S6E40 Matt Puchalski | Vision Inspection, Autonomous Vehicles, & Graduating Y Combinator

Being an Engineer

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Matt Puchalski is a roboticist and entrepreneur shaping the future of automation in manufacturing. As the founder and CEO of Bucket Roboticshttps://www.bucket.bot/—part of Y Combinator’s Summer 2024 batch—Matt is building next-generation 3D vision systems designed to supercharge flexible manufacturing environments. His company combines high-quality monocular cameras with edge computing to enable real-time 3D perception, simplify integration, and generate meaningful metrics across production workflows.

Before founding Bucket Robotics, Matt spent over half a decade developing and deploying Level 4 autonomous vehicles at Argo AI, which was acquired by Ford to form Latitude AI. His journey in autonomy continued at Latitude and then Stack AV, where he served as a foundational engineer during the company’s stealth phase. From leading test track operations to engineering vehicle reliability processes, Matt played key roles in launching multiple AV platforms on public roads.

He’s also an inventor, credited with patents ranging from indoor localization to dynamic data mining for autonomous systems. Alongside his startup leadership, Matt is a venture partner at Pioneer Fund, helping other early-stage founders navigate the startup ecosystem.

Matt holds a B.S. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Georgia Tech and brings a unique blend of hardware expertise, startup grit, and large-scale system thinking. Whether deploying AVs in Munich or building user-friendly tools for manufacturers, Matt is passionate about making robotics practical, accessible, and powerful.

LINKS:

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-puchalski/

Guest website: https://www.bucket.bot/

Aaron Moncur, host

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About Being An Engineer

The Being An Engineer podcast is a repository for industry knowledge and a tool through which engineers learn about and connect with relevant companies, technologies, people resources, and opportunities. We feature successful mechanical engineers and interview engineers who are passionate about their work and who made a great impact on the engineering community.

The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment such as cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us on the web at www.teampipeline.us

فصول

1. Introduction and Guest Introduction (00:00:00)

2. Early Influences and Education (00:01:44)

3. The Fascination with Latin (00:02:55)

4. Introduction to Bucket Robotics (00:04:40)

5. Challenges in Quality Inspection (00:07:11)

6. The Y Combinator Experience (00:12:42)

7. Technical Challenges and Market Competition (00:20:59)

8. Sponsor Message and Podcast Information (00:23:29)

9. Introduction to Matt Polski's Career (00:24:03)

10. Self-Driving Car Challenges (00:25:26)

11. Leadership Lessons from Unique Problems (00:26:36)

12. Building a Company and Taking Care of Employees (00:29:56)

13. Future of Robotics and Vision Systems (00:33:59)

14. Bucket Robotics: Integration and Customer Fit (00:39:06)

15. Accelerating Engineering Through Writing (00:45:29)

16. Conclusion and Contact Information (00:47:30)