Soft Robotics Podcast

Daniel Simu decided to build his own.

A self-built robotic acrobat created by interdisciplinary artist and performer Daniel Simu. Blending circus, engineering, and storytelling, this project explores the strange and fascinating relationship between humans and machines.

In this episode, we dive into how Acrobot was built, why it exists, and what it means when a robot becomes a performance partner instead of just a tool.

Daniel’s work pushes the boundaries of what performance art can be in a post-digital world.
https://danielsimu.com/

The Man Who Built Robots for 60 Years | Mark Rosheim by Marwa ElDiwiny

What if intelligence doesn’t come from code at all?

Thrishantha Nanayakkara, professor of robotics at Imperial College London, explores this idea in Ghost Circuits.

The book shows how computation can emerge from physical materials, geometry, and body–environment interactions, suggesting that “thinking machines” may not need traditional software at all.

👉 Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/02hkjfLp

Humanoid Robots Are Still a Body Problem with Jerry Pratt (Persona AI) by Marwa ElDiwiny

Mark E. Rosheim is an American roboticist, engineer, author, and founder/president of Ross-Hime Designs, Inc., a mechanical design and robotics company in Minneapolis.

He is best known for his work on anthrobotics, the design of robots with human-like limbs, hands, wrists, and manipulation capabilities, a term he helped pioneer.

Rosheim holds numerous patents in robot technology and has developed robotic systems for major clients including NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense, and aerospace firms.

He has written several influential books on robotics, such as Robot Evolution: The Development of Anthrobotics (a technical and historical survey of robot design) and Leonardo’s Lost Robots (reconstructing Leonardo da Vinci’s automata designs).

His work blends mechanical engineering, biomechanics, and historical research to advance understanding of how complex robot mechanisms can emulate human motion.

Website: https://www.anthrobot.com/