Episode 154: Visual navigation in insects and robots - Andrew Philippides
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Andrew Philippides from the University of Sussex about what we can learn from ants and bees to improve robot navigation. is a Professor of Biorobotics at the University of Sussex, where he co-directs the Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Robotics and the be.AI Leverhulme Doctoral centre for Biomimetic Embodied AI. His research combines biological experiments with robotics, modelling, and machine learning to understand how intelligent behaviour emerges from the interaction of body and brain acting in an environment. Focussing on visual navigation, he aims to...
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Episode 153: Origami-inspired robots - Chenying Liu
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Chenying Liu from the University of Oxford about how a robot's physical form can actively contribute to sensing, processing, decision-making, and movement. is a Junior Research Fellow and an Associate Member of Faculty in the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford. She leads an independent research programme focused on embodied physical intelligence, exploring how robot design can integrate geometry, materials, and control to enhance autonomy and robustness. Her work aims to develop more efficient and resilient robotic systems by embedding intelligence...
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Episode 152: Dexterous robot hands - Rich Walker
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Rich Walker from Shadow Robot Company about their advanced robotic hands for research and industry. Rich Walker has been at since long before it was a company, working initially on software and systems engineering before "jumping the fence" into management. He led Shadow Robot's engagement with a number of R&D initiatives in UK and across Europe, as well as developing proof-of-concept projects for dexterous robotics with a number of commercial organisations. Rich represents robotics SMEs at the European level as one of the Directors of euRobotics, as well as maintaining...
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Episode 151: Robots to study the ocean - Simona Aracri
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Simona Aracri from the National Research Council of Italy about innovative robot designs for oceanography and environmental monitoring. is a researcher in the Institute of Marine Engineering at the National Research Council of Italy. Previously, she was a Post Doctoral Research Associate at the University of Edinburgh, working on the award winning project ORCA Hub and focusing on offshore robotic sensors. Her research uses innovative sensors and robotic platforms to push the boundaries of observational oceanography and environmental monitoring. She has spent more than 6...
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Episode 150: House building robots - Vikas Enti
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Vikas Enti from Reframe Systems about using robotics and automation to build climate-resilient, high-performance homes. Vikas Enti is the co-founder and CEO of , a physical AI company rethinking how homes are built through automation and localized fabrication. He previously spent more than a decade at Amazon Robotics, where he helped scale advanced robotics systems across global logistics networks. Today, he is applying those same principles of systems design and repeatable production to address the housing shortage. Vikas focuses on building climate-resilient,...
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Episode 149: Robot safety and security - Krystal Mattich
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Krystal Mattich from Brain Corp about trustworthy autonomous robots in public spaces. Krystal Mattich leads global data governance, system security, and privacy compliance for : the world’s leading autonomy platform for commercial robotics. As Senior Director of Security, Privacy, and Risk, she is the architect of the privacy-first infrastructure that powers over 40,000 BrainOS®-enabled robots across retail, airports, education and logistics. Krystal played a central role in launching Brain Corp’s public-facing Trust Center, reinforcing the company’s commitment to data...
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Bonus Episode: The Future of Home Assistant Robots
Robot Talk
Last month, I hosted a panel discussion on home assistant robots at the Festival of Tomorrow in Swindon. I was joined by Dr , a Reader in Interactive Assistive Technology at the University of Hertfordshire, Dr , a Lecturer at Imperial College London, Dr , a Lecturer in Autonomous Systems at King’s College London, and Dr , a Lecturer in Human-Computer Interaction and Human-Robot Interaction at the University of Cardiff. This event was part of the ’s Hawking Building Series — a series of four evening events organised at the Science and Innovation Park in Swindon. I’d like to say thanks...
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Episode 148: Ethical robot behaviour - Alan Winfield
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Alan Winfield from the University of the West of England about developing new standards for ethics and transparency in robotics. is Professor of Robot Ethics at the University of the West of England (UWE), Visiting Professor at the University of York, and Associate Fellow of the Cambridge Centre for the Future of Intelligence. Alan co-founded the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, where his research is focussed on the science, engineering and ethics of cognitive robotics. Alan is an advocate for robot ethics; he chairs the advisory board of the Responsible Technology Institute at...
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Episode 147: Miniature living robots - Maria Guix
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Maria Guix from the University of Barcelona about combining electronics and biology to create robots that are more than the sum of their parts. is a chemist and nanotechnology researcher in the University of Barcelona’s ChemInFlow lab, developing miniaturized living robots and integrating flexible sensors into microfluidic platforms to better understand biohybrid robotic platforms. Her PhD research at the Autonomous University of Barcelona focussed on nanomaterials for biosensing. She has held postdoctoral positions at IFW Dresden, Purdue University, and the Institute for...
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Episode 146: Embodied AI on the ISS - Jamie Palmer
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Jamie Palmer from Icarus Robotics about building a robotic labour force to perform routine and risky tasks in orbit. Jamie Palmer is co-founder and CTO of . He earned a Master's in Robotics from Columbia University on a full scholarship, researching intelligent, dexterous manipulation in the ROAM lab. Jamie developed and deployed autonomous hospital robots during the pandemic and worked as a race-winning engineer for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team. Support Robot Talk on Patreon:
info_outlineClaire chatted to Samuele Vinanzi from Sheffield Hallam University about how robots can tell whether to trust or distrust people.
Samuele Vinanzi is a Senior Lecturer in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence at Sheffield Hallam University. He specializes in Cognitive Robotics: an interdisciplinary field that integrates robotics, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and psychology to create robots that perceive, reason, and interact like humans. His research focuses on enabling social collaboration between humans and robots, particularly emotional intelligence, intention reading, and artificial trust. His recent book, "In Robots We Trust", explores trust relationships between humans and robots.
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