Deepu Talla, PhD, ’98 MSEE Presents the 2024 Ward Lecture on Robotics and Artificial Intelligence
Deepu Talla, PhD, ’98 MSEE
Students, faculty, and staff gathered Friday, Oct. 4, in the Dionisio Lecture Hall within Villanova University’s stunning new engineering facility, Drosdick Hall, for the 2024 Patrick J. Cunningham Jr. and Susan Ward ’80 Endowed Lecture. Deepu Talla, PhD, ’98 MSEE delivered this year’s lecture, titled "Humanity’s New Allies: The Future of Robotics and Physical AI."
Dr. Talla is the vice president and general manager of robotics and edge computing at NVIDIA. A multinational corporation at the forefront of artificial intelligence (AI) research and development, NVIDIA has become a leading force in the tech industry.
“Our upcoming significant challenge is physical AI-powered robots with functional safety being our utmost priority,” Dr. Talla said in the lecture.
The integration of robotics into various sectors presents numerous opportunities for innovation, Dr. Talla noted. His presentation highlighted how robotics in collaboration with AI can lead toward a future where efficiency and creativity go hand in hand, ultimately transforming the way we live and work.
“You are essentially creating a human being to perform a particular task,” Dr. Talla said. “They must be educated and guided, much like a carpenter undergoes training.”
He encouraged the audience to embrace these technologies, not as replacements for human effort but as tools that can enhance our capabilities. With careful integration and ethical considerations, the partnership between humans and machines holds the promise of a brighter, more effective future.
The lecture concluded with a dynamic Q&A session with Michele Marcolongo, PhD, PE, the Drosdick Endowed Dean of the College of Engineering, in which attendees had the opportunity to engage directly with Dr. Talla.
“What I’m really looking forward to is continued progress,” he said. “Within the next 10 years, research will be 100 times better and every engineering student will be able to say they’ve worked on robotics.”
About the Patrick J. Cunningham Jr. and Susan Ward ’80 Endowed Lecture Series in Engineering:
In 2009, Villanova Engineering alumna Susan Ward ’80 ChE and her husband, Patrick Cunningham, established an endowed engineering lecture series to offer students exposure to experts from various engineering fields and educational opportunities outside the classroom. The inaugural event was held in 2010, and the lecture has since become an annual event at Villanova.