An old Samsung S10 maps the office and gets a simulated robot body. Route replay and virtual exploration work; an attempted autonomous pickup remains unfinished.

Watch Episode 2 on YouTube ↗

I Gave an Old Samsung Phone a Virtual Robot Body | Episode 2

We already had a Samsung S10. I wanted to see how much of a robotics experiment I could build around that, before buying a body. The phone mapped my office, and the map became a space for a virtual humanoid.

Explaining the plan: start with the phone and build toward a physical robot.
EP02 · 0:30 · Commentary / source footageExplaining the plan: start with the phone and build toward a physical robot. Watch this moment ↗
The phone’s bird’s-eye view of the reconstructed room.
EP02 · 0:59 · ReconstructionThe phone’s bird’s-eye view of the reconstructed room. Watch this moment ↗

Exploring the reconstructed room and replaying my route gave us something tangible. An attempted autonomous pickup exposed the unfinished part. Mapping the environment, choosing a next step and successfully completing a manipulation task are different milestones.

The recorded route displayed over the phone’s room map.
EP02 · 1:29 · ReconstructionThe recorded route displayed over the phone’s room map. Watch this moment ↗

Astra received state and route information and chose what to do next. The robot itself remained simulated. The proposed physical base, salvaged parts, inexpensive controllers and motors were the next build, not an outcome already demonstrated in this episode.

The virtual mission is still in development; this is a simulated robot task, not autonomous hardware.
EP02 · 2:28 · SimulationThe virtual mission is still in development; this is a simulated robot task, not autonomous hardware. Watch this moment ↗
Showing the small electronics intended for the next physical build.
EP02 · 2:58 · Recorded evidenceShowing the small electronics intended for the next physical build. Watch this moment ↗

Read the detailed engineering field note →

Scope of this episode: Robot simulated; pickup task unfinished.

Based on the published episode and its production record. YouTube publication verified 22 October 2026. Stills are extracted from the released episode. Captions distinguish recorded evidence, reconstruction, simulation and illustrative material.