TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 to feature live demo of home-assistance robot Stretch 4

At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, taking place October 13–15 at Moscone West in San Francisco, Hello Robot CEO and co-founder Aaron Edsinger will bring the company's home-assistance robot, Stretch 4, to the Real World AI Stage for a live demonstration.

While much of the robotics industry has focused on building humanoid robots, Hello Robot has taken a different approach: a compact, wheeled robot with a single telescoping arm designed to navigate spaces built for people and perform useful tasks. Rather than legs, Stretch 4 rolls to get around, and rather than two arms, it uses one telescoping arm to reach for and manipulate objects. The robot is equipped with sensors and perception systems that allow it to operate safely around people.

Stretch 4 launched in May, and its first production run had already sold out by June.

Helping people with mobility impairments

The robot is built for people with severe mobility impairments. Users of Stretch technology have been able to feed themselves, close blinds, and scratch an itch. TechCrunch previously profiled a user with quadriplegia who uses Stretch to drink a protein shake, handle his glasses, and brush his teeth.

Before founding Hello Robot, Edsinger founded Meka Robotics and Redwood Robotics, both acquired by Google in 2013, where he went on to serve as the company's robotics director. Hello Robot says the new Stretch 4 generation reflects six years of customer feedback and ships with a full-stack, open source software platform for robotics and embodied AI researchers and developers.

The Stretch 4 demo is one of more than 200 sessions planned across Disrupt's three days, which are expected to draw more than 10,000 attendees and feature over 300 exhibiting startups.