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While the concept of robots supplanting humans may seem the stuff of science fiction, it is in fact advancing rapidly in all sorts of real-world applications – healthcare, manufacturing, even warfare. Allison Okamura, a Hoover science fellow, Stanford University engineering professor and contributor to this year’s Stanford Emerging Technology Review (SETR), discusses robotics’ growth in present-day and future societies. Among the topics discussed: how the 10 science and technology reports within the SETR review are interwoven; the integration of robotics into everyday life; a “100,000-year data gap” and massive shortage of training data for physical robot manipulation; Elon Musk’s new Optimus Gen 3 model and the feasibility of robotic workforces; the public’s comfort level with autonomous technology (would you take a Waymo to the airport?); what the future may hold (better robotic “brains” and “bodies” and soft shape-changing fabrics, greater intelligence and physical autonomy, improvements in robotic hands and humanoids’ dexterous manipulation).
Recorded on February 4, 2026.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Allison Okamura is a science fellow at the Hoover Institution. She is the Richard W. Weiland Professor of Engineering at Stanford University in the Mechanical Engineering Department and has a courtesy appointment in Computer Science. Dr. Okamura has more than thirty years of experience in research, teaching, and development of human-centered robotics, including medical robots, soft robots, and wearable robots. She is also a contributor and member of the faculty council of the Stanford Emerging Technology Review.
Follow Allison Okamura:
- LinkedIn: @allisonokamura
- Facebook: @allison.okamura
Bill Whalen, the Virginia Hobbs Carpenter Distinguished Policy Fellow in Journalism and a Hoover Institution research fellow since 1999, writes and comments on campaigns, elections and governance with an emphasis on California and America’s political landscapes. Whalen writes on politics and current events for various national publications, as well as Hoover’s California On Your Mind web channel.
Whalen hosts Hoover’s Matters of Policy & Politics podcast and serves as the moderator of Hoover’s GoodFellows broadcast exploring history, economics, and geopolitical dynamics.
RELATED SOURCES
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Learn more about the Stanford Emerging Technology Review.
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Learn more about the Technology Policy Accelerator.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Matters of Policy & Politics, a podcast from the Hoover Institution, examines the direction of federal, state, and local leadership and elections, with an occasional examination of national security and geopolitical concerns, all featuring insightful analysis provided by Hoover Institution scholars and guests.
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