The Robot Report Podcast Ghost Robotics: Innovating for Safety
Feb 20, 2026
Gavin Keneally, CEO and co-founder of Ghost Robotics, leads a company building rugged legged quadrupeds for industrial and military use. He recounts the company origin and why legs beat wheels in rough terrain. He explains ruggedization, modular field repairs, the addition of a manipulator for practical tasks, and balancing autonomy with teleoperation.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
From PhD Lab To Navy Field Tests
- Gavin Keneally and Avik Day started Ghost after PhD work on bio-inspired legged robots and early prototypes sold to researchers.
- Their first customer was Navy Special Warfare, which shaped the Vision 60 through iterative field feedback.
Legs Win In Unstructured Terrain
- Legs outperform wheels in rough, unknown terrain by selecting discrete footholds instead of relying on continuous support.
- Ghost focuses on mobility for outdoor, unstructured environments where legged platforms unlock unique capabilities.
Engineer For Field Use, Not Demos
- Design for endurance, payload, and ingress protection when targeting field deployments; these matter more than flashy demos.
- Prioritize modularity so end users can swap damaged parts quickly and keep robots operational in the field.