Robotics & autonomy
Product design & engineering
884 episodes across 35 shows cover robotics & autonomy. The shows that cover it most are The Robot Report Podcast, Robot Talk and The Next Byte Podcast. The most recent, from 9 Oct 2026, is “Episode 165: Robots behind the research - Kushant Patel” from Robot Talk.
Robots, drones, autonomous vehicles and automation products, from hobby builds to industrial robots.
884 episodes from 35 shows, most relevant and most recent first.
884 episodes
534: I Think We'll Add a Head
Aaed Musa, co-founder of the robotics startup Mecha and a popular YouTube creator, discusses his journey from 3D-printing servo robots in his parents' garage to designing advanced quadrupedal robots. He details the mechanical evolution…
Hands-on Physical AI with Kevin Cloutier
Kevin Cloutier, North American Lead for Physical AI at a global engineering consulting firm, explains the transition from legacy, statically programmed industrial robots to modern systems using imitation learning and 'Physical AI.' He…
Inside Omron’s Next-Generation LD Mobile Robots
Miguel Garces Moreno, Product Marketing Manager for AMRs at Omron, discusses the European robotics market, highlighting growth in collaborative robots and AMRs driven by labor shortages and supply chain pressures. He previews the…
The picks-and-shovels strategy behind the robotics boom
Teddy Haggerty, founder and CEO of RoboStore and Robo Inc., explains his strategy of selling 'picks and shovels' in the robotics boom by focusing on distribution, education, and integration rather than building general-purpose humanoids…
One brick at a time: How Monumental uses robotics to build walls
Salar al Khafaji, CEO and founder of Monumental, explains how his company automates on-site bricklaying by selling 'walls as a service' rather than robots. He details the fleet of custom mobile robots—Pizza, Petra, and Pantheon—that work…
Cracking the code on autonomous trucking
Eyal Cohen, founder and CEO of Humble Robotics, explains why autonomous trucking has lagged behind passenger vehicles due to the high stakes of highway edge cases and the limitations of retrofitting existing tractors. He details Humble's…
525: Some Sort of Metal
Dr. Tom Williams, a computer science professor at the Colorado School of Mines and author of 'Degrees of Freedom: On Robotics and Social Justice,' discusses the intersection of robotics, ethics, and social justice. He argues that…
Bonus Episode: Marine robotics' journey through different lenses
Claire Asher hosts a panel at AUV 2026 featuring Gwyn Griffiths, Daniel Hook, Emma Curtis, Sara Aldhaheri, and Edith-Clare Hall to discuss how marine autonomy is perceived by engineers, end-users, and the next generation. The group debates…
Bonus Episode: Restoring marine ecosystems with robots
Niall McGrath, CEO of Robocean, explains how his company uses amphibious robots to restore seagrass meadows, addressing the critical need to scale restoration efforts to meet global climate and biodiversity goals. He details the…
289: Beyond the Hype: How Autonomy Is Scaling Across Critical Industries (LIVE from Pittsburgh)
Brett Phillips of Hellbender, David Griffin of Seegrid, and Mike Smocer of Mine Vision Systems discuss scaling autonomy in manufacturing, logistics, and mining. They explain how advances in perception, control systems, and on-edge AI…
Episode 164: Accelerating robot learning - Michelle Lu
Michelle Lu, co-founder and CEO of Vsim Technology, explains how her company uses GPU-accelerated physics simulation to accelerate robot learning and close the sim-to-real gap. Previously at NVIDIA creating Isaac Gym, Lu details how Vsim…
AMRs in Manufacturing Environments: Safety, Data Security and Other Considerations w/ Shari Brown and Krystal Mattich
Shari Brown and Krystal Mattich of Brain Corp discuss the integration of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in manufacturing, focusing on safety, data security, and workforce adoption. They explain how Brain Corp’s BrainOS enables robots to…
Building robots that survive the warehouse
Josh Cloer, General Manager for North America at No Magic, explains how the company applies 'physical AI' and vision-language-action (VLA) models to warehouse each-picking and recovery workflows. He emphasizes that No Magic’s competitive…
Insights Behind Kinisi’s Acquisition by Bear Robotics
Bren Pierce, founder and CEO of Kinisi, discusses his company's acquisition by Bear Robotics, explaining that the deal combines Kinisi’s humanoid robotics expertise and datasets with Bear’s mature fleet-management, cloud, and manufacturing…
Inside Colin Angle’s bid to build companion robots with Familiar Machines & Magic
Colin Angle, founder of iRobot, introduces his new venture, Familiar Machines and Magic, which is emerging from stealth to build an empathetic, four-legged robotic companion. The company combines iRobot’s price-performance engineering…
Solving Labor Challenges the Simpler Way: A Fresh Look at Robotics w/ Ken Macken
Ken Macken, CEO and founder of Workr Labs, explains how his company addresses manufacturing labor shortages by deploying a flexible robotic workforce designed for high-mix, high-variability environments. He details their approach of using…
How Humanoid Robots Are Already Transforming Production Lines w/ Colin Webb and Paul Baker
Colin Webb, founder and CEO of Avatar Robotics, and Paul Baker, CFO of Productiv 3PL, discuss deploying humanoid robots in live manufacturing and logistics environments. They explain that Avatar’s robots handle high-volume picking and…
Bonus Episode: Revolutionising agriculture with 'grain-swimming' robots
Lorenzo Conti, Founder and CEO of Crover, explains how his company developed the world's first subterranean drone to monitor grain storage, addressing safety risks like 'green entrapment' and spoilage. He details the mechanical engineering…
Bonus Episode: Behind the scenes at the UK's leading robotics centre
Steve Maclaren, Chief Operating Officer at The National Robotarium, explains the centre's mission to bridge the gap between UK robotics research and commercial adoption through its five pillars: talent, research, adoption, data, and…
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…
Bonus Episode: Drones in Challenging Environments (ERF 2026)
Claire Asher interviews Radika (Arya Advanced Research and Invention Agency), Francisco Perez (Aerospace Research Center, Spain), Karolina Johannesen (Oslo University Hospital), and Adam Norton (New England Robotics Validation…
Robots Everywhere with Aaed Musa
Aaed Musa, a mechanical engineering student at Purdue and YouTuber, explains how he builds low-cost quadrupedal robots like 'Kara' using off-the-shelf brushless motors and custom 3D-printed capstan drives to achieve high precision with…
MODEX 2026 Recap
Gene Demaitre of The Robot Report and Sarah Wynn of Packaging OEM recap MODEX 2026, highlighting the industry's shift toward multi-agent orchestration software and practical AI applications over standalone hardware. They discuss Skild AI's…
Building Tomorrow: How Bedrock Robotics is Changing the Construction Industry
Boris Sofman, co-founder and CEO of Bedrock Robotics, explains how his company is developing autonomy technologies for heavy construction machinery like excavators and bulldozers, aiming for fully operatorless deployment. Drawing on his…
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…
Barrett Ames (CTO / REK)
Barrett Ames, CTO of REK and former NASA researcher, discusses his journey from building pirate-deterrent drones to working on the Valkyrie and Robonaut 2 projects, and his current work with REK, a humanoid robot fighting league. He…
Plug-and-Play AI: Transforming Robotics with Modular Skills
Dinesh Narayanan, Head of Commercialization at General Robotics, explains the company's transition from Microsoft Research to build Grid, a platform integrating simulation, AI models, and deployment pipelines to accelerate robotics…
Episode 162: The robot doctor will see you now - Robot Talk Live
Claire Asher hosts a live episode of Robot Talk at Imperial College London with George Mylonas (Imperial College London), Antonia Tzemanaki (University of Bristol), and Tom Vercauteren (King's College London/Hypervision Surgical). The…
Episode 161: Collaborative haptic systems - Allison Okamura
Allison Okamura, a professor at Stanford University and director of the CHARM lab, discusses collaborative haptic systems and soft robotics for medical and rehabilitation applications. She details projects including generative AI design…
269: Entertainment Meets Automation: How andyRobot is Leveraging Robotics for Lady Gaga, Drake, and More
Andy Flesser, founder of andyRobot, explains how he transitioned from computer animation to robotics, creating Robot Animator software to control industrial robots for high-stakes live entertainment. He details the intense pressure of…
Episode 160: Robotic blacksmiths - Edward Mehr
Edward Mehr, Co-Founder and CEO of Machina Labs, explains how their RoboCraftsman system uses AI-driven robotics to perform flexible, on-demand metal forming for aerospace, defense, and automotive industries. He details the transition from…
Moving From Generative to Physical AI on the Manufacturing Floor w/ Etienne Lacroix
Etienne Lacroix, Founder and CEO of Vention, discusses the transition from generative AI to 'physical AI' on the manufacturing floor, defining it as injecting AI code into embodied systems like robots to achieve autonomy. He identifies bin…
Robot development from Actuators to AI
Mario Mauerer, Global Robotics Business Manager at Maxon, discusses how humanoid robots are driving actuator innovation, focusing on torque density, simulation models, and safety architectures for commercialization by 2027-2028. David…
CES 2026 robotics recap; 2026 predictions
Steve Crow and Mike Oitzman recap CES 2026, highlighting Boston Dynamics' first public demo of the Atlas humanoid robot and its new partnership with Google DeepMind. They discuss the industry's skepticism regarding humanoid readiness…
238. Humanoid Robots Can Now Punch... What's Next?
The hosts discuss Unitree Robotics' new H2 humanoid robot, which demonstrates aggressive boxing and sparring capabilities, marking a shift from previous walking and parkour demos. They trace the evolution of humanoid robotics from Da…
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…
Robotics in Review: Editors look back at 2025
The Robot Report editorial team, including Steve Crowe, Gene Demaitre, Mike Oitzman, and Brianna Wessling, reviews the major robotics industry shifts of 2025, highlighting $3.5 billion in humanoid funding and the rise of physical AI. They…
Episode 159: Robot sensing and manipulation - Maria Koskinopoulou
Maria Koskinopoulou, an Assistant Professor at Heriot-Watt University and co-leader of the ARM²Lab, discusses integrating perception and manipulation in robotics for medical and sustainability applications. She details autonomous…
Episode 158: Autonomous robot deliveries - Ahti Heinla
Ahti Heinla, co-founder and CEO of Starship Technologies, discusses the company's AI-powered autonomous delivery robots, which have completed over 10 million deliveries across dozens of cities in the UK, US, and Europe. He explains the…
233. Reading a Fish’s Mind to Build Smarter Robots
Researchers from EPFL and Duke University reverse-engineered zebrafish navigation by using transparent larvae to map live neural activity, creating a simulation called SimZFish that matched real fish behavior. They validated this model by…
Episode 156: Rugged robots for dangerous missions - Gavin Kenneally
Gavin Kenneally, Co-Founder and CEO of Ghost Robotics, discusses the development and deployment of the Vision 60 Q-UGV, a rugged quadruped robot designed for defense, security, and industrial applications. He details the engineering…
BONUS: The State of Robotics in 2025: Investing in the Next Wave of Automation with Sanjay Aggarwal of F-Prime Capital (sponsored by RoboBusiness)
Sanjay Aggarwal, Partner at F-Prime Capital and former CEO of UNICEL Technologies, discusses the current state of robotics investment and adoption. He explains that while AI-enabled robotics is maturing, manufacturing has lagged behind…
From Combat to Space: Mike LeBlanc on Humanoid Robotics
Mike LeBlanc, co-founder of Foundation and former founder of Cobalt Robotics, discusses his transition from security robots to building the Phantom Mark One humanoid for military and space applications. He explains how Foundation’s…
Inside Glacier's Mission to Modernize Recycling
Rebecca Hu-Thrams, CEO and co-founder of Glacier, explains how Glacier Robotics builds custom gantry robots to automate material recovery facilities (MURFs), addressing the challenge of sorting diverse, contaminated waste streams with high…
BONUS: The Future of Intralogistics featuring Siemens' Joel Thomas and Markus Thiel
Joel Thomas and Markus Thiel from Siemens Intralogistics discuss the evolution of warehouse operations from manual handling to digital-first design, driven by e-commerce growth and labor shortages. They explain how Siemens uses its own…
229. Teaching Robots to Play Badminton
The hosts discuss ETH Zurich's development of a quadruped robot playing badminton, highlighting the integration of Anymal robots and DINA robotic arms. They explain how this system uses a single reinforcement learning control policy to…
Micropolis and the Future of Robotics in Dubai
Fareed Al Jawari, CEO and founder of Micropolis Robotics, explains how his company pivoted from digital twins to autonomous security robots in Dubai, leveraging strong government partnerships with Dubai Police. He details their modular M1…
Episode 155: Making aerial robots smarter - Melissa Greeff
Melissa Greeff, an Assistant Professor at Queen's University and leader of the Robora Lab, discusses her research on autonomous aerial systems, including vision-based navigation and safe learning-based control. She details projects…
Episode 154: Visual navigation in insects and robots - Andrew Philippides
Andrew Philippides, a Professor of Biorobotics at the University of Sussex, explains how studying the visual navigation of ants and bees can improve robot navigation. He details a research pipeline involving biological observation of…
The State of Robotics in 2025: Live from the Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston, MA
Host Jake Hall interviews Aaron Prather, Director of Robotics & Autonomous Systems at ASTM International, about the critical role of safety standards in deploying humanoid robots across diverse environments like homes and healthcare…