# 207: I Love My Robot Monkey Head (Repeat)

- Show: [Embedded.fm](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm)
- Published: 2020-03-12
- Length: 1h 00m
- Episode: 207
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-03-12-207-i-love-my-robot-monkey-head-repeat
- Listen: https://makingembeddedsystems.libsyn.com/207-i-love-my-robot-monkey-head-repeat

## Summary

Professor Ayanna Howard of Georgia Tech discusses her research on designing robots to interact with children with special needs, focusing on kinematic modeling, emotional expression, and the phenomenon of human-robot trust. She explains how robots like the Nao and Darwin Mini are used to engage users, detailing the technical challenges of creating fluid motion and reactive behaviors. Howard also addresses the 'uncanny valley,' the risks of over-trusting autonomous systems like self-driving cars, and offers advice for hobbyists and students on getting started with robotics platforms like Lego Mindstorms and ROS.

## Chapters

- [0:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-03-12-207-i-love-my-robot-monkey-head-repeat#t=6) Introduction and Research Focus
- [7:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-03-12-207-i-love-my-robot-monkey-head-repeat#t=435) Kinematic Modeling and Math
- [13:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-03-12-207-i-love-my-robot-monkey-head-repeat#t=810) Robot Platforms: Nao and Darwin Mini
- [18:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-03-12-207-i-love-my-robot-monkey-head-repeat#t=1093) Reactive vs. Deliberative Behaviors
- [21:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-03-12-207-i-love-my-robot-monkey-head-repeat#t=1286) The Uncanny Valley and Trust
- [23:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-03-12-207-i-love-my-robot-monkey-head-repeat#t=1411) Human-Robot Trust and Safety
- [34:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-03-12-207-i-love-my-robot-monkey-head-repeat#t=2062) Emotional Expression and AI
- [41:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-03-12-207-i-love-my-robot-monkey-head-repeat#t=2485) Getting Started in Robotics
- [45:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-03-12-207-i-love-my-robot-monkey-head-repeat#t=2708) Education and Future of Robotics

## Topics

- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Security & privacy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/security-and-privacy)

## Most relevant to

established companies

## Mentioned

- Georgia Tech (company)
- Nao (product)
- Darwin Mini (product)
- Aldebran (company)
- Soft Bank (company)
- Lego Mindstorms (product)
- SparkFun (company)
- Arduino (product)
- Raspberry Pi (product)
- Tesla (company)
- Waymo (company)
- da Vinci (product)
- iRobot (company)
- EngineerGirl.org (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Episode 143: Robots for children - Elmira Yadollahi](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-02-06-episode-143-robots-for-children-elmira-yadollahi) (Robot Talk)
- [171. Finally! A Humanoid Robot You Can Trust](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2024-04-23-171-finally-a-humanoid-robot-you-can-trust) (The Next Byte Podcast)
- [Episode Twenty-Six: Séverin Lemaignan](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2022-11-18-episode-twenty-six-severin-lemaignan) (Robot Talk)
- [Interview: Roboticist Ayanna Howard | Memories May Be Beautiful, And Yet | Math & Neptune](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2020-09-25-interview-roboticist-ayanna-howard-memories-may-be-beautiful-and-yet-math-neptun) (EE Times Current)
- [Episode 126: Why are we building humanoid robots? - Robot Talk Live](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2025-06-20-episode-126-why-are-we-building-humanoid-robots-robot-talk-live) (Robot Talk)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-03-12-207-i-love-my-robot-monkey-head-repeat. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Embedded.fm.