Episode 166: Evolving robot bodies and brains - Rika Antonova
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Rika Antonova from the University of Cambridge about using artificial intelligence to develop complimentary robot hardware and algorithms. is an Associate Professor at the University of Cambridge. Her research interests include co-design, automated algorithm discovery, data-efficient reinforcement learning, exploration, active learning, and robotics. After completing a research Master’s degree at the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University and a PhD at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Rika undertook a Computing Innovation Fellowship at Stanford University....
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Episode 165: Robots behind the research - Kushant Patel
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Kushant Patel from Brookhaven National Laboratory about robots that work in scientific facilities, such as particle accelerators. builds software that helps robots and instruments perceive, map, and move through the physical world. After completing a Master’s in Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo, he spent two years at the University of California, Berkeley teaching quadruped robots to map and inspect nuclear material, and a year at the University of California, Davis building closed-loop brain-computer interfaces. At Brookhaven...
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Bonus Episode: Marine robotics' journey through different lenses
Robot Talk
Last month, Claire hosted a panel discussion at exploring how progress in marine autonomy resonates with different audiences, from engineers who are developing the technology, to the end users in science, industry and defence, and the young people who will become the next generation of engineers. She was joined by five panellists: Gwyn Griffiths, Daniel Hook, Emma Curtis, Sara Aldhaheri, and Edith-Clare Hall. This bonus episode is brought to you by the and the AUV Southampton organising committee, in partnership with and . Get access to the full catalogue of bonus episodes by becoming...
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Bonus Episode: Restoring marine ecosystems with robots
Robot Talk
During my recent visit to The in Edinburgh, I was lucky enough to get the chance to speak to some of the Robotarium's resident companies. In this interview, I talked to Niall McGrath, CEO of , a company building and deploying robots to restore seagrass meadows – one of the most important marine ecosystems on Earth. This episode was made possible by , a programme supporting Research Technical Professionals in robotics and autonomous systems in the UK.
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Episode 164: Accelerating robot learning - Michelle Lu
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Michelle Lu from Vsim Technology about using simulation and artificial intelligence to teach robots new skills. Michelle Lu is co-founder and CEO of . She was previously a Director of Simulation Technology at NVIDIA, where she and her co-founder created the world’s first end-to-end GPU-accelerated reinforcement learning (RL) framework, Isaac Gym, which set the template for how modern GPU-accelerated simulation-based RL is performed in robotics. In 2022, Michelle and her co-founder left NVIDIA to create Vsim, driven to solve the limitations that plague simulation-based...
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Episode 163: Robots helping people - Aaron Edsinger
Robot Talk
Claire chatted to Aaron Edsinger from Hello Robot about their Stretch robots that can help people with mobility issues live more independently. Aaron Edsinger is CEO and Co-Founder of , a robotics company dedicated to developing practical, safe, and accessible robots for people. With a passion for building robots and robot companies, Aaron has founded four companies focused on bringing human collaborative robots to the consumer, manufacturing, healthcare and research markets. As Robotics Director at Google, he led the business, product and technical development of two of Google’s central...
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Bonus Episode: Revolutionising agriculture with 'grain-swimming' robots
Robot Talk
During my recent visit to The in Edinburgh, I was lucky enough to get the chance to speak to some of the Robotarium's resident companies. In this interview, I spoke to Lorenzo Conti, Founder and CEO of , a company developing robots for autonomous grain storage management. This episode was made possible by , a programme supporting Research Technical Professionals in robotics and autonomous systems in the UK.
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Bonus Episode: Giving robots the power of human touch
Robot Talk
During my recent visit to The in Edinburgh, I was lucky enough to get the chance to speak to some of the Robotarium's resident companies. In this interview, I chatted to Vladimir Ivan, Vice President of Robotics at , a company developing e-skins to give robots the power of human touch. This episode was made possible by , a programme supporting Research Technical Professionals in robotics and autonomous systems in the UK.
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Bonus Episode: Behind the scenes at the UK's leading robotics centre
Robot Talk
Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to get a behind the scenes tour of The , a global robotics research institute based at in Edinburgh. Thomas McGravie, Senior Technician at the National Robotarium, showed me around their ground-breaking facilities. I also spoke to Steve Maclaren, Chief Operating Officer at The National Robotarium about the centre's history, goals and successes so far, and I had a brief chat with a humanoid robot called . During my visit, I also had the opportunity to interview three of the Robotarium's resident companies: , and . Watch this space for those interviews...
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Bonus Episode: Robotics for Sustainability (ERF 2026)
Robot Talk
This bonus episode features interviews from academic and industry experts at this year's European Robotics Forum in Stavanger, Norway. During the conference, there were several workshops on sustainability, conservation, and environmental issues and I spoke to some of the presenters and attendees to find out about their reflections on the workshops. This bonus episode was produced in collaboration with — an international non-profit association that aims to boost European robotics research, development, and innovation.
info_outlineClaire chatted to Edward Mehr from Machina Labs about their RoboCraftsman that shapes complex metal parts for the aerospace, defence, and automotive industries.
Edward Mehr is an entrepreneur and engineer specializing in advanced manufacturing, robotics, and artificial intelligence. As the Co-Founder and CEO of Machina Labs, he leads efforts to integrate AI-driven robotics into flexible, on-demand production systems. Under his leadership, Machina Labs is reshaping how industries such as aerospace, defence, and automotive approach metal forming and modern manufacturing. Before founding Machina Labs, Ed worked at leading technology companies, including Relativity Space, Averon, SpaceX, Google, and Microsoft.
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