# Robo Fry Guy

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2022-10-10
- Length: 1h 18m
- Episode: 604
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-10-10-robo-fry-guy
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/604-robo-fry-guy/

## Summary

Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss the feasibility of humanoid robots in low-end service jobs, citing high costs and the 'jack of all trades, master of none' design philosophy, while Jones details Tesla's dense supercomputer power supply failures caused by MEMS oscillator resonance. The hosts also explore practical hardware engineering, including Gammell's use of DALL-E for AI image generation, his 'Lego prototyping' with off-the-shelf sensor boards, and Jones's audit of household phantom power using specialized meters. Finally, they debate the challenges of sourcing standard plastic enclosures and the logistics of remote hardware training via browser-based containers.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-10-10-robo-fry-guy#t=0) Introduction: Show notes and the Hyper Encabulator
- [5:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-10-10-robo-fry-guy#t=320) AI Image Generation: Using DALL-E for show assets
- [8:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-10-10-robo-fry-guy#t=520) Tesla Supercomputer: Power supply density and MEMS failure
- [15:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-10-10-robo-fry-guy#t=911) Robotics in Service: Fast food robots and delivery drones
- [31:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-10-10-robo-fry-guy#t=1881) Prototyping Strategy: Lego prototyping and single-use electronics
- [40:45](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-10-10-robo-fry-guy#t=2445) Enclosure Sourcing: The difficulty of finding standard plastic boxes
- [53:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-10-10-robo-fry-guy#t=3210) Power Measurement: Auditing household phantom power
- [1:00:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-10-10-robo-fry-guy#t=3651) Electrical Safety: Fuse boxes, breakers, and FPE panels

## Topics

- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Analog & power electronics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/analog-and-power-electronics)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- DALL-E (tool)
- Tesla (company)
- Starship (company)
- Zephyr (other)
- NXP (company)
- RP2040 (chip)
- RT1062 (chip)
- CCS811 (chip)
- Keysight (company)
- DigiKey (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [$2B for No Product, Robots Under $3K & Australia's Massive Miss](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/built-2-scale/2025-06-27-2b-for-no-product-robots-under-3k-australias-massive-miss) (Built 2 Scale)
- [Ep 330: Hover Turtles, Dull Designs, and K'nex Computers](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-07-25-ep-330-hover-turtles-dull-designs-and-knex-computers) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [Okay, Doomer: A Rebuttal to AI Doom-mongering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-06-27-okay-doomer-a-rebuttal-to-ai-doom-mongering) (Oxide and Friends)
- [Episode 134: Robotics as a hobby - Kevin McAleer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2025-11-21-episode-134-robotics-as-a-hobby-kevin-mcaleer) (Robot Talk)
- [Can AI Design IoT Hardware? | Flux's Matthias Wagner | Internet of Things Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2026-04-14-can-ai-design-iot-hardware-fluxs-matthias-wagner-internet-of-things-podcast) (IoT For All Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-10-10-robo-fry-guy. 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 The Amp Hour.