The Robotics Podcast with Fexingo: Autonomous Systems, Industrial Robots, and Hardware cover art

The Robotics Podcast with Fexingo: Autonomous Systems, Industrial Robots, and Hardware

The Robotics Podcast with Fexingo: Autonomous Systems, Industrial Robots, and Hardware

By: Fexingo
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Lucas and Luna examine the state of autonomous systems and industrial robotics, from the latest in sensor fusion and manipulation algorithms to the business realities of deploying hardware at scale. Each episode picks a specific robot class— collaborative arms, autonomous mobile robots, humanoids—and traces its technical lineage, market adoption, and the engineering trade-offs that determine whether a prototype becomes a factory staple. Lucas, with a journalist’s precision, dissects recent papers from ICRA and IROS, while Luna pushes on cost-per-unit, reliability metrics, and the supply chains behind actuators and compute modules. They name companies—Fanuc, ABB, Boston Dynamics, Agility Robotics—and the real numbers behind their deployments. Who pays for these robots? Which industries see positive ROI, and which are still waiting for the killer app? The listener leaves with a clear map of where the hardware stands and what it takes to turn a research breakthrough into a product that works on a dirty factory floor. #Robotics #IndustrialRobots #AutonomousSystems #Hardware #Technology #Business #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #RobotArms #MobileManipulation #SensorFusion #Actuators #ROS #Automation #Manufacturing #Logistics #Humanoids #LabToFactory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo© 2026 Fexingo. All rights reserved. Economics
Episodes
  • Why Robot Arms Still Cant Handle a Single Toothpick

    Why Robot Arms Still Cant Handle a Single Toothpick
    Jun 29 2026
    Why can a two-million-dollar industrial robot arm lift a car engine but fail to pick up a single wooden toothpick from a table? In Episode 80 of The Robotics Podcast, Lucas and Luna drill into the physics of 'stick-slip' friction, the limits of proprioception in rigid serial-link manipulators, and why the toothpick problem reveals a fundamental gap in robot control theory. They walk through a 2025 experiment from MIT's Manipulation Lab where a KUKA LBR iiwa attempted the task 500 times with a success rate under 4 percent, and discuss what that means for automation in surgical suturing, micro-assembly, and even food service. No fluff: just the specific mechanical reasons a toothpick defeats a robot arm. #RobotArms #Toothpick #StickSlipFriction #MITManipulationLab #KUKA #Proprioception #Grasping #Manipulation #Robotics #IndustrialRobots #AutonomousSystems #Hardware #Technology #FrictionPhysics #SurgicalRobotics #MicroAssembly #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    10 mins
  • Why Robot Arms Cant Fold a Fitted Sheet

    Why Robot Arms Cant Fold a Fitted Sheet
    Jun 28 2026
    In this episode of The Robotics Podcast, Lucas and Luna tackle a deceptively simple household challenge: folding a fitted sheet. They explain why this task — combining deformable fabric, elastic corners, and complex geometry — remains a frontier problem for robotic manipulation. Lucas draws on research from MIT's CSAIL and Berkeley's AUTOLab, referencing specific papers on cloth manipulation and the 'memoization of folding trajectories' technique. Luna points out that even Amazon's warehouse robots sidestep the problem by using standardized packaging. The conversation explores why perception, physics simulation, and gripper design all break on a fitted sheet, and what breakthroughs in deformable-object handling could mean for laundry robots, medical textiles, and home automation. A concrete look at why your robot maid still can't make the bed. #RoboticsPodcast #RobotArms #FittedSheet #DeformableObjects #ClothManipulation #MITCSAIL #BerkeleyAUTOLab #GripperDesign #RobotPerception #LaundryRobot #HomeAutomation #RoboticManipulation #PhysicsSimulation #RoboticsChallenge #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #AutonomousSystems Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    10 mins
  • Why Robot Arms Still Cant Handle a Screwdriver

    Why Robot Arms Still Cant Handle a Screwdriver
    Jun 28 2026
    Lucas and Luna dive into the surprisingly hard problem of robots using screwdrivers. Despite advances in industrial automation, manipulating a common screwdriver remains a challenge due to force control, tool alignment, and variable materials. They discuss a 2025 IEEE paper from MIT's CSAIL that tested a KUKA robot arm on 50 different screw types, achieving only 73 percent success. The episode explores the physics of screwing, why torque sensing isn't enough, and what this means for assembly line automation. Lucas breaks down the specific failure modes: cam-out, cross-threading, and bit slippage. Luna questions whether deep reinforcement learning could solve it, and they examine a novel force-control algorithm called ScrewNet. The conversation touches on how humans use tactile feedback unconsciously, and why replicating that in hardware is still a decade away. This episode continues the show's series on the limits of robotic manipulation, offering a concrete technical deep dive into one everyday object that stumps even advanced systems. #RobotArms #Screwdriver #RoboticManipulation #MITCSAIL #IndustrialRobots #ForceControl #Automation #AssemblyLine #RoboticsResearch #ScrewNet #TactileFeedback #KUKA #IEEE #MachineLearning #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #RoboticsLimits Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins
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