Living in Metal and Stars: Space, Robotics, and Quantum Computing (SXSW 2025 Day 5)

This year’s SXSW—maybe more than any of these others I’ve attended—piqued my imagination. I felt like everyone here was given a glimpse into a future where we’re on the verge of answering fundamental questions about what it means to be human.

My final day here felt like a coda to that thinking. I moved through sessions that showed not separate technological paths but a convergence—from the intimate connection of mind to machine in bionic limbs to our collective experience of space through next-generation broadcasting to the fundamental questions about reality that quantum computing might finally help us answer.

I’ll have a more complete round-up of my thoughts once I’m home and I’ve had time to sit with everything, but I’m leaving Austin filled with hope about the future—not just for what these technologies can do, but for how they might help us understand ourselves better.

What I Think I Learned Today

• The Human-Machine Partnership Is Already Here: The bionic limb presentation demonstrated we’re not just augmenting human capabilities—we’re creating pathways where human intention flows seamlessly into robotic action, and sensory feedback flows back to us.
• Space Exploration Has Entered a New Era: NASA’s ability to broadcast high-definition imagery from space missions isn’t just about pretty pictures—it’s transforming how humanity collectively experiences our expansion into the cosmos.
• Quantum Computing Will Solve Problems AI Can’t: While AI excels at pattern recognition and working with existing knowledge, quantum computing promises to help us understand how nature fundamentally works—potentially revolutionizing everything from medicine to material science.

Panel Summaries

AI in Bionic Limbs for Humans and Robots

Dr. Aadeel Akhtar, CEO and Founder of PSYONIC

What began with a childhood encounter in Pakistan—seeing a girl his age using a tree branch as a prosthetic—led Dr. Akhtar to revolutionize robotic limbs. His presentation showcased the PSYONIC hand, representing a remarkable fusion of accessibility and advanced technology.

The bionic hand uses AI to interpret electrical signals from muscles (EMGs), transforming them into precise movements. Unlike traditional prosthetics, these hands provide sensory feedback, are lightweight (490 grams), water-resistant, and affordable enough that Medicare covers them—making them accessible to 75% of people who need them.

Perhaps most striking was the demonstration in which a volunteer’s hand movements were mirrored perfectly by the robotic hand through AI interpretation. This technology isn’t limited to human augmentation—NASA’s Valkyrie robot uses PSYONIC hands for operations on the International Space Station, and plans are in the works for lunar and Mars applications.

The future looks even more integrated, with titanium implants allowing direct connection to muscles and eventually to brain implants, enabling users to regain playing piano or typing abilities. As Dr. Akhtar put it, “This is a perfect example of how AI can be used for human good.”

Live, From Space: Visualizing the Future with NASA

Sami Aziz, Jeremy Myers, Thalia Patrinos, and Zibi Turtle

NASA’s media team isn’t just documenting space exploration—they’re reinventing how humanity experiences it. “I’ve built the next generation of moon landing broadcast,” explained Sami Aziz. “I can’t just do what we did before.”

The challenges are immense: cameras must withstand radiation and extreme environments (like Titan’s -290°F temperatures) while dealing with the constraints of bandwidth and transmission delays. The lunar surface presents particular difficulties—”the lighting sucks,” as Aziz candidly put it.

The team revealed several ongoing projects: the Europa imaging system (whose first successful images were released the day of the talk), the Handheld Universal Lunar Camera being developed with Nikon, and the Dragonfly mission launching in 2028 to explore Titan with a mobile laboratory.

The scale of NASA’s media operations is staggering—their recent solar eclipse coverage involved 3,000 miles, 12 locations, 63 cameras, and 300 production team members and reached 40 million viewers. It’s clear they’re not just documenting scientific achievements but creating shared human experiences.

Keynote: From Sci-Fi to Society: The Next Era of AI and Quantum Computing

Arvind Krishna (IBM), Jon Fortt (CNBC), and JB Pritzker (Illinois Governor)

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker offered a fascinating glimpse into the future of computing. Krishna predicted radical efficiency improvements in AI: “I predict that in 5 years, we’ll be using 1% of the energy that it is using now,” referencing the emerging trend of smaller, more efficient models.

While AI has dominated recent headlines, Krishna expressed excitement about quantum computing’s potential before this decade ends: “It’s going to surprise you… materials, optimization, fertilizers, and food.” Unlike AI, which learns from existing knowledge, quantum computing can help us understand how nature fundamentally behaves.

Governor Pritzker described Illinois’ $200 million investment in quantum computing, which helped secure four of ten Department of Energy quantum grants. Their collaboration with IBM on a Quantum Campus brings together academics, federal funding, and infrastructure in a public-private partnership that positions the state at the forefront of this technology.

When asked about talent, Krishna noted that remote work enables drawing from a global pool, while Pritzker emphasized the importance of immigration: “If you’re a scientist, this is where you want to be…You can’t develop all that talent if you aren’t bringing in the best people from around the world.”

The Dawn of a New Era

As I leave SXSW, I’m struck by how these technologies are changing what it means to be human. These aren’t distant science fiction scenarios but technologies emerging now, reshaping our world in real time.

The question now is whether we can adapt our thinking, our institutions, and our skills quickly enough to shape this transformation in ways that benefit humanity. As Ian Beacraft said on Monday, “Tomorrow’s technology is colliding with yesterday’s mental models.” Our task is to develop new models equal to the extraordinary moment we’re living through.