PeopleofSuperintelligence

Builder

Tianhao Zhang

Tianhao Zhang co-founded Covariant in 2017 with Pieter Abbeel, Peter Chen, and Rocky Duan, starting the robotics company as Embodied Intelligence. The Covariant Brain is AI software for robot arms in warehouses, and the company raised $7 million in 2017. With Gregory Kahn, Sergey Levine, and Abbeel, he published a 2016 method that trains a neural network policy for a simulated quadrotor, and with Chelsea Finn, Tianhe Yu, Abbeel, and Sergey Levine a 2017 paper on one-shot visual imitation learning. In November 2017 he used virtual-reality teleoperation to teach a robot, and in 2018 he published imitation-learning work from virtual-reality teleoperation. He studied with Pieter Abbeel at the University of California, Berkeley, and he leads Covariant with chief executive Ted Stinson after Abbeel, Chen, and Duan left for Amazon in August 2024.

Now at
Covariant

Timeline

  1. February 2016

    Policies for a quadrotor

    With Gregory Kahn, Sergey Levine, and Pieter Abbeel, he publishes Learning Deep Control Policies for Autonomous Aerial Vehicles with MPC-Guided Policy Search. The February 2016 revision trains a neural network policy that controls a simulated quadrotor from onboard sensors.

  2. 2017

    Co-founding Covariant

    In 2017 he helps found Covariant, a robotics company originally called Embodied Intelligence, with Pieter Abbeel, Peter Chen, and Rocky Duan. The Covariant Brain is AI software for robot arms in warehouses.

  3. 2017

    Seed funding at Berkeley

    Embodied Intelligence raises $7 million in 2017. He studies with Pieter Abbeel at the University of California, Berkeley.

  4. 2017

    One-shot visual imitation

    With Chelsea Finn, Tianhe Yu, Pieter Abbeel, and Sergey Levine, he presents One-Shot Visual Imitation Learning via Meta-Learning at the Conference on Robot Learning in 2017.

  5. November 2017

    Teaching a robot with VR

    In November 2017 he uses virtual-reality teleoperation to teach a robot at Embodied Intelligence. He is on the founding team with Pieter Abbeel, Peter Chen, and Rocky Duan.

  6. 2018

    Imitation from VR teleoperation

    With Zoe McCarthy, Owen Jow, Dennis Lee, Xi Chen, Ken Goldberg, and Pieter Abbeel, he publishes Deep Imitation Learning for Complex Manipulation Tasks from Virtual Reality Teleoperation in 2018.

  7. Since August 2024

    Leadership beside a new CEO

    In August 2024 Pieter Abbeel, Peter Chen, and Rocky Duan leave for Amazon. He and Ted Stinson take leadership of Covariant, and Stinson, formerly chief operating officer, becomes chief executive.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Tianhao Zhang yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. [1509.06791] Learning Deep Control Policies for Autonomous Aerial Vehicles with MPC-Guided Policy Search arxiv.org. Checked 16 October 2026.
  2. Covariant (company) - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 16 October 2026.
  3. Covariant - RobotToday robottoday.com. Checked 16 October 2026.
  4. Berkeley startup to train robots like puppets - Berkeley News news.berkeley.edu. Checked 16 October 2026.
  5. One-Shot Visual Imitation Learning via Meta-Learning proceedings.mlr.press. Checked 16 October 2026.
  6. Publications people.eecs.berkeley.edu. Checked 16 October 2026.
  7. Embodied Intelligence Wants to Teach Robots With Virtual Reality | WIRED wired.com. Checked 16 October 2026.
  8. [1710.04615] Deep Imitation Learning for Complex Manipulation Tasks from Virtual Reality Teleoperation arxiv.org. Checked 16 October 2026.
  9. Amazon hires the founders of AI robotics startup Covariant | TechCrunch techcrunch.com. Checked 16 October 2026.
  10. He Blew the Whistle on Amazon’s Growing Legion of Robots. He Didn’t Expect What Happened Next. hardresetmedia.com. Checked 16 October 2026.