Episode 117: Robots in orbit - Jeremy Hadall
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Jeremy Hadall from the Satellite Applications Catapult about robotic systems for in-orbit servicing, assembly, and manufacturing. Jeremy Hadall has worked with robotics for his entire career, developing novel and innovative approaches for manufacturing and logistics industries. He's now turned his experience into the development of robots that enable those tasks in the orbital environment. Prior to joining the Satellite Applications Catapult, he served as Chief Engineer for Intelligent Automation at the Manufacturing Technology Centre for over ten years. He has previously...
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Episode 116: Evolved behaviour for robot teams - Tanja Katharina Kaiser
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Tanja Katharina Kaiser from the University of Technology Nuremberg about how applying evolutionary principles can help robot teams make better decisions. is a senior researcher heading the Multi-Robot Systems Satellite Lab at the University of Technology Nuremberg (UTN) in Germany. She and her team focus on the development of adaptive multi-robot systems to solve complex real-world tasks using artificial intelligence. Tanja received her doctorate in robotics from the University of Lübeck in Germany in 2022. Before joining UTN, she held postdoctoral research positions at the...
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Episode 115: Robot dogs working in industry - Benjamin Mottis
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Benjamin Mottis from ANYbotics about deploying their four-legged ANYmal robot in a variety of industries. Benjamin Mottis is a Robotics Engineer in charge of ANYmal Research at . After graduating in robotics from EPFL, he joined ANYbotics as a Field Engineer in 2023. He specializes in deploying ANYmal and training customers across all ANYbotics verticals (Oil & Gas, Nuclear, Metals, Chemicals, etc.). Since 2024, as the Global Research Community Manager, he has been working on expanding the ANYmal Research Community and helping world-leading researchers push the boundaries...
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Episode 114: Reducing waste with robotics - Josie Gotz
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Josie Gotz from the Manufacturing Technology Centre about robotics for material recovery, reuse and recycling. Josie Gotz is a Senior Research Engineer in the Intelligent Robotics Team at the , she works as the technical lead on a variety of robotics and automation projects from research and development through to integration across a wide variety of manufacturing sectors. She specialises in creating innovative solutions for these industries, combining vision systems and artificial intelligence to build flexible automation systems. Josie has a particular interest in automated...
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Episode 113: Soft robotic hands - Kaspar Althoefer
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Kaspar Althoefer from Queen Mary University of London about soft robotic manipulators for healthcare and manufacturing. is Director of the Centre for Advanced Robotics at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). His research focuses on soft robotics, tactile perception, intelligent manipulation, and machine learning techniques for sensor signal interpretation. His research advancements have significant applications in robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery, rehabilitation, assistive technologies, and human-robot interactions within a range of scenarios, including...
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Episode 112: Getting creative with robotics - Vali Lalioti
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Vali Lalioti from the University of the Arts London about how art, culture and robotics interact. is a pioneering designer, computer scientist and innovator. She has a PhD in Computer Science, an MRes in Design and an MBA, and extensive international leadership, research and innovation experience in Silicon Valley, Africa, China, Japan and Europe. Vali is passionate about how technology interacts with society and talks globally on women in tech, art and technology education and her research in societal applications for well-being, healthy ageing and art. She developed the...
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Episode 111: Robots for climate action - Patrick Meier
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Patrick Meier from the Climate Robotics Network about how robots can help scale action on climate change. Patrick Meier has 15+ years of leadership and field experience at the intersection of emerging tech, innovation, and social impact. He founded the and currently leads the UK FCDO project on Robotics for Global Development in low- and middle-income countries. Previously, he served as Strategy Lead for Robotics at the Swiss Institute of Technology (EPFL) and Innovation Booster Robotics. He also co-founded and led WeRobotics, an international technology nonprofit with labs...
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Episode 110: Designing ethical robots - Catherine Menon
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Catherine Menon from the University of Hertfordshire about designing home assistance robots with ethics in mind. is a principal lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire. Her research explores the ethics and safety of autonomous systems, and she has a particular interest in the interaction between safety requirements, ethical imperatives and trust constraints in public-facing AI including assistive robots. She has previously worked as a safety-critical systems engineer in the defence and nuclear sectors, and has been involved in producing and validating several...
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Episode 109: Building robots at home - Dan Nicholson
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Dan Nicholson from MakerForge.tech about creating open source robotics projects you can do at home. is a seasoned Software Engineering Manager with over 20 years of experience as a software engineer and architect. Four years ago, he began exploring robotics as a hobby, which quickly evolved into a large-scale bipedal robotics project that has inspired a wide audience. After making the project open-source and 3D printable, Dan built a vibrant community around it, with over 25k followers. Through his platform, MakerForge.tech, Dan shares insights and project details while...
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Episode 108: Giving robots the sense of touch - Anuradha Ranasinghe
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Anuradha Ranasinghe from Liverpool Hope University about haptic (touch) sensors for wearable tech and robotics. earned her PhD in robotics from King's College London in 2015, focusing on haptic-based human control in low-visibility conditions. She is now a senior lecturer in robotics at Liverpool Hope University, researching haptics, miniaturized sensors, and perception. Her work has received national and international media attention, including features by EPSRC, CBS Radio, Liverpool Echo, and Techxplore. She has published in leading robotics conferences and journals, and...
info_outlineRobotics is helping to rehabilitate and increase human abilities in areas like mobility and stamina. Innovations in robotic devices, exoskeletons, and wearable tech aim to offer disabled people different perspectives and new experiences, as well as supporting humans more widely to access, inhabit and work safely in dangerous and extreme conditions. What does the future hold for these technologies and the people they will become a part of?
In this special live recording at the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival, Claire chatted to Milia Helena Hasbani (Imperial College London), Benjamin Metcalfe (University of Bath) and Dani Clode (Cambridge University) about robotic prosthetics and human augmentation.
Milia Helena Hasbani is a researcher in assistive technology at Imperial College London. She is passionate about improving people’s lives through innovation in healthcare and technology in multi-disciplinary environments interfacing with engineers, clinicians, and patients. Her research focuses on the control of active prosthetic arms, combining user intention for wrist movements with a computer vision system for dynamically selecting the grasp type to be used.
Benjamin Metcalfe is a biomedical engineer who specialises in neural interfaces and implanted devices. He is Head of the Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering at the University of Bath and Deputy Director of the Bath Institute for the Augmented Human. He is also Vice-President (Academic) of the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine. His interests explore the collision between technology and biology and the extent to which engineering can be used to augment and enhance human performance.
Dani Clode is an augmentation and prosthetics designer. She is the Senior Technical Specialist at the Plasticity Lab at Cambridge University and a collaborator of the Alternative Limb Project. Dani’s work investigates the future architecture of our bodies, challenging the perception and boundaries of extending the human form. Her main project the ‘Third Thumb’ is currently being utilised in collaboration with neuroscientists at Cambridge University, investigating the brain’s ability to adapt to human augmentation.