Robohub Podcast

#074: Mind control, with Raul Rojas and Geoffrey Mackeller

Link to audio file (29:18)In today’s episode we look at a novel way to interact with your robot: through mind control. Raul Rojas returns to our show to talk about how his AutoNOMOS team used brain waves to give commands to their autonomous vehicle, MadeInGermany. We then talk to Geoffrey Mackeller, CTO of Emotiv Systems, the producer of the EEG headset used as an interface for this project.

Robots: Future Manipulators

#073: Future manipulators, with Heinrich Jaeger and Andrzej Grzesiak

Link to audio file (38:28)In today’s show we’ll be talking about futuristic manipulators that look nothing like the typical industrial robot arms you’ve seen in factories. Our first guest, Heinrich Jaeger from the University of Chicago tells us about the soft universal gripper that was published in PNAS. Our second guest, Andrzej Grzesiak, presents the bio-inspired manipulator he created with Festo and that won the German Future prize last year.

Robots: Telepresence

#072: Telepresence, with Jean-Christophe Baillie and Trevor Blackwell

Link to audio file (37:08)In today’s show we’ll have a look at the next killer application in robotics, telepresence. The idea is simple, instead of planning a bothersome phone or video conference meeting with all your colleagues, you communicate through a telepresence robot that can move around your workplace while you stay at home. Our first guest, Jean-Christophe Baillie, is the CEO of Gostai which just commercialized the Jazz robots this year. Our second guest, Trevor Blackwell, presents his company’s Anybots.

Robots: Robotics Roadmaps – Japan

#071: Robotics roadmaps – Japan, with Tomomasa Sato

Link to audio file (22:19)In today’s episode we discuss the national funding strategies of Japan, as a part of a series on funding strategies worldwide. In particular, we’ll be talking to an expert and leading figure in Japanese Robotics, Tomomasa Sato, who will give us insights into the Japanese robotics roadmap – for the past, present and future!

Robots: Odor Source Localization

#070: Odor source localization, with Hiroshi Ishida and Thomas Lochmatter

Link to audio file (29:47)In this episode we revisit robot olfaction and take a closer look at the problem of odor source localization. Our first guest, Hiroshi Ishida from the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology is an expert in the field, whose sniffing robots range from blimps to ground and underwater robots. Our second guest, Thomas Lochmatter from EPFL talks about tradeoffs between biologically inspired and probabilistic approaches to navigate a gas plume.

Robots: Harvest Automation