Physical AI Is Ready, Buildings Are Not | Kateryna Portmann, ANYbotics
Kateryna Portmann of ANYbotics and Women in Robotics on physical AI commercialization, robotics scaling in the DACH region and why infrastructure, not algorithms, is the bottleneck.
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Key insights: executive summary
- The bottleneck for scaling physical AI is no longer autonomy software. It is the built environment, including doors, stairs and network coverage.
- Successful deployment requires three things to be ready at once: the robot, the facility and the organisation's culture.
- Human unpredictability remains the hardest variable because real workplaces rarely behave like controlled simulations.
- Robotics needs UX designers, business analysts and integration managers to bridge the gap between labs and real-world adoption.
- Inclusive design is a safety requirement. Robotics teams need diverse perspectives to identify risks that homogeneous test groups miss.
“Humans, they are unpredictable. You can train them as long as you wish, but they will still leave a ladder somewhere.”
“Physical AI will influence a lot how industry will work, and that needs to be introduced to students as soon as possible.”
What is the Robot Ready framework and why does it matter now?
The Robot Ready framework assesses not only whether a robot can navigate a space, but whether a facility such as an elderly care home or industrial plant is structurally and culturally prepared to adopt it. This prevents companies from forcing automation into sites that lack the infrastructure and processes to support it.
How can industries prepare for mobile and autonomous robots?
Facilities must adapt workflows and infrastructure to accommodate machines, moving from brownfield retrofitting towards greenfield sites designed with automation in mind. Organisations also need internal champions who can integrate robot data into existing ERP and operational systems without adding workflow friction.
Prepare the facility, not just the robot
Evaluate the customer's infrastructure, workflows and readiness before deployment rather than assuming the technology will work in a vacuum.
Introduce robotics early
Bring physical AI into university curricula and classrooms early so the next generation understands how humans and robots can work together.
Who is Kateryna Portmann?
Kateryna Portmann is a Senior Product Manager at ANYbotics and a community builder for Women in Robotics, working at the intersection of physical AI, product delivery and real-world adoption.
Episode show notes
Kateryna Portmann discusses the messy reality of deploying mobile robots in industrial and healthcare settings. Drawing on her experience at Hocoma and ANYbotics, she explains why deep tech commercialisation is ultimately an integration problem, not only an algorithmic one.
What stood out was her focus on the user experience and cultural integration of robotics. If a robot adds a clumsy interface that does not connect with a hospital or factory's existing systems, workers may simply reject it and the deployment can fail.
More conversations from the Swiss tech ecosystem
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- Five Years to Teach a Robot Table Tennis | Mireille El Gheche, Sony AIMireille El Gheche, Sony AI
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