Hard Fork

Podbit · Hard Fork

‘Hard Fork’ Live, Part 3: Differing Visions of an A.I. Future

Explore episode Jun 19, 2026

Where this was said

Toby the Robot: A Live Humanoid Demo Goes Sideways

At 29:04 · chapter starts 27:43

Casey Newton introduces George Eikenberg, director of engineering at ToberLife AI, along with Toby the Unitree H1 humanoid robot. The hosts interact with Toby — noting the 'weak grip strength' that offers comfort — before asking for a dance demonstration. DJ Dan fires up the music, and Toby promptly collapses. The moment is both hilarious and illuminating: Eikenberg explains it was likely a controller misclick, notes the robots are durable, and Toby eventually recovers. The incident becomes an inadvertent live proof of where humanoid robotics currently stands. A second, more successful dance follows before the segment wraps.

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