VU LAUNCHED OHMNILABS IN 2015 WITH HIS
COFOUNDERS, TINGXI TAN AND JARED GO.
68 South Bay Accent
COURTESY OF OHMNILABS
ufacturing methods. He adds
that OhmniLabs can create
a robot in 24 hours (versus
a more typical rate of one
robot in two to four weeks).
The standard Ohmni model
starts at $1,795. According to
a recent article in Medgaget,
OhmniLabs has shipped hundreds
of robots globally, and
in 2018 more than 20,000
calls were made using them.
The company has more recently
focused on offering an
open platform developer edition
of the robot that makes
it customizable for a wide
range of uses and industries.
Vu told Medgaget that the job
of developing a robot can be
expensive and time-consuming, but OhmniLabs wants to change
that. By creating a way to share robotic development information,
the company hopes to cultivate a community of roboticists to make
robots more helpful and to increase adoption.
His company has also been working to develop custom solutions
for corporations with specific needs, such as an outdoor version
of Ohmni for a real estate showing, or a telehealth version, where
it would be integrated with a stethoscope.
Next best thing to being there
Thus far, it has been particularly helpful in providing solutions
for people who are socially isolated. Along with visiting longdistance
relatives, the robots can be used in facilities for the elderly
so families can check on their loved ones, provide support and
“visit” more often.
Vu has mentioned in interviews that elderly people tend to be
a little afraid of the technology at first, but the minute they see
their family members on the screen, they’re no longer fearful. He
cites his own grandmother as a perfect example.
Another way Ohmni is changing lives is by making it possible
for disabled and sick kids to attend school remotely. They can use
the robot to listen, speak and move around the classroom as if they
were actually in the room. Vu has been working with a number of
organizations around the world to help sick kids be less isolated.
“We recently partnered with a large foundation and 13 of the
largest children’s hospitals in the country to connect patients with
activities and events outside their hospital rooms,” he explains.
The medical organizations are among many partnerships that the
company is forging to explore different ways Ohmni can be used.
“We have college partners who are giving tours using the robots to
prospective students who can’t be there, and high school programs
that are bringing NASA experts to the workshops via the robots,”
says Vu, who enjoys seeing “how people’s lives are being enriched
every day by Ohmni.”
While Vu has some extended
family in the Bay Area,
most of his relatives are back
in Vietnam, and he travels to
the country fairly often, both
for work and family visits.
He has served as an assistant
professor and research scientist
at Vietnam National University
since 2012. He’s also
committed to nurturing the
next generation of developers,
builders and innovators
through two nonprofit organizations
he cofounded: Viet-
Seeds and VietAI. VietSeeds
is a scholarship program that
helps more than 200 students
go to college each year. VietAI
FROM LEFT: JARED GO,
TINGXI TAN, THUC VU
is an educational project that partners with companies like Google
and Fulbright University to bring AI courses from Silicon Valley
to Vietnam, with the goal of training 100 entry-level machinelearning
engineers to use AI.
“I am constantly amazed by the wealth of talent in Vietnam,”
says Vu.
Beyond the lab
On a personal level, Vu’s friends appreciate his commitment to
working hard and supporting good causes. “He has always been
a guy who loves to give back, given his work with VietAI and
VietSeeds Foundation,” says Go. “Making a telepresence robot
at a much cheaper price-point for consumers was an opportunity
to connect his passion for disruptive technologies, his vision to
improve communication for families living far away from each
other and doing something for social good.”
Nguyen describes Vu as funny, generous and kind, noting that
he meditates almost every day. “He can go on meditating for a
week without having anything but water, while still maintaining
his daily activities,” she says. “He has helped me to become a better
person, and I am always thankful for that.”
And when he’s not meditating, working or giving his time to
good causes, Vu knows how to enjoy himself. “Contrary to the
stereotype of nerds, he is a fun guy who loves good food, good
whiskey and skiing,” says Go. “He has an attitude to not take life
too seriously, which makes him fun to be around. He also doesn’t
project his stress or worries out too much to other people, and
manages to stay calm even in tough situations. He can also be
quite spontaneous.”
Not surprisingly, Silicon Valley is an ideal home base for a talented
company founder-inventor. Vu, who currently lives in San Jose,
truly values the communities of entrepreneurs living in the area.
“The people inspire me every day,” he says. n