Why Robot Arms Still Cant Pick Up a Coin

The Robotics Podcast with Fexingo: Autonomous Systems, Industrial Robots, and Hardware · Jul 8, 2026 · 9m · transcript

Episode 99 of The Robotics Podcast with Fexingo dives into a deceptively complex challenge: why industrial robot arms struggle to pick up a single coin from a flat surface. Hosts Lucas and Luna explore the physics of thin, smooth objects, the limits of current gripper technology, and a surprising breakthrough from a university lab using electrostatic adhesion. Along the way, they discuss real-world applications in vending machines, automated sorting, and retail. Plus, a quick honest moment about how listener support keeps this ad-free show running. If you think robots are close to human-level…