Embodied AI: Physical Artificial Intelligence for a Better World

This article has been translated using artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence is moving beyond the digital realm and entering the physical world. From robots in agriculture to drones delivering medical supplies in remote areas, Embodied AI is transforming how we interact with technology. Its potential goes beyond automation—it’s about addressing some of humanity’s most pressing challenges.

At the Future Trends Forum, hosted by the Fundación Innovación Bankinter, international experts have explored the impact and evolution of Embodied AI across various sectors. This article series brings together the insights of leading voices in the field, including Jeremy Kahn, Antonio Damasio, and Ramón López de Mántaras. Now, it’s Leila Takayama’s turn—an expert in human-robot interaction and Vice President of Design at Robust.AI.

Takayama presents an innovative approach: How can we apply Embodied AI to tackle global problems aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? Through concrete examples, she shows how embodied intelligence can drive meaningful, real-world change.

You can watch Leila Takayama’s full talk at the Future Trends Forum here:

Embodied AI: Technology with Purpose

Artificial intelligence is no longer just software. It now has a body, a presence in the physical world, and the potential to transform key sectors of society. This paradigm shift is driving progress across multiple industries, but its most meaningful impact may lie in its ability to address some of humanity’s most urgent challenges.

In her talk at the Future Trends Forum, Leila Takayama poses a fundamental question: How can we apply Embodied AI to create real social impact? Her approach emphasizes that these technologies, beyond optimizing processes, should be aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to tackle critical global issues such as hunger, health, and employment.

According to Takayama, the true value of Embodied AI lies not in automation itself, but in its ability to amplify human capabilities and improve quality of life. She highlights three SDGs where Embodied AI is already showing its potential:

1. Zero Hunger: Through automation in agriculture, Embodied AI can optimize crop yields, reduce food waste, and make food production more efficient and sustainable.
2. Good Health and Well-Being: Robots and drones are improving access to healthcare in rural areas and helping to address global challenges such as social isolation and the shortage of medical supplies in remote hospitals.
3. Decent Work and Economic Growth: Embodied AI not only automates tasks, but also opens new job opportunities, enhances workplace safety, and enables broader inclusion in the digital economy.

Takayama stresses that Embodied AI should be designed with social benefit and human-machine collaboration in mind. Instead of developing robots to operate in isolation, the goal should be to build systems that work alongside people—complementing human skills and supporting real-world problem solving.

In the following sections, we’ll explore concrete examples of how Embodied AI is contributing to these SDGs and transforming industries essential to human development.

Smart Agriculture: Robots Against Hunger

Hunger remains one of the most pressing global challenges. Despite advances in agricultural technology, over 700 million people worldwide suffer from undernourishment. Embodied AI is emerging as a key tool for improving food production—making it more efficient, sustainable, and accessible. According to Leila Takayama, integrating robotics into agriculture can reduce waste, optimize resources, and bring technology within reach even for smallholder farmers.

One of the most notable examples is SenseFly EB, a drone that enables precise crop monitoring. Equipped with advanced sensors, it can detect plant health issues before they are visible to the naked eye, allowing for early intervention and reducing the need for pesticides and fertilizers. This kind of technology supports precision agriculture, where collected data allows chemicals to be applied only where necessary, minimizing environmental impact and improving efficiency.

In the United Kingdom, the Small Robot Company has developed a fleet of agricultural robots designed to work on farms of all sizes. These robots can map fields, eliminate weeds without chemicals, and optimize the use of water and fertilizers—helping reduce operational costs for farmers. This technology benefits not just large-scale operations but also small farms that would otherwise lack access to this level of automation.

Another innovative approach comes from Farm-NG, a company that builds modular, customizable robots for small- and medium-scale farmers. Their systems allow users to adapt robots to different tasks such as planting, harvesting, or non-chemical weed control using heat. These flexible solutions are more affordable and accessible for farmers who cannot invest in large, traditional agricultural machinery.

Beyond open-field farming, Embodied AI is also revolutionizing urban and vertical agriculture. Companies like Plenty use robotics and artificial intelligence to grow food in enclosed spaces—such as former warehouses or vertical structures in cities. These indoor farms can produce fresh food year-round, regardless of weather, and reduce reliance on long-distance transportation, thereby lowering the carbon footprint of food production.

The impact of these advances is clear: Embodied AI is helping to increase agricultural productivity, reduce resource consumption, and minimize environmental damage. However, Takayama cautions that for this technology to make a real global difference, it must be accessible to all farmers, not just large agribusinesses. The key lies in developing scalable solutions that can benefit both smallholders and large-scale producers.

As the global population continues to grow, the role of Embodied AI in food production will become increasingly critical. Automation and data-driven insights can help in the fight against hunger—but only if implemented inclusively and sustainably.

Embodied AI in Healthcare: Beyond the Hospital Walls

Access to healthcare remains one of the greatest global inequalities. While artificial intelligence in medicine has transformed how diseases are diagnosed and treatments are delivered, Embodied AI is taking things a step further. Robots and autonomous systems are expanding access to care in areas with limited medical infrastructure and providing essential support for older adults and vulnerable populations.

In her talk at the Future Trends Forum, Leila Takayama highlights how Embodied AI is already transforming healthcare on multiple fronts. From drones delivering medical supplies to assistive robots supporting elderly individuals, these technologies are addressing real and urgent problems.

Drones and Medical Logistics: Saving Lives in Minutes

One of the most striking examples Takayama shares is the case of Zipline, a company that has developed a drone-based medical delivery system in Africa. In countries like Rwanda and Ghana—where rural roads are often impassable and hospitals lack steady supplies—these drones have helped reduce postpartum hemorrhage-related deaths by 50%. What once took hours or even days to transport can now arrive in minutes, ensuring that doctors receive critical blood supplies exactly when needed.

And it’s not just blood. These autonomous drones are also used to deliver vaccines, medications, and other essential medical supplies to remote regions. This type of innovation can mean the difference between life and death in communities with limited access to healthcare.

Assistive Robots: More Than Machines, Companions for Life

Population aging presents another major healthcare challenge that Embodied AI is helping to address. With a growing number of older adults living alone, the demand for assistive robots has increased significantly in recent years. These systems are not meant to replace human caregivers, but to support daily living, promote independence, and improve quality of life.

One standout example is ElliQ, a robot developed by Intuition Robotics—whose founder and CEO, Dor Skuler, also participated in our forum. ElliQ’s mission is to reduce loneliness and improve emotional well-being among older adults. It interacts proactively and contextually with users, reminding them to take medications, encouraging physical activity, or simply initiating conversations to reduce social isolation. Its design is grounded in human-robot interaction research, aiming to make engagement more natural and empathetic.

Embodied AI’s role in healthcare goes far beyond logistics and companionship. Robots are also being used in assisted surgeries, rehabilitation, physical therapy, and as mobility aids. The combination of machine learning, advanced sensors, and autonomous physical capabilities is enabling the development of increasingly sophisticated systems.

During the Future Trends Forum, other experts addressed this topic from various angles—exploring how Embodied AI is impacting personalized medicine, automation within hospitals, and the integration of robots into patients’ daily lives. In future articles in this series, we’ll take a deeper look at these perspectives to understand how Embodied AI is reshaping global healthcare.

Work and Robots: Embodied AI for Inclusive Economic Growth

The debate around automation and employment has been central to discussions about the future of work for years. While some fear that robots and AI will replace human jobs, Leila Takayama offers a different perspective: Embodied AI doesn’t have to be a substitute for human labor—it can be a tool to make work safer, more efficient, and more accessible. In her talk at the Future Trends Forum, she highlights how advancements in collaborative robotics and intelligent automation can create new job opportunities rather than eliminate them.

A concrete example is Robust.AI’s logistics robot, designed to work alongside employees in warehouses and factories. The robot is fully autonomous but can also be operated manually when needed. Instead of replacing workers, it enhances their efficiency and reduces physical strain, contributing to a safer and more productive work environment.

While Embodied AI is improving productivity and safety across various industries, Takayama warns that its adoption must be managed carefully to ensure inclusive economic growth. This requires investment in workforce training and reskilling, so that employees can benefit from these technologies rather than be left behind.

The impact of Embodied AI on employment is complex and constantly evolving. During the Future Trends Forum, other experts addressed this issue from different angles—examining how companies can integrate automation without increasing labor inequality, and what policies are needed to support a fair transition to a more automated future of work.

In upcoming articles in this series, we’ll delve deeper into these discussions and explore real-world examples of how Embodied AI is transforming the way we work. What’s clear is that human-machine collaboration will be essential in building a more efficient, inclusive, and sustainable economic model.

Conclusion: Embodied AI with Purpose

For Leila Takayama, the key to developing Embodied AI lies in ensuring that its implementation has a positive impact on society. The examples discussed show that when Embodied AI is used with a clear purpose, it can make a real difference in addressing global challenges such as hunger, healthcare, and employment.

She also emphasizes that its development must be accompanied by responsible policies and human-centered design. It’s not just about what the technology can do, but how and for whom it is developed.

Embodied AI is emerging as a powerful tool to improve people’s lives—as long as its implementation is ethical, inclusive, and aimed at the common good.

More articles in this series on Embodied AI:

• Embodied AI: Artificial Intelligence Moving Beyond the Digital World, by Jeremy Kahn
• Embodied AI and the Limits of Consciousness: Antonio Damasio’s Perspective