Robot Talk

This bonus episode features interviews from academic and industry experts at this year's European Robotics Forum in Stavanger, Norway.
On the second day of the conference, I attended a workshop on '6G Empowering Future Multipurpose Robotics', which explored opportunities, technical challenges, and requirements for connectivity in robotics.
This bonus episode was produced in collaboration with euRobotics — an international non-profit association that aims to boost European robotics research, development, and innovation.

This bonus episode features interviews from academic and industry experts at this year's European Robotics Forum in Stavanger, Norway.
The first workshop I attended at ERF 2026 was on 'Robotics for Strategic Reindustrialisation', which focussed how to strengthen the resilience of Europe's manufacturing supply chains, including those for robotics hardware and software.
This bonus episode was produced in collaboration with euRobotics — an international non-profit association that aims to boost European robotics research, development, and innovation.

Claire chatted to Ahti Heinla from Starship Technologies about their AI-powered delivery robots that operate independently on streets and sidewalks.
Ahti Heinla is the co-founder and CEO of Starship Technologies, the world's leading autonomous delivery company building AI-powered robots that operate fully independently in real-world environments. One of the original engineers behind Skype's billion-dollar success, Ahti later made a quiet pivot into robotics, spending the past decade advancing practical, consumer-facing AI. Under his leadership, Starship has completed more than 10 million autonomous deliveries with a fleet of over 2,700 robots navigating streets, pavements, weather, and people, without human intervention.
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Claire chatted to Josie Hughes from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) about using generative AI to develop new designs for robotic manipulators.
Josie Hughes is an Assistant Professor at EPFL, where she established the CREATE Lab in 2021. She completed her PhD in the Bio-inspired Robotics Lab at the University of Cambridge, examining the role of passivity in bio-inspired manipulators. Her research focuses on developing novel design paradigms for designing robot structures that exploit their physicality and interactions with the environment. This includes the development of robotic hands, soft manipulators, and automation systems for applications focused on sustainability and science.
This episode is powered by the Advanced Research + Invention Agency's Robot Dexterity programme, which aims to transform robotic capabilities and unlock a step-change in human productivity.
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Find out more about ARIA: https://aria.org.uk/

Claire chatted to Gavin Kenneally from Ghost Robotics about robot dogs for defence, security, and public safety.
Gavin Kenneally is the Co-Founder and CEO of Ghost Robotics, a company that has gained a reputation for pushing the boundaries of legged robotics technology. In his current role, Gavin spearheads a team of highly skilled engineers and researchers who share his passion for creating advanced robotics systems. Previously, he was Head of Product at Ghost Robotics, responsible for the mechanical design of the company's flagship product: the Vision 60 Q-UGV. Gavin has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and has authored six academic papers.
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