Jansen Ting, co-founder of Virtuals Protocol, discusses the launch of Eastworld Labs, an AI accelerator focused on humanoid robotics and the creation of a hybrid society combining robots, virtual agents, and humans.

The conversation covers Virtuals' evolution from tokenized AI agents to physical robotics, exploring how remote teleoperation could revolutionize labor markets through cost arbitrage between countries.

Ting explains how the accelerator integrates with Virtuals' existing infrastructure including the Agent Commerce Protocol, tokenization mechanisms, and revenue sharing models that have generated significant ecosystem growth.

Drawing inspiration from The Network State by Balaji Srinivasan, Eastworld Labs represents Virtuals' vision of creating a network state for AI builders and robotics innovators.

Eastworld Labs: Malaysia's Massive Robotics Accelerator

Eastworld Labs operates from a 10,000 square foot facility in Kuala Lumpur with 30 Unitree G1 humanoid robots, creating one of the largest robotics testing facilities in Southeast Asia.

Two paths to join: tokenized projects reaching $5 million market cap automatically receive seats, or traditional seed funding for non-tokenized teams with strong ideas.

Residents receive free access to humanoid robots, technical co-workers, and university collaborations with CMU, NTU Singapore, Shanghai Jiao Tong, and Oxford for autonomous policy training.

The accelerator draws inspiration from The Network State concept, with Jansen noting collaboration with Balaji Srinivasan's network school for builder hackathons.

Remote Teleoperation: The $180K Plumber Problem

Remote teleoperation enables 40-60% cost savings by having robots in expensive countries controlled by workers in cheaper locations - "a plumber in Australia is paid $180,000, but a plumber in Malaysia is only paid $10,000" - Jansen.

Target use cases include retail sales, restaurants, hospital back-office work, HVAC technicians, plumbing, and mechanics - areas requiring humanoid form factors in chaotic real-world environments.

Robots could serve multiple functions with operator switching: "one robot with multiple souls that different teleoperators come in" - from maid service to specialized plumbing or cooking.

Teleoperation generates valuable training data for autonomous policies, with the goal of humans supervising fleets of 20-30 robots within 18 months.

Robotics Economics and Market Dynamics

Max spec Unitree G1 robots cost $60,000 with full dexterity, while basic models start at $20,000, making commercial adoption more viable than household purchases initially.

Early adoption expected in commercial settings like hotels and restaurants where robots provide marketing value beyond cost savings, attracting customers through novelty.

Security concerns addressed through ground operation teams and robot self-defense capabilities: "you probably don't want to fight a robot" after witnessing kung fu moves that "started smashing into computers" - Jansen.

Traceability of robot crimes possible through import records and access controls, though digital tracks could theoretically be hidden.

Virtuals Protocol: From Digital Agents to Physical Robots

Virtuals emerged after Truth Terminal's GOAT token crash due to spelling errors, proving truly autonomous agents could exist with Luna controlling crypto wallets - "probably the first in the world where an autonomous agent controlled a crypto wallet" - Jansen.

Agent Commerce Protocol launched in February as open-source infrastructure, integrating X402 payments and ERC-8004 identity standards, processing the largest volume on X402.

Butler interface on X allows humans to interact with agent clusters: "I want to trade crypto's volatility" triggers coordination between information agents, options traders, and portfolio structurers.

Recent launch of hgtp.io positions ACP as "Amazon for personal agents" with entire protocol revenue ($300,000 weekly) reinvested as growth incentives.

Tokenomics and Value Capture Mechanisms

Virtuals collects 30% of 1% trading fees from all ecosystem tokens, with developers receiving 70%, generating substantial treasury funds for ecosystem growth.

All ecosystem projects must pair with VIRTUAL tokens, creating liquidity pools that lock 5-6% of total supply, with target of 25% to create supply constraints.

Virtual token holders receive 3-5% airdrops from every new project launch, creating perpetual value accrual for stakers.

"We look at ourselves less of an application but more of like a network state" - Jansen, with VIRTUAL as base currency for all ecosystem economic activity.

Future Vision: Post-Scarcity Economics and Human-Robot Society

Jansen envisions agents replacing all unwanted tasks: "If you don't feel like working, there's a robot that's going to make money for you. If you don't feel like cleaning your house, there's something doing it for you."

Anticipates collapse of current economic models built on scarcity, transitioning to "insane productivity/slash abundance" where traditional money may become obsolete.

Success metrics include unicorn projects reaching $100 million market caps and robots from the accelerator appearing in global news for full restaurant automation.

Open questions about societal impact: "Could there be even a scenario where an entire males or females are actually replaced by robots? Could humans still survive in that era?" - Jansen.