Robot Talk · 9 May 2025 · 26m · Episode 120
Emma Hart, a professor at Edinburgh Napier University, explains how evolutionary algorithms can evolve both the physical design and control systems of robots for planetary exploration. She describes a proof-of-concept project involving a 'factory in a box' that uses 3D printing and automated assembly to build robots adapted to specific environments. Hart details how the system evolves robot 'DNA'—encoding body and brain traits—to solve tasks like navigating rough terrain, often producing unexpected, animal-like designs. The research, conducted with the University of York and others, demonstrates end-to-end automated manufacturing and simulation, with potential applications in nuclear decommissioning and sustainable robotics.
Where this conversation describes AI being used to build or deliver a product. Part of the AI in practice tracker.
Designgenerative artificial intelligence
AI was used to design a robot specifically adapted to the environment it found on a planet, rather than predesigning it on Earth.
“you could use a machine, some sort of generative artificial intelligence, to design a robot that was exactly specified to the environment that you found.”
Speaker 2 · Hear it at 2:34
Engineering & simulation
An AI project wrote the software to mimic the evolutionary process, which was part of a joint proof-of-concept project with engineering teams.
“So we managed to have an end to end process. So we would specify a task … We would run this evolutionary process in simulation on the computer.”
Speaker 2 · Hear it at 13:11
early-stage companies
Other shows on the same ground, closest first.
Hackaday editors Mike Szczys and Elliot Williams discuss a variety of hardware hacks, including a modern, 3D-printed reproduction of the 1960s 'Paper Clip Computer' by Mike Gardi, and a custom component feeder built by Tom Ceddy to automate kit assembly. They also cover a detailed hardware reverse-engineering project by Wrong Baud on an Xbox controller, a rolling robot design, and the engineering challenges of baking cookies in microgravity on the International Space Station.
Hosts Daniel and Forbode discuss the M4, a bio-inspired multimodal robot developed by Caltech and NASA JPL that can fly, roll, walk, and tumble using eight different modes of locomotion. They highlight how the robot's AI autonomously selects the best traversal method based on terrain, drawing inspiration from nature such as birds and sea lions. The episode also covers Jonathan Schultz of Team Huge, whose BattleBots design philosophy of accessible core components parallels the M4's adaptive engineering, while exploring applications in space exploration, emergency rescue, and last-mile delivery.
Hosts Daniel and Forbode discuss three engineering stories: Ford and HP's partnership to upcycle 3D printer waste from SmileDirectClub into fuel-line clips for the F-250; NASA's Ingenuity drone, a rotorcraft carried by the Perseverance rover designed to test powered flight on Mars; and a joint MIT-Harvard project creating snake-inspired nonslip shoes using Kirigami to prevent falls. The episode highlights material science innovations, extreme environment engineering, and biomimetic design.
Hosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman review the new Boston Dynamics Atlas video, highlighting its use of simulation and model predictive control to achieve complex athletic maneuvers. Oitzman then recaps his trip to CES 2023, featuring interviews with Dan Haddick of Aeolus Robotics about their Gen 2 humanoid service robot and Tony Crisp of Robosen regarding their programmable Optimus Prime toy. The episode concludes with a discussion on recent industry layoffs and an interview with Paul Mitchell, founder of the IAC autonomous car race, about the event's evolution.
Editors Elliot Williams and Christina Panos discuss the week's top hacks, including Shane from Stuff Made Here's massive robot designed to solve a 5,000-piece white jigsaw puzzle. They also cover Stefan from CNC Kitchen's research into high-volume 3D printing using 'volcano nuts' to extend the melt zone, and the Solar Dragon Project by Barrow Space Industries, an autonomous solar-powered aircraft. The episode concludes with a review of the 'Books You Should Read' series, highlighting titles like 'The Hardware Hacker's Handbook' and 'The Design of Everyday Things'.
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