Introduction to Intempus

Teddy Warner, a 19-year-old robotics enthusiast, has been fascinated by the field since his high school days, when he worked in a machinist shop. Now, he is taking his passion to the next level by building his own robotics company, Intempus, which aims to make robots more human-like in their interactions.

The Mission of Intempus

Intempus is working on developing technology that can be used to retrofit existing robots with human-like emotional expressions. This innovation is designed to enhance human-robot interactions and make it easier for humans to predict the movements of these machines. By giving robots human-like reactions, Intempus also hopes to generate data that can be used to improve the training of AI models.

Expression Through Kinetic Movements

According to Warner, these robots will display expressions through kinetic movements. He emphasizes that humans often derive subconscious signals not just from facial expressions or semantics, but also from the movement of arms and torso, a phenomenon that extends to animals as well.

The Origins of Intempus

The idea for Intempus was born while Warner was working at the AI research lab Midjourney. He realized that many AI research labs, including Midjourney, were focusing on developing world AI models that could understand and make decisions based on real-world dynamics and spatial properties, rather than just cause and effect.

Overcoming Challenges in AI Models

However, Warner noted that achieving this spatial reasoning in AI models would be challenging due to the limited data available from robots that lacked spatial reasoning capabilities. He explained that robots currently operate by going from observation to action without an intermediary step, which he referred to as a physiological state, a crucial aspect of human and animal behavior.

The Physiological State in Robots

Warner emphasized the importance of giving robots this physiological state, which includes emotions such as fun and stress, to enable them to understand the world in a more human-like way and communicate more effectively with humans. This, in turn, would make their interactions less uncanny and more predictable.

Research and Development

Warner began his research by exploring fMRI data, but this approach did not yield the desired results. He then shifted his focus to polygraph data, which measures sweat responses, and started to see some success. This initial success led him to expand his research into other areas, including body temperature, heart rate, and photoplethysmography.

Launch and Progress

Intempus was officially launched in September 2024, with the first four months dedicated exclusively to research. Since then, Warner has been working on developing the emotional capabilities of robots and engaging with potential customers, resulting in the signing of seven enterprise robotics partners.

Recognition and Funding

Intempus is also a part of the current cohort of the Thiel Fellowship program, founded by Peter Thiel, which provides young entrepreneurs with $200,000 over two years to build their companies, allowing them to forgo traditional educational paths.

Future Plans

The next step for Intempus, according to Warner, is to hire a team and conduct human testing of the technology that has been developed. While the current focus is on retrofitting existing robots, Warner does not rule out the possibility of Intempus building its own emotionally intelligent robots in the future.

Conclusion

Warner’s vision for Intempus is to create robots that can innately convey emotions and intents, making human-robot interactions more natural and less uncanny. He is confident that over the next four to six months, he can demonstrate the success of his approach and pave the way for a new generation of emotionally intelligent robots.