Will robots help us age at home? A historian who lives with one says not yet (Emily Kate Genatowski)

The viral robot videos are choreography, not capability. A historian who has lived with a humanoid robot for a year explains what they still can't do. Emily Kate Genatowski is a historian and AI domestic robotics researcher who bought a humanoid robot, lived with it for over a year, and turned the experience into a TED talk. In this episode of Faces of Digital Health, she separates the demo-reel hype of 2026 from what home robots can actually deliver — and what that means for aging populations, caregiver shortages, and healthcare systems hoping robots will help people stay independent at home. She explains why companion robots and chore robots are still entirely separate machines, why her robot cannot get into a car, why retirees are often more enthusiastic about robots than younger workers — and why she believes we are living through a "digital Engels pause," where productivity rises faster than the mechanisms that distribute its benefits. Guest: Emily Kate Genatowski, historian and AI domestic robotics researcher Her TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIg-Zt7bFHY What the conversation covers: - Humanoid robot hype in 2026 vs real-world capability - Living with a humanoid robot: logistics, frustration, and transport - Robots for elderly care and aging in place - Companion robots vs domestic chore robots — why they're separate devices - The "digital Engels pause": AI productivity without shared gains - US, China, and EU approaches to AI and robotics regulation - Emotional attachment to robots and robot design - Dual-use risks: humanoid robots and drones in warfare - "One soul, many bodies": the future architecture of home robots CHAPTERS CHAPTERS: 00:00 Intro 02:25 Welcome: a historian who lives with a humanoid robot 03:40 2026 robot hype: why the viral videos are choreography 05:45 Why buy a robot? How the year-long experiment began 07:28 From board games to policy: what the project became 08:57 Robots for aging in place — and who's actually optimistic 09:53 Companion robots vs chore robots: two separate machines 13:55 The digital Engels pause: productivity without shared gains 20:09 US, China, Europe: three regulatory cultures for AI and robotics 25:55 Why the robot travels in a box — and can't get into a car 29:58 Robot guilt: emotional attachment without eyes 33:14 Policy, not technology, as the bottleneck for elderly care robots 35:02 Dual use: drones, warfare, and where robotics could go wrong 37:25 One soul, many bodies: the bifurcated future of home robots FOLLOW FACES OF DIGITAL HEALTH Website: https://www.facesofdigitalhealth.com Newsletter: https://fodh.substack.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/faces-of-digital-health Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4cElKJHrauyP6QJQaCkvdY Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/faces-of-digital-health/id1194284040 #DigitalHealth #Robotics #HumanoidRobots #AgingInPlace #HealthTech #AI