# Charlie Kemp builds assistive robots at Hello Robot

Digest AI · Robotics & Physical AI · published 2026-09-28T21:48:56Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/charlie-kemp-builds-assistive-robots-at-hello-robot

## Summary

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 innovation.

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.

## 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

## Why it matters

Assistive robots like Stretch address labor shortages in aging societies while proving robots can improve quality of life beyond industrial tasks.

## Sources

1. [A Day in the Life of a Roboticist: Charlie Kemp](https://robotsguide.com/learn/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-roboticist-charlie-kemp) (IEEE Spectrum Robotics, 2026-09-28)

## Cite

Digest AI, "Charlie Kemp builds assistive robots at Hello Robot", 28 September 2026, https://digestai.news/story/charlie-kemp-builds-assistive-robots-at-hello-robot

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