offers opportunities for Brabant. “That’s what we at BOM are working on every day,” says De Bruin. Together with Van Driel, he discusses the technology and its impact.
What exactly is responsible physical AI?
De Bruin: “Physical AI is safe, reliable and explainable AI in the physical world. The self-driving car is the prime example. In this context, AI is physically active in society, making autonomous decisions and responding to situations where people are involved.”
“‘Responsible’ means that it must be held accountable from a societal perspective. For example, it must not harm people or the environment. Furthermore, we want the AI to be explainable so that humans can see what decisions the algorithm makes and why. We do not want an algorithm to be biased.”
What distinguishes Physical AI from robotisation?
“Robotisation was initially about robots that can perform the same action in a limited location. The performed actions are all pre-programmed and do not necessarily involve AI. Physical AI is when a robot moves independently in a factory, carries out tasks, monitors its surroundings and reasons for itself how to act in new situations that have not occurred before,” explains Van Driel.
What do these developments mean for our economy and society?
De Bruin: “I believe that physical AI will take over many operational tasks from humans in the coming years. Jobs will then shift from an operational to a supervisory role. Everyone will notice this to some extent. You can already see it in cars, where you can now use driver assistance systems. This will only continue to develop until we eventually come to regard self-driving cars as the new norm. This applies not only in public spaces, but also in factories and other sectors.”
“I also expect completely new ideas to emerge, accompanied by new business cases. This will create new markets or bring about disruptive changes in existing markets.”
Why is it important for BOM to focus on this development?
“Because the rise of physical AI is set to bring about major change, particularly in the manufacturing industry. At BOM, we want to be ready to help Brabant-based companies to embrace it. We provide guidance and support during these transitions.”
“You can see the impact of the high-tech sector spilling over into other areas, such as medtech and agri-food. Take, for example, the development of smart robots that can weed, thereby significantly reducing the need for pesticides. Or robots that can assist in healthcare, for instance, with taking blood samples. In such cases, alongside technological challenges, you also have to deal with ethical issues. Would you let a robot take your blood? It might feel a bit strange to some people to have a robot carry out such a procedure – after all, it is your body.”
Brabant is a leader in the high-tech industry. What needs to happen to maintain that position?
De Bruin: “During a round-table discussion with companies from the region, it was suggested that we should use our knowledge of the high-tech sector to create sector-specific AI models. In addition, the uptake of the technology needs to increase. When it comes to software programming, everyone has had a wake-up call. But in the primary production process – for example, when manufacturing machines – engineers often still think in traditional terms.”
“In short, we need to make better use of and make more accessible our high-tech sector knowledge. Every player in the ecosystem has its own colour, its own interpretation. If we bring all these colours together, it will ultimately result in a more beautiful and complete picture.”
Van Driel adds: “International cooperation is crucial in this regard. Expertise in the field of physical AI is distributed across various hubs worldwide. It is important to stay in touch with these hotspotsand the organisations associated with them. We do this, for example, by organising missions to those locations.”
“At the same time, it is also important to keep a close eye on international developments. We are now seeing that the US has blocked access to Anthropic’s new, powerful language models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, for companies outside the US. Such events lead to a halt in hardware and software development. For many companies, these large models form the basis for further development. That is why we are now trying to bring other AI models to the Netherlands to keep development moving forward. Situations like this show just how vital it is to maintain connections with other regions around the world.”
