Lead-Lag Live Embodied AI in Action: Derek Yan on Humanoid Robotics, KOID ETF & the Physical AI Shift
Mar 3, 2026
Derek Yan, Senior Investment Strategist at KraneShares who focuses on thematic ETFs and emerging tech, talks about the rise of humanoid robotics and embodied AI. He explains why humanoids are hitting an inflection point now. He outlines near-term use cases, the KOID ETF’s ecosystem approach, and even brings a working humanoid on air to demonstrate capabilities in real time.
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Humanoids Hitting An Inflection Point
- Humanoid robotics are moving from prototypes into early commercialization driven by companies like Tesla, Figure AI, and UB Tech.
- Derek Yan compares the inflection to the 2012–2014 EV tipping point when skepticism faded as real deployments began.
Embodied AI Is The Physical Layer Of Intelligence
- Embodied AI pairs digital intelligence with sensing and action so robots can see, reason, and act in the physical world.
- Derek Yan frames embodied AI as the next stage after digital AI, enabling robots to perform multi-step real-world tasks like laundry or coffee-making.
Humanoids Offer General Purpose Automation
- Traditional industrial automation is largely fixed-task and has matured; humanoids promise general-purpose capabilities across many tasks.
- Derek Yan highlights open-source general-purpose robotic models as the catalyst for broad applications beyond single-purpose arms.