D-Wave Founder's New Startup Combines AI, Robots, and Monkeys in Exo-Suits

As if quantum computing wasn't mind-bending enough, one of D-Wave Systems' founders is now pursuing another futuristic idea: using artificial intelligence and high-tech exoskeleton suits to allow humans--and, at least according to one description of the technology, monkeys--to control and train an army of intelligent robots. Geordie Rose is a cofounder and chief technology officer of D-Wave, the Canadian company selling machines that it claims exploit quantum mechanical effects to solve certain problems hundreds of millions times faster than traditional computers. Now an IEEE Spectrum investigation has discovered that Rose is also CEO of Kindred Systems (aka Kindred AI), a stealthy startup he founded with others in 2014 dedicated to delivering advanced teleoperated and autonomous robots. The goal is making programming robots faster and less costly–and possibly revolutionize the world of work. Kindred has so far received well over US 10 million in funding, according to Data Collective, the venture capital firm that led one of the rounds.