Physical AI Hack World Tour — SF

A Global Build Series for Physical AI
The Physical AI Hack World Tour is a series of hands-on robotic hackathons across cities — built around the MakerMods Robotics open-source ecosystem -
Each stop brings together builders working on real systems — combining real robots, open frameworks, and real-world data.
At the center is MakerMods’ open-source stack: hardware you can inspect, modify, train on, and take home — powered by XLeRobot kits, Hugging Face LeRobot, and modular components.
The goal is simple: make it easier for anyone to start building physical AI.
Schedule
Hackers: Please come at 9AM on Saturday
Saturday
9AM - Doors open and networking
10AM - Sponsor keynotes
10:30AM - Kickoff ceremony
11AM - Hackathon
10:30PM - Doors closed
Sunday
9AM - Doors open
4PM - Submissions closed
4PM-6PM - Demos and judging
8PM - Doors closed

First stop: San Francisco
May 9–10 · Founders Inc, San Francisco
We’re kicking off the tour in SF, where a high density of developers, founders, and researchers are already pushing AI into the physical world.
300 people.
20 robots
48 hours.
One goal:
build something that actually works in the real world.
Powered by
MakerMods — modular robotics hardware
World Intelligence — data infrastructure for physical AI

Tasks
We’re choosing tasks that reflect where robots will actually be used.
🍞 Toasting bread
A simple household task — but full of continuous control, timing, and uncertainty.
Home environments are one of the closest real deployment scenarios for robots.

📸 Scanning a QR code
A common retail workflow — like checking out customers in stores.
This tests perception, alignment, and interaction in structured environments.

🍽️ Setting a table
A small task, but a hard one.
Precise insertion, depth estimation, and fine motor control — where most systems break.
What you'll build with
XLeRobot — affordable dual-arm robot kits for AI training
ModBlocks — modular USB-C robotics components
LeRobot (Hugging Face) — open-source framework for robot learning
MakerMods App — teleoperation and VLA debugging
OpenClaw — agent skills for direct hardware control
Kite ML — train autonomous robots faster
All hardware provided on-site. Bring your laptop and ideas.

Hosted by
MakerMods Robotics, World Intelligence, and Founders.inc
Sponsors
Sponsored by NVIDIA, Hugging Face, Seeed Studio, Qualia, Tnkr.ai, and Normacore and …TBA