New York-based startup Mbodi AI is making waves in the robotics world, announcing its selection for Y Combinator’s X25 batch. The company is developing an innovative embodied AI platform that allows anyone to teach industrial robots new tasks using simple voice commands or quick demonstrations—no coding or engineers required.

Founded by former Google engineers Xavier Chi and Sebastian Peralta, Mbodi AI aims to solve a major challenge in manufacturing: labor shortages. With 70% of factories worldwide struggling to find workers, many tasks remain manual because traditional robots take weeks to reprogram for new jobs. This leaves billions of dollars in high-mix, low-volume production untapped for automation, according to Mbodi.

“We’re building a system where you can just tell a robot what to do, and it learns in minutes,” said Chi and Peralta. “Our platform turns natural language into precise robot actions, making automation faster, cheaper, and more flexible.”

Mbodi’s technology combines generative AI, agent orchestration, and symbolic reasoning to create a universal system that works with any robotic hardware. It can handle tasks like picking and placing items, adapting quickly to changes in production needs. Once a robot learns a task, it can share that knowledge with an entire fleet, saving time and resources across factories.

The startup is already gaining recognition. In December, Mbodi won the 2024 ABB Robotics AI Startup Challenge and partnered with ABB Robotics to deploy its technology in real-world facilities. It also earned a 2025 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award. Earlier this month, Chi spoke at the Robotics Summit & Expo about how generative AI is transforming robotics.

Mbodi’s vision is bold: to make robots as easy to use as software, turning them into accessible tools for factories of all sizes. The company is now seeking partnerships with manufacturers, system integrators, and robot makers to tackle complex automation challenges. While starting with pick-and-place tasks, Mbodi sees a future where its AI powers mobile robots and even greater autonomy.

With Y Combinator’s support, Mbodi AI is poised to bring its game-changing technology to industries worldwide, making automation simpler and more accessible than ever before.