# Episode 60: Making robots look human - Carl Strathearn

- Show: [Robot Talk](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk)
- Published: 2023-11-03
- Length: 27m
- Episode: 60
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2023-11-03-episode-60-making-robots-look-human-carl-strathearn
- Listen: https://ukrobotics.libsyn.com/episode-sixty-carl-strathearn

## Summary

Carl Strathearn, a research fellow at Edinburgh Napier University, discusses the design and application of realistic humanoid robots, specifically Euclid and Bodie, for healthcare and social care. He explains the engineering challenges of creating lifelike features, such as Euclid's lip-syncing capabilities and Bodie's gelatin-based eyes with artificial muscles, while emphasizing the importance of narrow, task-specific applications over general-purpose AI. Strathearn highlights the rigorous regulatory approval processes required for testing these robots with vulnerable populations and critiques the media's misunderstanding of current AI capabilities.

## Chapters

- [0:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2023-11-03-episode-60-making-robots-look-human-carl-strathearn#t=8) Introduction: Carl Strathearn and Edinburgh Napier University
- [1:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2023-11-03-episode-60-making-robots-look-human-carl-strathearn#t=115) Inspiration and Healthcare Applications: Common Sense and Traditional Language
- [7:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2023-11-03-episode-60-making-robots-look-human-carl-strathearn#t=426) Uncanny Valley and Regulatory Hurdles in Healthcare
- [12:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2023-11-03-episode-60-making-robots-look-human-carl-strathearn#t=727) Euclid: Challenges in Lip-Syncing and Speech Synthesis
- [15:58](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2023-11-03-episode-60-making-robots-look-human-carl-strathearn#t=958) Euclid's Face Design and Trust with Older Adults
- [18:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2023-11-03-episode-60-making-robots-look-human-carl-strathearn#t=1098) Bodie: 3D Printed Eyes, Dielectric Elastomers, and Gelatin
- [23:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2023-11-03-episode-60-making-robots-look-human-carl-strathearn#t=1432) Multimodal Turing Test and Hierarchy of Human Imitation

## Topics

- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Mechanical engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/mechanical-engineering)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Medical & health devices](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/medical-devices)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Edinburgh Napier University (company)
- Euclid (product)
- Bodie (product)
- Common Sense and Traditional Language (other)
- Gemini series (product)
- ChatGPT (other)
- BERT (other)
- Tesla Bot (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [264: Inside Automated: Asking the Right Questions about Robotics and AI with Brian Heater, Managing Editor at A3 and Host of the Automated Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2025-12-02-264-inside-automated-asking-the-right-questions-about-robotics-and-ai-with-brian) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [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)
- [From Sci-Fi to Reality:  Physical AI's Future with Dr. Jan Liphardt](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2026-04-24-from-sci-fi-to-reality-physical-ais-future-with-dr-jan-liphardt) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [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)
- [Kate Darling on the Future of Robotics and AI Ethics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2023-10-24-kate-darling-on-the-future-of-robotics-and-ai-ethics) (The Robot Report Podcast)

## Citing this page

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