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The Robo Success Podcast

Jesica Chavez of Robo Success with robotics founders, operators and investors on moving from a working prototype to robots that scale: deployment, go-to-market, customer adoption and robots as a service.

10 episodes · 6 hours · since 2026

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The Robo Success Podcast is filed under robotics, startups, manufacturing and interviews. Its most recent episode published on , so it is still actively publishing.

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Where to begin with The Robo Success Podcast: full episodes about building physical products, award winners first.

  • · 31m

    Ep. 10: The Scale-Readiness Gap in Robotics | The Robo Success Podcast

    Chioma Aso, Founder and Principal Consultant at Polymavericks Engineering, explains the 'scale-readiness gap' in robotics, arguing that a working prototype is a false indicator of manufacturing repeatability. She details her five-pillar framework—covering architecture, sim-to-real gaps, V&V/compliance, supply chain, and operating models—to help hardware startups transition from garage prototypes to enterprise-grade products. Aso emphasizes that scaling is a core architectural design choice made on day one, not a post-R&D phase, and warns against tolerance stack-ups and environmental edge cases that cause field failures in later production units.

    Robotics & autonomyDesign for manufacturing & NPI
    5 chapters

  • · 32m

    Ep. 12: Why Robotics Teams Lose Momentum Before They Ever Ship | The Robo Success Podcast

    Mitesh Shetty, Founder of Raprod, explains why robotics and hardware startups lose momentum due to sourcing delays and production bottlenecks. He shares his experience at Honda and Hotchkiss, noting that engineering teams often spend months finding manufacturers, a problem Raprod solves via an online marketplace matching engineers with vetted suppliers. Shetty argues that sourcing must happen in parallel with design to avoid delays, especially for low-volume, high-precision robotics, and envisions Raprod as essential infrastructure to lower the barrier to entry for physical AI companies.

    Sourcing & supply chainDesign for manufacturing & NPI
    7 chapters

  • · 32m

    Ep. 20: The Future of Emotional Intelligence: A Conversation with Blueskeye Co-Founder Michael Valstar

    Michael Valstar, Co-Founder and Scientific Officer at Blueskeye AI, discusses the integration of emotional intelligence into robotics, focusing on facial expression and voice analysis for healthcare and automotive applications. He explains how Blueskeye uses edge-based AI to process biophysical signals like fatigue and depression in real-time while maintaining privacy through federated data models. Valstar details the technical challenges of detecting micro-expressions and action units to ensure unbiased recognition across diverse demographics, and outlines future expansions into body language and medical diagnostics.

    AI & machine learningSensors & measurement in products
    7 chapters

Hear it in a few minutes

Single discussions from recent episodes, playing the show's own audio from where each begins.

Latest episodes

  • · 41m

    Ep. 19: When A Robot Enters Your Home, Physical Safety Is Only Half The Battle

    Sara Filipcic, Founder & Executive Director of the Institute for Humane Robotics, discusses the emerging field of psychosocial safety in human-robot interaction. She explains how companion robots and humanoids can create unhealthy dependencies, displace human connections, and exploit vulnerable populations like children and the elderly. Filipcic details her organization's work with IEEE to develop standards that measure these risks, contrasting cultural perceptions of robotics in Japan versus the United States.

    Security & privacyPolicy, trade & tariffs
    6 chapters

  • · 41m

    Ep. 18: What Happens When Machines Start Feeling More Human?

    Andrew Kiguel, CEO and Chairman of Realbotix, discusses the company's focus on social companion robots rather than industrial automation, leveraging his background in finance and previous ventures like Hut 8. He details the development of the Aria educational robot, which uses a closed-loop, STEM-based AI to provide safe tutoring in schools, and introduces the new Echo line, including characters like Amar and Mila, designed for stationary, human-facing interactions. Kiguel argues that stationary designs offer practical advantages in battery life and safety, while highlighting the market validation provided by competitors like UBTech and Unitree in China.

    Industrial & consumer product designEmbedded firmware
    7 chapters

  • · 20m

    Ep. 17: Today's Humanoid Robots Have Toddler Hands, Not Adult Ones.

    Jay Li, CEO and Founder of Proception, explains that current humanoid robots possess 'toddler-level' dexterity, lacking the tactile sensing required for useful work. He argues that while hardware and range of motion have improved, tactile feedback is now the critical bottleneck for high-success-rate manipulation. Proception addresses this by providing both robotic hands for deployment and specialized gloves for high-quality data collection to train AI models.

    Robotics & autonomySensors & measurement in products
    6 chapters

  • · 41m

    Ep. 16: AI Is Changing the Physical World | The Robo Success Podcast

    Sylvia Stocker, CEO of Arabesque, discusses the critical gap between AI hype and real-world robotics deployment, emphasizing that successful adoption requires strong leadership and business alignment rather than just technology. She outlines a deployment process starting with stakeholder workshops and vision mapping, warning that clients want to test processes, not immature products. Stocker highlights the importance of manufacturer readiness, funding stability, and mass production capabilities, noting that many humanoid robotics startups are not yet market-ready despite their marketing.

    Leadership, teams & cultureScaling production
    6 chapters

  • · 35m

    Ep. 15: Can Mexico Become Robotics’ Next Powerhouse? | The Robo Success Podcast

    Aldo Luevano, Chairman and Co-Founder of Roomie IT, explains how his company pivoted from consumer robotics to enterprise AI software due to the difficulty of proving ROI for humanoid robots in Latin America's low-labor-cost market. He argues that Mexico is positioned to become a strategic robotics manufacturing hub for the U.S. by leveraging low tariffs and compliance advantages to produce components like actuators and servo motors, or full robots, avoiding Chinese supply chain risks. Luevano highlights that while R&D capabilities in Mexico are strong, the region lacks the deep-pocketed investors needed for hardware development, making partnerships with U.S. design partners and Silicon Valley investors critical for scaling.

    Robotics & autonomyValidation & product-market fit
    7 chapters

  • · 30m

    Ep. 14: Zero to H.I.R.O.: The Path to Becoming a Full-Stack Mechatronics Engineer

    Joseph Casebeer, Founder and CEO of Takamori Robot, discusses his educational robotics kit, Hero, which uses a Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller to teach embedded systems and hardware fundamentals. He explains the transition from graphical programming to raw code, emphasizing that deep technical knowledge is essential for debugging and optimizing in an AI-driven industry. Casebeer also highlights a partnership with Real Engineers, a hiring platform that evaluates candidates based on project portfolios rather than resumes, arguing that hands-on experience with hardware is critical for career success.

    Microcontrollers & dev platformsCareers & education
    8 chapters

  • · 27m

    Ep. 11: What’s Next for Humanoids? Lessons from Tokyo | The Robo Success Podcast

    Hosts Jesica Chavez and Andy Diepen discuss insights from the Humanoid Summit in Tokyo, noting a shift in the humanoid robotics industry from hardware demonstrations to compliance, safety, and real-world deployment. They argue that while the technology is ready, market adoption is hindered by workforce fear of job replacement and a lack of education for end-users. The conversation highlights the critical need for robotics companies to target marketing and customer success at the lowest-level operators to ensure successful integration and ROI.

    Marketing & brandScaling production
    5 chapters

Every episode

10 episodes with a summary and chapters, by year.

202610 episodes
  1. 6 OctEp. 20The Future of Emotional Intelligence: A Conversation with Blueskeye Co-Founder Michael Valstar32m
  2. 22 SeptEp. 19When A Robot Enters Your Home, Physical Safety Is Only Half The Battle41m
  3. 15 SeptEp. 18What Happens When Machines Start Feeling More Human?41m
  4. 8 SeptEp. 17Today's Humanoid Robots Have Toddler Hands, Not Adult Ones.20m
  5. 1 SeptEp. 16AI Is Changing the Physical WorldThe Robo Success Podcast41m
  6. 25 AugEp. 15Can Mexico Become Robotics’ Next Powerhouse?The Robo Success Podcast35m
  7. 18 AugEp. 14Zero to H.I.R.O.: The Path to Becoming a Full-Stack Mechatronics Engineer30m
  8. 14 JulEp. 12Why Robotics Teams Lose Momentum Before They Ever ShipThe Robo Success Podcast32m
  9. 23 JunEp. 11What’s Next for Humanoids? Lessons from TokyoThe Robo Success Podcast27m
  10. 3 JunEp. 10The Scale-Readiness Gap in RoboticsThe Robo Success Podcast31m

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