The Story Behind Adaptive Machines

Bridging Learning, Engineering, and Vision

In a quiet corner of a country once known as Yugoslavia, a young boy sat sketching machines that could move. He was not trying to escape reality—he was trying to predict it. Understanding motion and mastering outcomes became more than a fascination. It was a survival instinct.

That boy grew up to become a competitive kayaker, where reading the motion of water was as essential as moving through it. Later, that same intuition would guide David Braun through the rigorous worlds of robotics research, academic leadership, and global innovation.

Today, as the Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Adaptive Machines, he leads a mission that is as personal as it is technical: to make scientific knowledge in robotics more actionable, more accessible, and more aligned with the real-world problems we face.

"Science helps us understand nature. But it is engineering that dares to build what nature never tried."

Where Science Meets the Real World

"Some of the best ideas in robotics never leave the lab," David says. "That disconnect slows down progress across the entire field."

Throughout his career—from building walking robots at Vanderbilt, to designing compliant actuators in Singapore, to developing optima control algorithms in Scotland and Germany—he observed a recurring pattern. Breakthroughs in adaptive hardware and optimal control were being published, celebrated, and... shelved.

"Meanwhile, startups struggled with trial and error, students were overwhelmed by outdated teaching methods, and entire fields missed out on transformative ideas simply because they were locked inside the academy."

Adaptive Machines was founded to change that.

It was built on a belief drawn from optimal control theory—that the best course of action is always the one that makes the most of the current moment. Whether in robotics or in life, we move forward not by revisiting the past, but by committing fully to the present.

In David's words: "Regardless of yesterday, do your best today. This interpretation of Bellman's Optimality Principle captures the mindset behind our projects at Adaptive Machines: act with clarity, build with intent, and move forward from where you are."

Learning That Works for Builders

The company’s education platform emerged from David’s own journey with one of the most dreaded subjects in engineering: dynamics. "It intimidated me as a student," he recalls. "But over time, I learned how to teach it in a way that felt intuitive—like solving a puzzle, not memorizing a formula."

Today, his signature course Dynamics brings this approach to a global audience—combining bite-sized video lessons, hands-on problem-solving, and insights drawn from real robotics systems. The goal is not simply to pass a course, but to develop mastery—whether for high school students, college learners, or industry professionals.

At its heart, Adaptive Machines Academy offers something rare: a rigorous yet empathetic entry point into the physical world.

"Learn not just what seems useful today, but what enables breakthroughs tomorrow. Learn more, as you cannot use what you do not learn."

Engineering That Delivers Results

When companies and research teams run into complex robotics challenges—whether it is a control algorithm that fails outside simulation or a robot that drains power too quickly—Adaptive Machines steps in with deep technical consulting.

This is not just advisory work. It is hands-on problem solving rooted in decades of research across disciplines and continents. David and his collaborators have designed actuators that adjust their own stiffness like artificial muscles, developed optimization algorithms for real-time adaptation, and closed the loop between AI and the physical environment in ways that reduce failure and increase reliability.

"Engineering is not about copying nature. It is about using math and physics to go beyond intuition—creating systems that never existed before."

In every consulting engagement, Adaptive Machines brings this philosophy to the forefront—transforming abstract theory into practical engineering that works under pressure and performs where it counts.

Pushing Robotics Forward

But the real horizon lies in what comes next. Adaptive Machines works with startups, government agencies, and philanthropic partners to turn ambitious robotics ideas into practical realities.

"We are not just solving today’s problems," David explains. "We are building the tools that let robots handle the unpredictability of the real world—faster, more efficiently, and with less energy."

Whether it is embodied AI, mechanically intelligent actuators, or simulation-to-reality transfer, the company’s innovation work integrates control and design to tackle the kinds of challenges where conventional robots fail.

This is the spirit behind Adaptive Machines’ research partnerships—pushing robotics beyond imitation toward systems that perform in ways evolution never explored.

Rebooting Robotics

At Adaptive Machines, we aim to reboot robotics not by chasing trends, but by redesigning the building blocks—actuators, control systems, and components that continue to limit what robots can do. One by one, we are rebuilding the foundation.

In David’s words: "I love to revisit problems that appear to be solved."

More Than a Company—A Bridge

Ultimately, Adaptive Machines is not just a business—it is a bridge. Between theory and practice. Between advanced research and real-world impact. Between the potential that robotics promises and the progress it can actually deliver.

"My career has taken me from kayaking rivers in Yugoslavia to research labs in Scotland and Germany, lecture halls in Singapore, and startup calls," David reflects.

"Through all of it, I have been guided by one belief: knowledge matters most when it is shared, applied, and used to shape a better future."

At Adaptive Machines, that future is already in motion.