Emile Kroeger - Where's my robot companion? Social robotics in the wild

The podcast explores the challenges of deploying robots in real-world scenarios, focusing on market fit, human-robot interaction, and practical implementation details. It argues that the "coolness" factor of robots, particularly social robots, can be a valuable asset if leveraged correctly for purposes beyond physical tasks. Emile Kroeger, founder of Robot Heart, shares his experiences integrating robots into various settings, highlighting the importance of understanding a robot's job as "being a robot" to provide value. The discussion covers use cases like entertainment, research, education, and social interaction, while also addressing the difficulties of perception in uncontrolled environments, network connectivity, safety, data privacy, and user experience.