AI lab offers free plumbing and HVAC repairs to train robots on the job

AI companies are coming for the plumbers

An AI lab is sending technicians into homes across three cities to do plumbing, HVAC, electrical, duct, and carpet work for free. The catch: workers wear sensors that record video of every repair, building a dataset for training humanoid robots. It's a clever way to gather real-world manipulation data that's hard to get anywhere else, and a preview of how automation may reach blue-collar trades.