From Spatulas to Screwdrivers: How MIT’s AI is Teaching Robots to Master Tools

From Spatulas to Screwdrivers: How MIT’s AI is Teaching Robots to Master Tools
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From Spatulas to Screwdrivers: How MIT’s AI is Teaching Robots to Master Tools

Could your next handyman be a robot?

MIT researchers have developed a groundbreaking technique to train robots using diverse datasets, enabling them to master multiple tools and adapt to new tasks. By leveraging generative AI models called diffusion models, they combine various data sources to create a general policy for robots.

This approach, known as Policy Composition (PoCo), allows robots to perform tasks like hammering nails and flipping objects with a spatula, leading to a 20% improvement in performance compared to traditional methods.

The PoCo technique is revolutionary in its ability to integrate data from different domains, such as human demonstrations and robotic simulations. This not only enhances the robot's dexterity but also its ability to generalize across various tasks.

With PoCo, robots can switch tools and adapt to new challenges, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in robotic automation. How can we ensure this AI-driven progress remains beneficial and ethical?

Read the full article on TechCrunch.

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Dr. Mark van Rijmenam

Dr. Mark van Rijmenam

Dr. Mark van Rijmenam is The Digital Speaker, a world-leading futurist and global AI keynote speaker who helps leaders decide what AI, and the technologies that follow it, mean for their business. He speaks to leadership teams at their retreats and to conference audiences worldwide, and his WAVE framework gives them a way of deciding that they keep using long after he has left the room. His Intelligence Age Scorecard measures how ready an organization is across the four WAVE pillars.

He holds a PhD from the University of Technology Sydney, is a Certified Speaking Professional and Global Speaking Fellow, and ranks among the world’s top futurists on the Global Gurus list (#1 in 2025, #3 in 2026). Salesforce named him one of its 16 leading AI voices. He has written six books, most recently Now What? How to Ride the Tsunami of Change, writes the Synthetic Minds newsletter on Substack, and founded Futurwise. Talk to his digital twin on WhatsApp: +1 (830) 463-6967.

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