AI has become superhuman at code, language, and images because it has enormous amounts of data to learn from. But our understanding of the physical world is still limited by sparse sensors and models built largely on intuition.
Cheaper sensors and better foundation models could unlock entirely new datasets for energy, agriculture, logistics, construction, and the climate. Once you can accurately model the physical world, you can begin to control it.
If you’re working on this, we’d love to hear from you!
Apply for the Fall 2026 batch at ycombinator.com/apply.
