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PODCAST

Robot Talk

Join us each week as we explore the exciting world of robotics, artificial intelligence, and autonomous machines. Each episode, Dr Claire Asher — science communicator and robot enthusiast — chats with roboticists from around the world to find out how their cutting-edge research is influencing the future of every aspect of science, technology, and engineering, from the mundane to the extraordinary.

science

All Episodes

29:52

Episode 138: Robots in the environment - Stefano...

Robot Talk ·

2025/12/19

Claire chatted to Stefano Mintchev from ETH Zürich about robots to explore and monitor the natural environment. Stefano Mintchev is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Robotics at ETH Zürich in Switzerland. He has a Ph.D. in Bioinspired Robotics from Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Italy, and conducted postdoctoral research at EPFL in Switzerland, focused on bioinspired design principles for versatile aerial robots. At ETH Zürich, Stefano leads a research group working at the intersection of

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30:05

Episode 137: Getting two-legged robots moving -...

Robot Talk ·

2025/12/12

Claire chatted to Oluwami Dosunmu-Ogunbi from Ohio Northern University about bipedal robots that can walk and even climb stairs. Oluwami Dosunmu-Ogunbi (Wami) is an Assistant Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Ohio Northern University. Her research focuses on controls with applications in bipedal locomotion and engineering education. She is the first Black woman to receive a PhD in Robotics at the University of Michigan. During her Ph.D., she developed the Biped Bootcamp technical

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33:29

Episode 136: Making driverless vehicles smarter -...

Robot Talk ·

2025/12/05

Claire chatted to Shimon Whiteson from the University of Oxford and Waymo about machine learning for autonomous vehicles. Shimon Whiteson is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Oxford and a Senior Staff Research Scientist at Waymo UK. His research focuses on deep reinforcement learning and imitation learning, with applications in robotics and video games. He completed his doctorate at the University of Texas at Austin in 2007. He spent eight years as an Assistant and then an

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26:08

Episode 135: Robot anatomy and design - Chapa Sirithunge

Robot Talk ·

2025/11/28

Claire chatted to Chapa Sirithunge from the University of Cambridge about what robots can teach us about human anatomy, and vice versa. Chapa Sirithunge is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellow in robotics at the University of Cambridge. She has an undergraduate degree and PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Moratuwa. Before joining the University of Cambridge in 2022, she was a lecturer at Sri Lanka Technological Campus and a visiting lecturer at the University of Moratuwa Sri Lanka

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37:17

Episode 134: Robotics as a hobby - Kevin McAleer

Robot Talk ·

2025/11/21

Claire chatted to Kevin McAleer from kevsrobots about how to get started building robots at home. Kevin McAleer is a hobbyist robotics fanatic who likes to build robots, share videos about them on YouTube and teach people how to do the same. Kev has been building robots since 2019, when he got his first 3d printer and wanted to make more interesting builds. Kev has a degree in Computer Science, and because his day job is relatively hands-off, this hobby allows his creativity to have an outlet. Kev

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35:44

Episode 133: Creating sociable robot collaborators -...

Robot Talk ·

2025/11/14

Claire chatted to Heather Knight from Oregon State University about applying methods from the performing arts to robotics. Heather Knight runs the CHARISMA Robotics research group. Her education includes a PhD on Expressive Motion for Low Degree of Freedom Robots from Carnegie Mellon University, and M.S. and B.S. degrees in EECS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Aldebaran Robotics, and produced the Robot Film Festival, a Cyberflora

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30:05

Episode 132: Collaborating with industrial robots -...

Robot Talk ·

2025/11/07

Claire chatted to Anthony Jules from Robust.AI about their AI-driven autonomous robots that work alongside humans. Anthony Jules is the CEO and co-founder of Robust.AI, a leader in AI-driven warehouse automation. The company's flagship product Carter™, is built to work with people in their existing environments, without disrupting their workflows. Anthony has a career spanning over 30 years at the intersection of robotics, AI, and business. An MIT-trained roboticist, he was part of the founding team

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26:31

Episode 131: Empowering game-changing robotics...

Robot Talk ·

2025/10/31

Claire chatted to Edith-Clare Hall from the Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) about accelerating scientific and technological breakthroughs. Edith-Clare Hall is a PhD student at the University of Bristol, Frontier Specialist at ARIA, and leader of Women in Robotics UK. She focuses on the critical interfaces where interconnected systems meet, working to close the gap between academic research and real-world deployment to unlock cyber-physical autonomy. At ARIA, she works as a technical

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29:58

Episode 130: Robots learning from humans - Chad Jenkins

Robot Talk ·

2025/10/24

Claire chatted to Chad Jenkins from the University of Michigan about how robots can learn from people and assist us in our daily lives. Odest Chadwicke Jenkins is a Professor of Robotics and a Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan. His research addresses problems in robot learning from demonstration and human-robot interaction, primarily focused on dexterous mobile manipulation and robot perception. In 2022, he founded the Robotics Major Degree

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25:16

Episode 129: Automating museum experiments - Yuen...

Robot Talk ·

2025/10/17

Claire chatted to Yuen Ting Chan from the Natural History Museum about using robots to automate molecular biology experiments. Yuen Ting Chan has nearly 20 years of experience working on translating, developing and optimising laboratory protocols, from DNA forensics to the biomedical field. She has brought automation to molecular laboratories for over 12 years, translating the laboratory protocols into bespoke scripts for a wide variety of liquid handling instruments. Her role at the Natural History

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01:28:53

Bonus Episode: Smart City Robotics Competition

Robot Talk ·

2025/10/13

Last month I had the pleasure of attending the Smart City Robotics Competition in Milton Keynes, where I spoke to the organisers, competitors, exhibitors and attendees of this exciting 3-day event. Check out our conversations in this month's bonus episode! This bonus episode was sponsored by euRobotics, an international non-profit association that aims to boost European robotics research, development, and innovation. Thank you to euRobotics for their support! And thank you to Smart City Consultancy

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19:51

Episode 128: Making microrobots move - Ali K. Hoshiar

Robot Talk ·

2025/10/10

Claire chatted to Ali K. Hoshiar from the University of Essex about how microrobots move and work together. Ali Hoshiar is a Senior Lecturer in Robotics at the University of Essex and Director of the Robotics for Under Millimetre Innovation (RUMI) Lab. He leads the EPSRC-funded ‘In-Target’ project and was awarded the university’s Best Interdisciplinary Research Award. His research focuses on microrobotics, soft robotics, and data-driven mechatronic systems for medical and agri-tech applications. He

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32:54

Episode 127: Robots exploring other planets - Frances...

Robot Talk ·

2025/10/03

Claire chatted to Frances Zhu from the Colorado School of Mines about intelligent robotic systems for space exploration. Frances Zhu has a degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Cornell University. She was previously a NASA Space Technology Research Fellow and an Assistant Research Professor in the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology at the University of Hawaii, specialising in machine learning, dynamics, systems, and controls engineering

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01:47

Robot Talk Season 6 coming soon!

Robot Talk ·

2025/09/17

Robot Talk will be back for a new season very soon — make sure you're subscribed to be the first to hear the latest episodes! Get more from Robot Talk (including monthly bonus episodes) by joining the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

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51:29

Episode 126: Why are we building humanoid robots? -...

Robot Talk ·

2025/06/20

Research into humanoid robots is a rapidly advancing field, with companies around the world striving to produce robots that look and act more like us. But what is it about recreating ourselves in robot form that we find so captivating? Why do humanoid robots both enthral and terrify us? And is our obsession with robotic humans just vanity, or could they play valuable roles in our future society? In this special live recording at Imperial College London as part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival,

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27:23

Episode 125: Chatting with robots - Gabriel Skantze

Robot Talk ·

2025/06/13

Claire chatted to Gabriel Skantze from KTH Royal Institute of Technology about having natural face-to-face conversations with robots. Gabriel Skantze is a Professor of Speech Communication and Technology at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. He specializes in conversational systems and leads several research projects on conversational AI and human-robot interaction. His work focuses on computational models of spoken interaction, integrating both verbal and non-verbal aspects such as prosody,

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22:12

Episode 124: Robots in the performing arts - Amy LaViers

Robot Talk ·

2025/06/06

Claire chatted to Amy LaViers from the Robotics, Automation, and Dance Lab about the creative relationship between humans and machines. Amy LaViers works at the intersection of robotics and dance. Her writing, choreography, and machine designs have been presented internationally at performing arts and engineering venues, including Merce Cunningham’s studios, the Performance Arcade, and universities like Berkeley and Brown. She is the founder of three startup companies, including AE Machines, which

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18:18

Episode 123: Standardising robot programming - Nick...

Robot Talk ·

2025/05/30

Claire chatted to Nick Thompson from BOW about software that makes robots easier to program. Nick Thompson is CEO of BOW and exited founder of One Beyond Ltd, an international software development firm. His career started in 1997 as a software engineer, founded One Beyond in the early 2000's and after 20 years in the business sold to a private equity firm. In 2022 he was recognised as one of the UK's 'Most Ambitious Business Leaders' by LDC Private Equity Group. Join the Robot Talk community on

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27:12

Episode 122: Bio-inspired flying robots - Jane...

Robot Talk ·

2025/05/23

Claire chatted to Jane Pauline Ramos Ramirez from Delft University of Technology about drones that can move on land and in the air. Jane Pauline Ramos Ramirez is a licensed engineer with a multidisciplinary background in bionics, mechanical, and aerospace engineering, and international research experience. Her life’s work is rooted in designing inclusive, socially accessible systems that work in synergy with nature and create meaningful impact in communities. As part of this mission, she has been

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33:54

Episode 121: Adaptable robots for the home - Lerrel...

Robot Talk ·

2025/05/16

Claire chatted to Lerrel Pinto from New York University about using machine learning to train robots to adapt to new environments. Lerrel Pinto is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at New York University (NYU). His research is aimed at getting robots to generalize and adapt in the messy world we live in. His lab focuses broadly on robot learning and decision making, with an emphasis on large-scale learning (both data and models); representation learning for sensory data; developing

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152 results

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