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The Hugging Robot

October 9, 2026 · 26 min

Show notes

What makes a good hug? That’s what Ryder wants to know. Enter HuggieBot - a robot that helped discover the 11 “ingredients” of a meaningful embrace. We’ll learn why HuggieBot’s creator, Dr. Alexis Block, decided to build a hugging robot, and what a robot can tell us about why hugs matter so much to humans.

Watch videos of HuggieBot in action and read the full episode transcript on ⁠our blog⁠.

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