Charlie Kemp builds assistive robots at Hello Robot
Charlie Kemp, cofounder and CTO of Hello Robot, designs mobile manipulators to aid people in homes and workplaces. His work focuses on assistive robots for older adults and those with disabilities, inspired by his early research at MIT on humanoid robots like Domo. Kemp emphasizes real-world testing over lab experiments, noting that human needs—like picking up a dropped object—often drive…
Key points
- Hello Robot’s Stretch robots assist people with disabilities in daily tasks like feeding or hygiene
- Kemp credits user feedback—including from Henry and Jane Evans—as key to robot design improvements
- His advice: robotics remains a vast, unsolved field with room for new entrants and interdisciplinary collaboration
Kemp cofounded Hello Robot with Aaron Edsinger after their academic lab’s research on assistive robots, including a project for Henry Evans, a quadriplegic advocate. The company’s Stretch robots have evolved through user feedback, with each version improving based on community input. Kemp highlights the emotional impact of robots, such as Stretch presenting a rose to Jane Evans, underscoring their potential beyond technical tasks.
A Day in the Life of a Roboticist: Charlie Kemp
IEEE Spectrum Robotics · 28 September 2026
Loading the full article…
This text was published by IEEE Spectrum Robotics and written by IEEE Spectrum. It is reproduced here with attribution so you can read it in full; the rights remain with the publisher. Read it at the source ↗
The headline, key points and digest above were generated by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources. Automated summaries can contain errors: the sources are the record. Spotted a mistake? Tell us. Published by Martin K., who runs Digest AI and handles corrections.
More in Robotics & Physical AI
All →- AI Robotics Alliance debates robot economic autonomy and crypto wallets for humanoids · 1 src
- Raise Robotics shares leadership framework for scaling field robots at RoboBusiness · 1 src
- NASA tests generative AI for spacecraft autonomy on Mars rover and ISS · 1 src
- Global industrial robot stock hits 5 million in 2025, IFR says · 2 src
- Fedorov proposes private robot army to replace human soldiers in Ukraine · 1 src
Comments
via GitHub Discussions