Robot Talk

Claire chatted to Allison Okamura from Stanford University about developing advanced robotic systems for haptic (touch) interaction.
Allison Okamura is the Richard W. Weiland Professor of Engineering at Stanford University. Her academic interests include haptics, teleoperation, virtual reality, medical robotics, soft robotics, rehabilitation, and education. Allison is Director of Graduate Studies for Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University, a deputy director of the Wu Tsai Stanford Neurosciences Institute, a Science Fellow of the Hoover Institution and a founding faculty member and executive committee member of the Stanford Robotics Center.
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.
Find out more about ARIA: https://aria.org.uk/ 
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Claire 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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Maria Koskinopoulou is an Assistant Professor in Robotics and Computer Vision at Heriot-Watt University. She co-leads the ARM²Lab – Autonomous Robotic Manipulation & Multi-Agent Systems Lab at Heriot-Watt and the National Robotarium, alongside Ignacio Carlucho. Her research interests include robotic manipulation, perception, robot vision, medical robotics, human-robot interaction, and machine learning. She is involved in major UKRI and EU-funded research projects advancing robotic manipulation, surgical and underwater robotics, autonomous assembly, and waste sorting.  
Check out the bonus episodes from the European Robotics Forum: https://www.patreon.com/posts/robot-talk-at-157276631 
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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.