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Charlie Kemp's Picture | Charles C. Kemp's Picture | This is a head shot.

I am the chief technology officer for Hello Robot Inc., which I cofounded with Aaron Edsinger in 2017. I earned my PhD at MIT with Rod Brooks as my advisor. Prior to working full-time at Hello Robot, I was an academic. I’ve had the pleasure of advising outstanding PhD students, contributing to published research, writing code, and teaching. I’ve also invented a few robots. I am a roboticist.

Robots with Purpose

Robotics initially attracted me as an approach to tackling the grand challenges of artificial intelligence (AI). Over time, I found the pursuit of AI without purpose unsatisfying. I joined Georgia Tech in 2006, where my research focused on enabling robots to provide intelligent physical assistance in the context of healthcare. A full solution would likely include robots that are physically and socially intelligent in human environments, which would be consistent with notions of artificial general intelligence (AGI). The robots would also be intent on helping humans flourish, which is the type of success I’d like to see.

Henry Evans shaves himself using a PR2 robot.
Henry Evans, an amazing person with severe quadriplegia, shaves himself using a PR2 robot in his home.

The Healthcare Robotics Lab

In 2007, I founded the Healthcare Robotics Lab. Through numerous studies, we showed that mobile robots with arms (mobile manipulators) can meaningfully benefit people with disabilities in their daily lives. This points the way to a future in which intelligent mobile manipulators help people on a daily basis. There are challenges to overcome, but I’m optimistic.

A person retrieves an object using the robot Dusty.
A person with ALS uses Dusty to retrieve an object for herself.
A person partner dances with the robot DARCI.
An older adult partner dances with Darci as a form of dance-based exercise.

Hello Robot Inc.

My lab’s research convinced me that mobile manipulators can improve people’s lives. Yet the versatile robots we used in our research seemed too big, heavy, and expensive to make it out of the lab. This inspired me to invent a new kind of robot with Henry M. Clever.

In 2017, I cofounded Hello Robot Inc. with Aaron Edsinger to create a commercial robot inspired by my lab’s invention. In July of 2020, after 3 years of stealthy effort, Hello Robot Inc. revealed the robot Stretch. Stretch is a compact, lightweight, and force-sensitive mobile manipulator that achieves a new level of affordability.

In September of 2023, I relinquished tenure, closed my lab, and began working at Hello Robot full-time. I’m optimistic that the community forming around Stretch will help make the future of mobile manipulation fun, useful, and inclusive!

Dr. Aaron Edsinger, CEO and cofounder of Hello Robot Inc., with Stretch.

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