- Intempus is developing tech to give robots human-like emotional states for better human-robot interaction.
- The system uses physiological data like sweat, heart rate, and movement to enable emotional expression.
- The startup has signed seven enterprise partners and plans to expand testing and hiring soon.
Intempus, a robotics startup launched by Teddy Warner, is developing technology to retrofit existing robots with human-like emotional expressions, making interactions with machines more natural and predictable.
Warner, who grew up in a machinist shop and previously worked at AI lab Midjourney, believes robots need a “physiological state”—an emotional intermediary step—to bridge the gap between observation and action, similar to how humans and animals communicate through subtle kinetic movements.
The company’s approach uses physiological data, starting with sweat measurements from polygraph tests and expanding to body temperature, heart rate, and photoplethysmography, to give robots an emotional composition.
This allows robots to express emotions through movement, helping humans better understand and anticipate robot behaviour.
Warner’s research revealed that most subconscious signals come from body movement rather than facial expressions or words.
Launched in September 2024, Intempus spent several months on research before developing these emotional capabilities and has already signed seven enterprise robotics partners.
Warner, a solo founder and participant in the Thiel Fellowship, plans to hire and begin human trials soon. While the current focus is on retrofitting existing robots, Warner envisions eventually building fully emotionally intelligent robots.
With this innovative approach, Intempus aims to advance emotionally intelligent machines, making robots more relatable, intuitive, and effective partners in human environments.
Edited by Annette George
