# 264: Inside Automated: Asking the Right Questions about Robotics and AI with Brian Heater, Managing Editor at A3 and Host of the Automated Podcast

- Show: [Manufacturing Happy Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour)
- Published: 2025-12-02
- Length: 52m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2025-12-02-264-inside-automated-asking-the-right-questions-about-robotics-and-ai-with-brian
- Listen: http://manufacturinghappyhour.com

## Summary

Brian Heater, Managing Editor at A3 and host of the 'Automated' podcast, discusses the nuances of covering robotics and AI, emphasizing the importance of long-form interviews to uncover genuine insights from industry pioneers like Mark Roper and Rodney Brooks. He highlights the critical gap between research-scale robotics and commercial viability, noting that while Amazon has achieved massive scale, most humanoid startups are still far from reliable, safe production. Heater expresses optimism for the future of automation driven by human-centric applications, such as exoskeletons for workers, prosthetics inspired by personal history, and devices for Parkinson's patients, rather than just general-purpose humanoid robots.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2025-12-02-264-inside-automated-asking-the-right-questions-about-robotics-and-ai-with-brian#t=0) Introduction and Podcast Format
- [8:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2025-12-02-264-inside-automated-asking-the-right-questions-about-robotics-and-ai-with-brian#t=485) Interviewing Techniques and Nardwuar
- [13:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2025-12-02-264-inside-automated-asking-the-right-questions-about-robotics-and-ai-with-brian#t=784) Journalism Evolution and Boston Dynamics
- [19:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2025-12-02-264-inside-automated-asking-the-right-questions-about-robotics-and-ai-with-brian#t=1161) Transitioning to Robotics Coverage
- [29:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2025-12-02-264-inside-automated-asking-the-right-questions-about-robotics-and-ai-with-brian#t=1742) Human Stories: Psionic and Andromeda
- [33:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2025-12-02-264-inside-automated-asking-the-right-questions-about-robotics-and-ai-with-brian#t=2031) The Scale Problem in Robotics
- [41:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2025-12-02-264-inside-automated-asking-the-right-questions-about-robotics-and-ai-with-brian#t=2468) Humanoid Skepticism and Pragmatism
- [47:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2025-12-02-264-inside-automated-asking-the-right-questions-about-robotics-and-ai-with-brian#t=2832) Optimism and Medical Applications

## Topics

- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Medical & health devices](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/medical-devices)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Automated (product)
- A3 (company)
- Boston Dynamics (company)
- Psionic (company)
- Andromeda (company)
- Skip (company)
- Amazon (company)
- TechCrunch (company)
- Spin magazine (company)
- Nardwuar (other)
- Mark Roper (other)
- Rodney Brooks (other)
- Brad Porter (other)
- Catherine Zeeland (other)
- Adel Aktar (other)
- Grace Brown (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [The State of Humanoids: Where is the market headed?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2025-08-08-the-state-of-humanoids-where-is-the-market-headed) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [Ep. 11: What’s Next for Humanoids? Lessons from Tokyo | The Robo Success Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robo-success-podcast/2026-06-23-ep-11-whats-next-for-humanoids-lessons-from-tokyo-the-robo-success-podcast) (The Robo Success Podcast)
- [Ep. 20 | Dr. Aaron Edsinger, CEO & Co-founder of Hello Robot and Former Head of Robotics at Google on Humanity in Robots](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-03-18-ep-20-dr-aaron-edsinger-ceo-co-founder-of-hello-robot-and-former-head-of-robotic) (Moore's Lobby)
- [Episode 163: Robots helping people - Aaron Edsinger](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-09-25-episode-163-robots-helping-people-aaron-edsinger) (Robot Talk)
- [Robots Need Physical, Not Just Artificial, Intelligence](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2025-01-03-robots-need-physical-not-just-artificial-intelligence) (EE Times Current)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2025-12-02-264-inside-automated-asking-the-right-questions-about-robotics-and-ai-with-brian. 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 Manufacturing Happy Hour.