Episode 4 | Lana from Too Hot to Handle - Pt. 1

The drama. The voice. The… robot design principles?
Lana from @toohotnetflix is more than just a plot device. Rena explains how this glowing speaker reflects real ideas from human-robot interaction research — like why robots don’t always need arms (or legs).

Episode 3 | Jake the “Rizzbot”

Jake the Robot has been spotted in Austin giving compliments to strangers — but is it real AI or just a well-disguised human? 🤖 Rena, a robotics PhD, breaks down the tech behind the viral clips and what’s really going on.

Episode 2 | Grek by Nvidia

his week in robots: Meet Grek 🤖✨ — the robot who can walk, jump, and take photos… all thanks to simulation?!
I break down what’s really behind this viral Nvidia keynote moment, what the research says, and why we should be a little skeptical of “instant genius” robots. Let’s get into the science 🧪🧠

Episode 1 | Moxie from M3GAN

Welcome to the first episode of This Week in Robots! We’re kicking things off with the $800 kids’ robot that promised friendship — and then went dark. What happens when your AI best friend dies? Let’s unpack the emotional aftermath of social robots.