Minsky's 1960s robot arm solved the same class of problems as today's foundation models

GlenBerseth · x · 2026-09-16

Roboticist Glen Berseth points out that in the 1960s, Marvin Minsky's lab already had a robot arm using computer vision to perceive object geometry, plan paths, and assemble parts. Today's foundation models are largely solving the same class of problems — just cheaper and faster. The takeaway: many "new" embodied-AI breakthroughs aren't new as problems; what's new is a general method that makes solutions scalable.

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