The Future of Construction with AI and Robotics | Maria Telleria, Canvas Build
In this episode, we speak with Maria Telleria co-founder and CTO of Canvas. Maria shares her journey from a mechanical engineering background in Mexico to leading innovations in AI and robotics for the construction industry. Starting from her research at MIT to building robots designed for unstructured environments, Maria discusses the challenges and breakthroughs in integrating AI with hardware. She emphasizes the critical role of sensors, AI models, and safety checks in developing effective robotic solutions. Maria also elaborates on how Canvas' technology is improving productivity and safety in construction, outlining the business benefits and future prospects for robots in commercial settings. The conversation covers the practical applications, adoption strategies, and the new hardware platform Canvas is launching to further augment construction workflows. If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. Founder Bio: Maria Telleria is co-founder and CTO of venture-backed Canvas. Her company is building and deploying robotic systems to assist workers in arduous and dangerous construction tasks. The Canvas System is now being deployed in the Bay Area. Before Canvas, Maria was a company lead at Otherlab, an independent research laboratory focused on developing hard tech ideas from research to product. At Otherlab, she oversaw three large-scale government grants and two commercial development programs aimed at developing a new class of compliant robotic systems for unstructured environments. She secured multi-million-dollar grants from agencies like NASA, DARPA, and the Office of Naval Research. She is author on sixteen patents and fifteen patent applications related to Canvas systems and is a co-inventor on an additional three patents related to pneumatic robots. Prior to joining Otherlab, Ms. Telleria worked at MIT Lincoln Laboratory on the design of next-generation data systems. Maria holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. Her dissertation established the field of cylindrical compliant mechanisms. While at MIT she co-founded the MIT Grad Catalyst Program with the mission to give minority students the tools and information required to pursue advanced degrees in science and technology. Time Stamps: 00:31 Maria’s introduction and background 03:50 Challenges in Robotics 05:46 Canvas and real-world applications 07:58 AI and robotics in construction 14:22 Infusing AI into hardware 16:52 Simulation and data challenges 23:05 Use cases for the future of robotics 27:09 Core components of AI-enabled hardware 30:40 Human-AI Collaboration 32:21 Real-world applications and challenges 38:07 Market launch and business strategy 43:10 Adoption and future prospects 46:37 Future directions and how to get in contact with the Canvas team Resources Company website: https://www.canvas.build/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/we-are-canvas/ Twitter: https://x.com/canvas_build Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/we_are_canvas/