Machine Minds

Building Robots People Trust: The Andromeda Vision with Grace Brown

• Greg Toroosian • Episode 137

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0:00 | 41:31

From engineering-first robots to emotionally intelligent companions, Andromeda Robotics is redefining what human-robot interaction can look like in the real world.

Grace Brown, founder and CEO of Andromeda Robotics, joins Greg to share her journey from a STEM-obsessed student in Australia to building one of the most distinctive companies in the humanoid robotics space. What started as a response to isolation during COVID has evolved into Abby, a social companion robot designed to bring meaningful connection into aged care environments.

Rather than optimizing for flashy demos or industrial efficiency, Grace and her team are focused on something far more complex: building robots that people trust, relate to, and genuinely care about. In this conversation, she unpacks why emotional intelligence is the missing layer in robotics, how design and psychology shape adoption, and what it will take for humanoids to scale in human environments.

Highlights:

  • Grace’s early path into engineering and how a clear passion for math, physics, and problem-solving led her toward robotics from a young age
  • The founding story of Andromeda Robotics and how strict COVID lockdowns in Australia exposed the real-world impact of loneliness
  • Why Abby was designed as a character, not a tool, and how Pixar-inspired design principles drive trust and adoption
  • The overlooked challenge of social acceptance in robotics and why capability alone is not enough to succeed in human environments
  • Real-world deployments of Abby in aged care facilities and what the team has learned from observing how people actually interact with robots
  • The importance of personalization in human-robot interaction, from voice tuning to behavioral adaptation for individual users
  • Why emotional intelligence and “social awareness” will be critical for all robots working alongside humans, even outside consumer settings
  • The interdisciplinary nature of building social robots, combining engineering, animation, healthcare insight, and operations
  • How Grace thinks about hiring, from early generalists to later specialists, and why mission alignment is the most important filter
  • The concept of “anti-selling” during hiring to attract people who truly want ownership and responsibility in a startup environment
  • Using AI agents internally to accelerate iteration speed and rethink how teams build and operate in modern startups
  • The broader responsibility of shaping the future of robotics and why who builds this technology will determine its impact on society

Learn more about Andromeda Robotics:

Connect with Grace Brown:

Connect with Greg Toroosian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian/