Robot Talk

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 algorithms to model actions and behaviour; reinforcement learning for adapting to new scenarios; and building open-source, affordable robots. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

Claire chatted to Emma Hart from Edinburgh Napier University about algorithms that 'evolve' better robot designs and control systems. Emma Hart is a computer scientist working in the field of evolutionary computation. Her work takes inspiration from the natural world, in particular biological evolution, and uses this to develop algorithms that 'evolve'  both the design and control systems of a robot, customised  to a specific application. She was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2022, and was awarded the ACM SIGEVO Award for Outstanding Contribution to Evolutionary Computation in 2023. She was invited to give a TED Talk on her work in 2021 that has over 1.8 million views. Get tickets for Robot Talk live at the Great Exhibition Road Festival: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/why-are-we-building-humanoid-robots-tickets-1315475706249  Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

Claire chatted to Will Kinghorn from Made Smarter about how to increase adoption of new tech by small manufacturers. Will Kinghorn is an automation and robotics specialist for the Made Smarter Adoption Programme in the UK. With a background as a chartered manufacturing engineer in the aerospace industry, Will has extensive experience in developing and implementing automation and robotic solutions. He now works with smaller manufacturing companies, assessing their needs, identifying suitable technologies, and guiding them through the adoption process.  Last year he released a book called 'Digital Transformation in Your Manufacturing Business - A Made Smarter Guide'. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher  

Claire chatted to Miranda Lowther from the University of Bristol about soft, sensitive electronic skin for prosthetic limbs. Miranda Lowther is a PhD researcher at the FARSCOPE-TU Centre for Doctoral Training, a joint venture between University of Bristol, University of West of England, and Bristol Robotics Laboratory, where she is pursuing her passion for using soft robotics and morphological computation to help people in healthcare. For her PhD, she is investigating how soft e-skins and morphological computation concepts can be used to improve prosthetic user health, comfort, and quality of life, through sensing and adaptation. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

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 served as a Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor at Cranfield University. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

Claire chatted to Tanja Katharina Kaiser from the University of Technology Nuremberg about how applying evolutionary principles can help robot teams make better decisions. Tanja Katharina Kaiser 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 Technical University of Dresden and the University of Konstanz. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

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 ANYbotics. 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 of robotics with ANYmal. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher  

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 Manufacturing Technology Centre, 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 disassembly for material recovery, reuse and recycling. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

Claire chatted to Kaspar Althoefer from Queen Mary University of London about soft robotic manipulators for healthcare and manufacturing. Kaspar Althoefer 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 manufacturing. Before joining QMUL, he was a Professor at King's College London, where he also earned his PhD. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

Claire chatted to Vali Lalioti from the University of the Arts London about how art, culture and robotics interact. Vali Lalioti 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 first ever BBC Augmented Reality production in 2003 and has introduced the UK's first Creative Robotics University Degrees. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

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 Climate Robotics Network 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 in 40+ countries. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

Claire chatted to Catherine Menon from the University of Hertfordshire about designing home assistance robots with ethics in mind. Catherine Menon 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 international standards for these domains. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

Claire chatted to Dan Nicholson from MakerForge.tech about creating open source robotics projects you can do at home. Dan Nicholson 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 collaborating with partners and fellow makers to continue expanding the project's impact. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

Claire chatted to Anuradha Ranasinghe from Liverpool Hope University about haptic (touch) sensors for wearable tech and robotics. Anuradha Ranasinghe 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 she has presented her findings at various international conferences. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher  

Claire chatted to Robert Siddall from the University of Surrey about novel robot designs inspired by the way real animals move. Robert Siddall is an aerospace engineer with an enthusiasm for unconventional robotics. He is interested in understanding animal locomotion for the benefit of synthetic locomotion, particularly flight. Before becoming a Lecturer at the University of Surrey, he worked at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, Germany, where he studied the arboreal acrobatics of rainforest-dwelling reptiles. His work focuses on the design of novel robots that can tackle important environmental problems. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher Check out a video of the pangolin-inspired tree-planting robot that won the 2023 Natural Robotics contest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_9kYvjXyZ0   

Claire chatted to Didem Gurdur Broo from Uppsala University about how to shape the future of robotics, autonomous vehicles, and industrial automation. Didem Gurdur Broo is an Assistant Professor and Associate Senior Lecturer at the Department of Information Technology at Uppsala University. She leads the Cyber-physical Systems Lab, directing research on intelligent systems like collaborative robots, autonomous vehicles, and smart cities. Didem is a computer scientist with a PhD in mechatronics, which can give you an idea about how much she loves to talk about the future and emerging technologies. She dreams a better world and actively works on improving inequalities regardless of their nature. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

Claire chatted to Gianmarco Pisanelli from the University of Sheffield about how to promote the safe and intuitive use of robots in manufacturing. Gianmarco Pisanelli specialises in early-stage technology readiness level (TRL) research, with a focus on collaborative workspaces, multi-robot systems, and robotic simulations. He possesses extensive experience in industrial robotics, including PLC programming and the development of intuitive robotic interfaces such as natural speech and augmented reality. As the lead developer for the Robot Operating System (ROS) at the University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), he serves as the primary point of contact for SMEs and major partners. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

Claire chatted to Kirstin Petersen from Cornell University about how robots can work together to achieve complex behaviours. Kirstin Petersen is an Associate Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cornell University. Her lab, the Collective Embodied Intelligence Lab, is focused on design and coordination of robot collectives able to achieve complex behaviors beyond the reach of an individual, and corresponding studies on how social insects do so in nature.  Petersen did her postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and her PhD at Harvard University and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

Claire chatted to Keenan Wyrobek from Zipline about drones for delivering life-saving medicine to remote locations. Keenan Wyrobek is co-founder and head of product and engineering at Zipline, the world's first drone delivery service whose focus is delivering life-saving medicine to the most difficult to reach places on earth. Prior to Zipline, Keenan was a co-founder and director of the Personal Robotics Program at Willow Garage. He was involved in launching the Robot Operating System (ROS) and shipping PR2, the first personal robot for software R&D. Keenan has spent years delivering high tech products to market across a range of fields including consumer electronics and medical robotics. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

I chatted to Isabella Fiorello from the University of Freiburg about plant-inspired robots made from living materials. Isabella Fiorello is a Junior Group Leader and Principal Investigator of the Bioinspired Plant-hybrid Materials group at the University of Freiburg in Germany. She has a Master's Degree in Industrial Biotechnology from the University of Turin in Italy and a PhD in Biorobotics from Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Italy. Her research focusses on the development of biologically-inspired microfabricated living materials able to precisely interact with complex unstructured surfaces for applications in precision agriculture, smart fabrics, space, and soft robotics. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

Claire chatted to Christos Bergeles from King's College London about micro-surgical robots to deliver therapies deep inside the body. Christos Bergeles received his PhD in Robotics from ETH Zurich in Switzerland in 2011. As a Professor at King's College London, he directs the “Robotics and Vision in Medicine Lab” whose mission is to develop micro-surgical robots that deliver regenerative therapies deep inside the human body. He holds funding for the development of instrumentation that delivers stem cells to diseased retinal layers in the eye. He and his team are very active in public engagement and patient involvement activities, such as New Scientist Live and the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher  

Claire chatted to Mini Rai from Orbit Rise about orbital and planetary robots. Mini Rai is the founding Director of Orbit Rise Ltd and an honorary Professor at the University of Lincoln. Previously, she was the Global Chair in Robotic Engineering at the University of Lincoln and an Associate Professor at the Surrey Space Centre. Mini has over 27 years of research and innovation experience in Space Engineering and Technology. With deep-rooted expertise in robotics, automation, control and systems engineering, she has led a large and diverse portfolio of national and international programmes on space robotic missions, spanning orbital and planetary robotics. To celebrate the 100th episode, I'm offering new members 25% off Patreon memberships with the code ROBO100. To claim your discount and get access to the monthly bonus episodes (including the full back catalogue), sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher  

Claire chatted to Joe Wolfel from Terradepth about autonomous submersible robots for collecting ocean data. Joe Wolfel is the CEO and founder of Terradepth. He is passionate about helping people make better and faster decisions regarding what we do (and don't do) in the ocean. Terradepth designs and builds ocean-going robots at scale, deploys them, and delivers data through an ocean data platform tailored for the maritime community. Prior to Terradepth, Joe has helped start a couple other companies, worked as a management consultant, and served as a US Navy SEAL officer with deployments throughout the Middle East and Africa. Joe was educated at the US Naval Academy. Check out the fascinating documentary about Terradepth's mission to chart the deep ocean.  Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

Claire chatted to Gabriella Pizzuto from the University of Liverpool about intelligent robotic manipulators for laboratory automation. Gabriella Pizzuto is a Lecturer in Robotics and Chemistry Automation at the University of Liverpool. She is also a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow and ECR Co-Chair on the EPSRC AI Hub in Chemistry. She has a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Manchester, where she was also a Marie-Sklodowska Curie early stage researcher and a visiting scholar at the University of Edinburgh and Italian Institute of Technology. She was then a postdoctoral research associate at the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics, prior to joining the University of Liverpool. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher  

Claire chatted to Pratap Tokekar from the University of Maryland about how teams of robots with different capabilities can work together. Pratap Tokekar is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies at the University of Maryland, and an Amazon Scholar. Previously, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the GRASP lab of University of Pennsylvania and later, an Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech. He has a degree in Electronics and Telecommunication from the College of Engineering Pune in India and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota. He received the Amazon Research Award in 2022, and the NSF CAREER award in 2020. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher  

Claire chatted to Maria Elena Giannaccini from the University of Aberdeen about soft and bioinspired robotics for healthcare and beyond. Maria Elena Giannaccini has a degree in Biomedical Engineering from the Università di Pisa in Italy. She conducted her Master's thesis at Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna as part of the EU-funded OCTOPUS project. In 2015, she obtained her PhD in Robotics at the Bristol Robotics, where she focussed on developing safe, variable stiffness robotic devices. She worked at the University of Bristol on the soft, bioinspired Tactip sensor and a soft robotics artificial larynx. In 2019, Elena was appointed as a Lecturer in Robotics at the University of Aberdeen where she pioneered research in soft robotics. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher  

Claire chatted to Jonathan Walker from Innovate UK about translating robotics research into the commercial sector. Jonathan Walker is the Innovation Lead for Robotics and Sensors at Innovate UK. He is working with government, universities, businesses and cross-sector teams to accelerate the development and uptake of robotics in the UK. Areas of particular interest are the built environment, circular economy, and helping people live independently for longer. Jonathan wants to support these themes through cluster development, funded collaborative R&D, skills programs from school outreach, apprenticeships and T-levels to CDTs, business support and leveraging private investment. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

Claire chatted to Esyin Chew from Cardiff Metropolitan University about service and social humanoid robots in healthcare and education. Esyin Chew is the Director of the EUREKA Robotics Centre, one of 11 specialist robotics centres in the UK, impacting underprivileged communities with over 120 humanoid robots. She has led million-pound government or industrial-funded global projects across the UK, EU, Australia, Malaysia, China and Indonesia, including the British Council award-winning Global PIE programme for Women in STEAM-H. Esyin has impacted numerous underprivileged communities, particularly girls and women in education and healthcare sectors, refugees and Orang Asli (Indigenous people). Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher  

Claire chatted to Matt Beane from the University of California, Santa Barbara about how humans can learn to work with intelligent machines. Matt Beane conducts field research on robots and AI in the workplace, focusing on positive exceptions applicable to the broader world of work. He has published his award-winning research in top management journals and presented on the TED stage. He's been recognized as a Human-Robot Interaction Pioneer and named to the Thinkers50 Radar list. Matt is an assistant professor in the Technology Management department at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and as a Digital Fellow with Stanford's Digital Economy Lab and MIT's Initiative on the Digital Economy. Check out Matt's TED Talk on 'How do we learn to work with intelligent machines?'. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

Claire chatted to Gisela Reyes-Cruz from the University of Nottingham about how humans interact with, trust and accept robots. Gisela Reyes-Cruz investigates human-computer and human-robot interaction to understand everyday life interactions with technologies, as well as trust in them and public acceptance. These technologies include autonomous and robotic systems: from mobile apps that have, or may have, a component that works autonomously, to robots that can navigate a physical space on their own, such as telepresence robots. The goal of Gisela's work is to inform responsible system design and design practices. Find out more about the Mixed Reality Lab at the University of Nottingham: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/mixedrealitylab/ Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher  

Claire chatted to John Leonard from Massachusetts Institute of Technology about autonomous navigation for underwater vehicles and self-driving cars.  John Leonard is a Professor of Mechanical and Ocean Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a member of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). His research addresses the problems of navigation and mapping for autonomous underwater vehicles, self-driving vehicles, and other types of mobile robots. He has a degree in Electrical Engineering and Science from the University of Pennsylvania and PhD in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford. He is a Technical Advisor at Toyota Research Institute. Check out John's TEDx Talk on 'How AI helps robots see our world', and this Toyota Research Institute video of autonomous drifting. Find out more about the Marine Robotics Group at MIT: https://marinerobotics.mit.edu/  Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

Robot Talk will be back for a new season on the 27th September 2024 — make sure you're subscribed to be the first to hear the latest episodes!

Robotics 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.

Claire chatted to Simone Schuerle from ETH Zürich all about microrobots, medicine and science. Simone Schuerle is Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, where she heads the Responsive Biomedical System Lab. With her team, she develops diagnostic and therapeutic systems at the nano- and microscale with the aim of tackling a range of challenging problems in medicine. One major focus of her current research is addressing limitations in drug delivery through scalable magnetically enhanced drug transport. In 2014, she co-founded the spin-off MagnebotiX that offers electromagnetic control systems for wireless micromanipulation. Join the live audience! Robot Talk will be at the Great Exhibition Road Festival this Sunday (16th June) for 'Humans 2.0: Robotically Augmented People' at the V&A Museum. Register for a FREE ticket: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/humans-20-robotically-augmented-people-tickets-879494560907  Win a Robot Talk T-shirt For a chance to win your very own organic cotton Robot Talk t-shirt, all you have to do is: Sign up to our newsletter Share our competition post on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads or Mastodon You can enter across multiple platforms. One lucky winner will be randomly selected each month!  Find out more: https://www.robottalk.org/t-shirt-competition/.

Claire chatted to Lord Ara Darzi from Imperial College London all about robotic surgery - past, present and future. Ara Darzi is Co-Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London and holds the Paul Hamlyn Chair of Surgery. In 2002, he was knighted for his services to medicine and surgery and in 2007 was introduced as Lord Darzi of Denham to the UK's House of Lords as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health. Professor Darzi leads a large multidisciplinary academic and policy research team, focused on convergence science across engineering, physical and data sciences, specifically in the areas of robotics, sensing, imaging and digital and AI technologies. He is Chair of the NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative, Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal Society, and Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. Join the live audience! Robot Talk will be at the Great Exhibition Road Festival in June for 'Humans 2.0: Robotically Augmented People' at the V&A Museum in London, at 1.30pm on Sunday 16th June. Register for a FREE ticket: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/humans-20-robotically-augmented-people-tickets-879494560907  Win a Robot Talk T-shirt For a chance to win your very own organic cotton Robot Talk t-shirt, all you have to do is: Sign up to our newsletter Share our competition post on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads or Mastodon You can enter across multiple platforms. One lucky winner will be randomly selected each month!  Find out more: https://www.robottalk.org/t-shirt-competition/.

Claire chatted to Isabelle Ormerod from the University of Bristol all about human-centred design and women in robotics. Isabelle Ormerod is a PhD student at Bristol Robotics Lab in the Design and Manufacturing Futures Lab. Her professional path began in the medical product design industry, where she observed firsthand the application of human factors (HF) processes for dextrous and high-risk procedures. This experience sparked her interest in leveraging data-driven HF approaches in product design. Isabelle is also part of the Leadership team of Women in Robotics UK. This organization is committed to fostering an inclusive community for women and non-binary individuals in the robotics field in the UK. Join the live audience! Robot Talk will be at the Great Exhibition Road Festival in June for 'Humans 2.0: Robotically Augmented People' at the V&A Museum in London, at 1.30pm on Sunday 16th June. Register for a FREE ticket: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/humans-20-robotically-augmented-people-tickets-879494560907  Win a Robot Talk T-shirt For a chance to win your very own organic cotton Robot Talk t-shirt, all you have to do is: Sign up to our newsletter Share our competition post on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads or Mastodon You can enter across multiple platforms. One lucky winner will be randomly selected each month!  Find out more: https://www.robottalk.org/t-shirt-competition/.

Claire chatted to Mario Di Castro from CERN all about robotic inspection and maintenance in hazardous environments. Mario Di Castro has a Master's degree in electronic engineering from the University of Naples Federico II in Italy and a PhD in robotics and industrial controls from the Polytechnic University of Madrid in Spain. Since 2011 he has led the Mechatronics, Robotics and Operation section at CERN. The section is responsible for the design, construction, installation, operation and maintenance of robotic systems used for remote maintenance at the CERN accelerator complex. His research interests include tele-robotics, machine learning, and precise motion control in harsh environments. Join the live audience! Robot Talk will be returning for another live episode recording this June, as part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival in London. 'Humans 2.0: Robotically Augmented People' will be held at the V&A Museum at 1.30pm on Sunday 16th June. Register for a free ticket now: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/humans-20-robotically-augmented-people-tickets-879494560907  Win a Robot Talk T-shirt For a chance to win your very own organic cotton Robot Talk t-shirt, all you have to do is: Sign up to our newsletter Share our competition post on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads or Mastodon You can enter across multiple platforms. One lucky winner will be randomly selected each month!  Find out more: https://www.robottalk.org/t-shirt-competition/.

Claire chatted to Margarita Chli from the University of Cyprus all about vision, navigation, and small aerial drones. Margarita Chli is a professor of Robotic Vision and the director of the Vision for Robotics Lab, at the University of Cyprus and ETH Zurich. Her work has contributed to the first vision-based autonomous flight of a small drone and the first demonstration of collaborative monocular SLAM for a small swarm of drones. Margarita has given invited keynotes at the World Economic Forum in Davos, TEDx, and ICRA, and she was featured in Robohub's 2016 list of "25 women in Robotics you need to know about". In 2023, she won the ERC Consolidator Grant to research advanced robotic perception. Join the live audience! Robot Talk will be returning for another live episode recording this June, as part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival in London. 'Humans 2.0: Robotically Augmented People' will be held at the V&A Museum at 1.30pm on Sunday 16th June. Register for a free ticket now: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/humans-20-robotically-augmented-people-tickets-879494560907  Win a Robot Talk T-shirt For a chance to win your very own organic cotton Robot Talk t-shirt, all you have to do is: Sign up to our newsletter Share our competition post on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads or Mastodon You can enter across multiple platforms. One lucky winner will be randomly selected each month!  Find out more: https://www.robottalk.org/t-shirt-competition/.

Claire chatted to Steve Benford from the University of Nottingham all about art, dance, and cat sitting robots. Steve Benford is the Dunford Professor of Computer Science at the University of Nottingham where he co-founded the Mixed Reality Laboratory. His research explores artistic applications of digital technologies through performance-led methods that engage artists in creating, touring and studying unique interactive experiences. He directs the EPSRC-funded Horizon Centre for Doctoral Training and the University's newly founded Cobot Maker Space that is exploring human interaction with robots. He is also a keen musician. Join the live audience! Robot Talk will be returning for another live episode recording this June, as part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival in London. 'Humans 2.0: Robotically Augmented People' will be held at the V&A Museum at 1.30pm on Sunday 16th June. Win a Robot Talk T-shirt For a chance to win your very own organic cotton Robot Talk t-shirt, all you have to do is: Sign up to our newsletter Share our competition post on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads or Mastodon You can enter across multiple platforms. One lucky winner will be randomly selected each month!  Find out more: https://www.robottalk.org/t-shirt-competition/.

Claire chatted to Estelle Raffy from the University of Bristol all about animal behaviour, intelligence, and life-like artificial systems. Estelle Raffy is a PhD student at the University of Bristol. During her Bachelor's degree in neuroscience and cognitive science, the “brained body” of the octopus kept her wondering: how can nature start with similar basic principles and end up with massive decentralized systems that we still call intelligent? She did a Master in epistemology and history of science where she addressed what embodiment principles tell us about biological and artificial systems' design and behaviour.  Building on this, her PhD research aims to contribute to finding the ingredients for adaptive, 'life-like' behaviours in novel artificial systems." Check out the MorphoTalks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@morphologicalcomputation/playlists Join the live audience! Robot Talk will be returning for another live episode recording this June, as part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival in London. 'Humans 2.0: Robotically Augmented People' will be held at the V&A Museum at 1.30pm on Sunday 16th June. Win a Robot Talk T-shirt For a chance to win your very own organic cotton Robot Talk t-shirt, all you have to do is: Sign up to our newsletter Share our competition post on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads or Mastodon You can enter across multiple platforms. One lucky winner will be randomly selected each month!  Find out more: https://www.robottalk.org/t-shirt-competition/.

Claire chatted to Chang Liu from Extend Robotics all about teleoperation, virtual reality, and software. Chang Liu is an entrepreneur from academia and high-tech start-ups. He is the founder, CEO and Chief Designer of Extend Robotics. He was previously a research associate in Imperial College London and University of Southampton on autonomous aerial robot navigation. Join the live audience! Robot Talk will be returning for another live episode recording this June, as part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival in London. 'Humans 2.0: Robotically Augmented People' will be held at the V&A Museum at 1.30pm on Sunday 16th June. Win a Robot Talk T-shirt For a chance to win your very own organic cotton Robot Talk t-shirt, all you have to do is: Sign up to our newsletter Share our competition post on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads or Mastodon You can enter across multiple platforms. One lucky winner will be randomly selected each month!  Find out more: https://www.robottalk.org/t-shirt-competition/.  

Claire chatted to Vassia Simaiaki from Wayve all about computer vision, artificial intelligence, and self-driving cars. Vassia Simaiaki is passionate about taking research into application and has spent the last decade of her career in computer vision. She leads AI research in vision and graphics at Wayve. Her focus is pushing the boundaries of novel view synthesis and continuing to accelerate the driving performance of autonomous vehicles. Vassia has a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and MSc in Neuroscience from Imperial College London. She thrives on solving hard problems and building high-performing teams of engineers and scientists focusing on AI applications. Join the live audience! Robot Talk will be returning for another live episode recording this June, as part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival in London. 'Humans 2.0: Robotically Augmented People' will be held at the V&A Museum at 1.30pm on Sunday 16th June. Win a Robot Talk T-shirt For a chance to win your very own organic cotton Robot Talk t-shirt, all you have to do is: Sign up to our newsletter Share our competition post on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads or Mastodon You can enter across multiple platforms. One lucky winner will be randomly selected each month!  Find out more: https://www.robottalk.org/t-shirt-competition/.

Claire chatted to Danesh Tarapore from the University of Southampton all about fault detection, division of labour, and robot swarms. Danesh Tarapore is an Associate Professor at the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton. Danesh has addressed a diverse range of challenges in fault detection and recovery in robot swarms. He is also keen to push robot swarms out of their carefully controlled laboratory environments and into the real world, pursuing applications for robot swarms in marine exploration and in forest monitoring. Research on resilient robots that he has collaborated on has been featured on the front cover of the Nature magazine and received widespread media coverage. Join the live audience! Robot Talk will be returning for another live episode recording this June, as part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival in London. 'Humans 2.0: Robotically Augmented People' will be held at the V&A Museum at 1.30pm on Sunday 16th June. Find out more: https://www.greatexhibitionroadfestival.co.uk/event/humans-20-robotically-augmented-people/  Win a Robot Talk T-shirt For a chance to win your very own organic cotton Robot Talk t-shirt, all you have to do is: Sign up to our newsletter Share our competition post on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads or Mastodon You can enter across multiple platforms. One lucky winner will be randomly selected each month!  Find out more: https://www.robottalk.org/t-shirt-competition/.

Claire chatted to Ella Maule from the Bristol Robotics Laboratory all about community robotics and the social side of robot design. Ella Maule is a PhD Student in Ethical & Sustainable Futures at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory and a co-lead of Women in Robotics UK. Grounded in the principles of Responsible Innovation, her research explores the concept of Community Robotics, which centres communities as users of, and stakeholders in, robotic technology innovation. She is passionate about increasing equity, accessibility and inclusivity in robotics and, alongside her Women in Robotics UK colleagues, has developed and delivered workshops and events across the country. Win a Robot Talk T-shirt For a chance to win your very own organic cotton Robot Talk t-shirt, all you have to do is: Sign up to our newsletter Share our competition post on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads or Mastodon You can enter across multiple platforms. One lucky winner will be randomly selected each month!  Find out more: https://www.robottalk.org/t-shirt-competition/.

Claire chatted to Stephen Oram from Nudge the Future Fiction all about applied science fiction and the quirks and perils of new technology. Stephen Oram writes near-future science fiction, exploring the intersection of messy humans and imperfect technology. He also works with scientists and technologists on projects that explore possible future outcomes of their research through short stories. He is published in several anthologies, including the Best of British Science Fiction 2020 and 2022, and has two published novels and three collections of sci-fi shorts. His recent collection – Extracting Humanity – includes stories from the projects with scientists. Robot Talk will be taking a break next week, but we'll be back in April with more interesting guests and cool robots.  Win a Robot Talk T-shirt For a chance to win your very own organic cotton Robot Talk t-shirt, all you have to do is: Sign up to our newsletter Share our competition post on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads or Mastodon You can enter across multiple platforms. One lucky winner will be randomly selected each month!  Find out more: https://www.robottalk.org/t-shirt-competition/.

Claire chatted to Patricia Shaw from Aberystwyth University about home assistance robots, and robot learning and development. Patricia Shaw is a Senior Lecturer in Computer Science and Robotics at Aberystwyth University. Her current research interests include technology for assistive living and she is currently leading on establishing a new Smart Home Lab at the university. This new lab will be used to research, develop and test a wide range of sensing technology for monitoring activities in the home as well as robots ranging from companions to assistants around the home. She strongly supports public engagement and has been coordinating regional robotics week events for the last 6 years. Win a Robot Talk T-shirt For a chance to win your very own organic cotton Robot Talk t-shirt, all you have to do is: Sign up to our newsletter Share our competition post on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads or Mastodon You can enter across multiple platforms. One lucky winner will be randomly selected each month!  Find out more: https://www.robottalk.org/t-shirt-competition/.

Claire chatted to Andrew Starr from Cranfield University all about robot maintenance and railway inspection robots. Andrew Starr holds a PhD in condition monitoring of robotic production systems and is a Chartered Engineer. His career started with British Aerospace, before working for the University of Manchester, University of Huddersfield, and the University of Hertfordshire. At Cranfield University he is Professor of Maintenance Systems, and former Head of the Centre for Life-cycle Engineering and Management. His research is in monitoring of mechanical systems with special interests in railways, aero gears, sensor systems, and maintenance optimisation through data fusion. Win a Robot Talk T-shirt For a chance to win your very own organic cotton Robot Talk t-shirt, all you have to do is: Sign up to our newsletter Share our competition post on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads or Mastodon You can enter across multiple platforms. One lucky winner will be randomly selected each month!  Find out more: https://www.robottalk.org/t-shirt-competition/.

Claire chatted to Antonia Tzemanaki from the University of Bristol all about hand exoskeletons, robotic hands, and teleoperation. Antonia Tzemanaki is Senior Lecturer in Robotics at the University of Bristol and the Bristol Robotics Laboratory. Prior to this, she was Lecturer in Mechatronics at the University of the West of England. Her research includes human and robot hands, hand exoskeletons, haptics and wearable robotics, especially with applications in surgery, preventative medicine, rehabilitation, physiotherapy and dexterous tele-operation, as well as extreme environments (nuclear and space). Win a Robot Talk T-shirt For a chance to win your very own organic cotton Robot Talk t-shirt, all you have to do is: Sign up to our newsletter Share our competition post on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads or Mastodon You can enter across multiple platforms. One lucky winner will be randomly selected each month!  Find out more: https://www.robottalk.org/t-shirt-competition/.

Claire chatted to Edward Johns from Imperial College London, all about robotic manipulators, learning, and artificial intelligence. Edward Johns is the Director of the Robot Learning Lab at Imperial College London, where he is also a Senior Lecturer. He completed a PhD in Computer Vision at Imperial College and was then a Research Fellow in the Dyson Robotics Lab at Imperial College. In 2017, he was awarded a prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowship. Since founding the Robot Learning Lab in 2018, he and his team have been developing efficient methods for robots to learn new skills for physically interacting with objects, with a particular emphasis on everyday tasks. Win a Robot Talk T-shirt For a chance to win your very own organic cotton Robot Talk t-shirt, all you have to do is: Sign up to our newsletter Share our competition post on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads or Mastodon You can enter across multiple platforms. One lucky winner will be randomly selected each month!  Find out more: https://www.robottalk.org/t-shirt-competition/.

Claire chatted to Maria Jose (Marisé) Galvez Trigo from Cardiff University all about human-robot interaction, machine learning, and accessibility. Maria Jose Galvez Trigo (Marisé) is a Lecturer in the School of Computer Science and Informatics at Cardiff University, and part of the Human-centred Computing (HCC) Research Section and its Subgroup in Computational and Human-centred Robotics. Marisé is interested in Robotics, Human-Robot Interaction, Human-Computer Interaction and applications of Machine Learning in those areas, with accessibility and co-design as key aspects of her research. Within those areas, her research explores how the uptake of robotics systems can be improved. Win a Robot Talk T-shirt For a chance to win your very own organic cotton Robot Talk t-shirt, all you have to do is: Sign up to our newsletter Share our competition post on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads or Mastodon You can enter across multiple platforms. One lucky winner will be randomly selected each month!  Find out more: https://www.robottalk.org/t-shirt-competition/.

Claire chatted to Rafael Lopez from Robotnik Automation all about mobile robots, logistics, and inspection. Rafael Lopez has a degree in Telecommunications Engineering. He worked in research and development at Althea Productos Industriales before joining IBM as a System Engineer for wide area networks in Madrid and Barcelona. He co-founded Robotnik in 2002, where he was the Research and Development Manager, participating in and managing many EU projects. After the acquisition of Robotnik by United Robotics Group in 2023, he became Managing Director of the company. In 2017 he joined the board of Directors of the Spanish robotics technology platform Hisparob. Win a Robot Talk T-shirt For a chance to win your very own organic cotton Robot Talk t-shirt, all you have to do is: Sign up to our newsletter Share our competition post on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads or Mastodon You can enter across multiple platforms. One lucky winner will be randomly selected each month!  Find out more: https://www.robottalk.org/t-shirt-competition/.