Podcast Episodes

In this episode of IoT Forge Unplugged News Digest, we take you on a journey from the fields of smart agriculture to the burning front lines of wildfire robotics — exploring how small ideas, when localized and scaled, reshape the landscape of IoT. We cover the new Packet Transport feature in ESPHome and how it transforms sensor networks in the field, dive into a DIY LoRa-powered soil monitor that spans a kilometer, and look at a custom remote that’s smarter than the TV it controls. Plus: a look at The Guardian — a robot built for wildland firefighting, and some quick updates from Homey Pro mini and SmartThings Dev Portal. If you’re an engineer, tinkerer, or tech-savvy manager — this one’s packed with practical insight, architectural ideas, and a glimpse into the near future of embedded intelligence.

We’ll talk about robots that can be tricked by language alone—yes, even the physical ones that move and grab. We’ll look at a new robot from Amazon that can actually *feel* what it touches. After that, we’ll jump into the world of 3D printing—both inside the human body and outside, with massive walls printed in just hours. And finally, there’s a cool new product from M5Stack that I’m seriously thinking about getting, even though my workbench is already full of half-finished projects.

In this episode of IoT Forge Unplugged, we explores the edge of innovation — from a full-stack Golioth Cloud demo and Reolink’s seamless Home Assistant integration, to Arduino’s eco-friendly PCB initiative and Hugging Face’s leap into open-source robotics. Plus, what happens when humanoid robots try to run a marathon (spoiler: it's not pretty), and how old Roombas are being transformed into clever household helpers.

In this episode of IoT Forge Unplugged, we explore NVIDIA’s Project GR00T and its impact on robotics, Golioth’s new Bluetooth-to-cloud feature, Home Assistant’s latest dashboard upgrades, and two exciting Hackster contests.

We celebrate Arduino's 20th anniversary, reflecting on its impact and future. Next, we explore Google DeepMind's Gemini Robotics project, which is integrating advanced AI into robotic hardware. We then discuss Home Assistant's major updates: the expanded Music Assistant and official Matter certification, both of which enhance its position in the smart home space. Lastly, we delve into the creative world of circuit bending, where hackers turn everyday devices into unique musical instruments.

In this episode of IoT Forge Unplugged, we dive into the upgraded ESP32-C2 and where it fits in real-world applications, the latest ESPHome update with expanded audio support, and whether I³C really improves on I²C’s distance limitations. Plus, we explore EdgeAI for predictive maintenance, energy harvesting for Ambient IoT, and how Arduino and Silicon Labs are making Matter and machine learning more accessible. Finally, we break down concurrent multiprotocols — why they matter and who should explore them.

Today, we look into Matter, a universal smart home standard, and compare it with the versatile Home Assistant platform. We also dive into STMicroelectronics' STM32N6 microcontroller, designed to bring AI capabilities to real-time data processing at the edge. Next up, we discuss a massive data breach at Mars Hydro and its implications for IoT security. Finally, we review the current state of the cellular IoT module market, analyzing its growth and challenges.

For this episode, I want to focus on something more specific in one area, as opposed to covering a wide variety of news. Recently, I came across a couple of news stories and articles about robotics and their role in different areas. I want to highlight three particular cases: medical, manufacturing, and food. And to start a new tradition, every odd episode I will include a few observations from the personal projects I’m working on — stay tuned to learn how to use fewer microcontrollers to make life easier.

A quick dive into IoT trends! This episode covers CES 2025 highlights, including AI-driven devices, automotive IoT advancements, and connectivity innovations, plus the decline of NB-IoT. Stay updated and inspired!

Dive into this episode of IoT Forge Unplugged, where we explore exciting IoT developments! We discuss Apple’s move into Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips, NVIDIA’s Jetson Orin Nano and its edge computing potential, and groundbreaking satellite NB-IoT trials by Mavenir and Terrestar. Plus, a DIY project idea to control Raspberry Pi GPIOs via Arduino Cloud.