Robots that walk, talk, dance, and do backflips make for great videos. But can you close the blinds? Do you help someone with meals? Are you scratching an itch?
For people with severe mobility impairments, these daily tasks mean increased independence. And these are exactly the kinds of jobs Hello Robot designed its home assistance robot Stretch to tackle.
At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, Hello Robot CEO and co-founder Aaron Edsinger will bring Stretch 4 to the real-world AI stage in a session called “Come meet Stretch: A robot built for real life, not demo reels.” Live demos take physical AI out of the lab and put it to work alongside humans, showing what’s possible when usability, safety, and accessibility drive robot design.
The timing couldn’t have been better. Stretch 4 went on sale in May, and by the time TechCrunch spoke to Edsinger in June, its first run had already sold out. While much of the robotics industry focuses on humanoids, Hello Robot takes a different path. It is a compact, wheeled robot with a telescoping arm designed to move through human space and perform useful tasks.
Want to see what you can do with physical AI when usability drives your design? See Stretch 4 at work in the real world AI stage. Secure your pass to Disrupt and save up to $200 before the price increases on September 25th at 11:59pm PT. Save 50% when you bring a colleague or partner, and save up to 30% when you go in groups of 4 or more.
What does it take to build a useful robot?
Stretch 4 does not require legs to move. It rolls. You don’t need two arms to lift things. One telescoping arm extends to grasp and manipulate objects. The robot is compact enough to operate in spaces designed for humans and has the sensors, perception, and touch sensitivity needed to work around humans.
Seeing what people are doing with technology makes these design decisions more meaningful. Users with severe mobility impairments who use stretching techniques can feed themselves, close blinds, and even scratch an itch. TechCrunch recently profiled a quadriplegic user who uses stretching to drink protein shakes, handle glasses, and brush his teeth.
This is a completely different measure of progress than a polished demo video. At Disrupt, attendees will be able to watch Stretch 4 live and hear how Hello Robot is approaching physical AI for environments where robots and humans share the same space.
See Stretch 4 up close on a real-world AI stage. Register for Disrupt by September 25th at 11:59pm to receive up to $200 off your tickets. Bring your Plus 1 and get 50% off your pass.
Meet the roboticists behind Stretch
Aaron Edsinger has spent his career building robots designed to work with humans. Prior to co-founding Hello Robot, he founded Meka Robotics and Redwood Robotics, two robotics companies that were acquired by Google in 2013. As Director of Robotics at Google, Edsinger led business, product and technology development for two of the company’s core robotics investments and worked with senior executives to help develop the broader robotics strategy.
His expertise covers virtually the entire robotic product design stack, from human-robot interaction and UX to mechanical and industrial design, manufacturing, software architecture, real-time control, robotic arms, hands, and humanoids. That experience now comes together in Hello Robot. The goal here is not to build the most human-looking robot. It’s about building something that people can actually use.
Stretch 4 is Hello Robot’s latest step towards that goal. The new generation was shaped by six years of customer feedback and comes with a full-stack, open-source software platform for researchers and developers working in robotics and body-based AI, the company said.
For founders and engineers, this live on-stage session at Disrupt provides an opportunity to go beyond the robotics headlines and see how decades of experience designing robots to collaborate with humans have shaped Edsinger’s approach to Stretch 4.
Disrupt features over 200 sessions and over 10,000 people
The Stretch 4 demo will be held once in three days at Disrupt, which will be held at San Francisco’s Moscone West from October 13th to 15th. More than 10,000 founders, investors, executives, and technology leaders are expected to attend, with more than 200 sessions, roundtables, and breakout sessions across six industry stages, featuring more than 250 speakers and 300 exhibiting startups.
Physical AI generates a lot of headlines. Disrupt lets you see what happens when you’re asked to do something useful. Secure your pass, hear from Aaron Edsinger, and see Hello Robot’s Stretch 4 in action in San Francisco. Save up to $200 before prices increase after September 25th at 11:59pm PT. Plus, you’ll get a 50% discount on your second ticket.
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