worked in libraries, been a systems administrator, worked in a silicon micromachining laboratory, done software development, and now I'm working at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope doing instrumentation. I'm a jack of all trades.

How did you get into robotics?

I wanted to get into robotics when I was in high school, but the money wasn't there. A stepper motor cost a hundred dollars back then, and microcontrollers were in their infancy. In college I built my first real robot controller, an MIT Miniboard, with a Motorola 68HC11 processor. But it was pretty resource limited, and components still cost more than I could afford. It wasn't until a few years ago that I really started building.

Describe some of the robots you've built

An obvious choice to talk about would be Shallow Blue, the mini-sumo I brought to Robofest 2006. That was my first real robot. It started life as a Mark III kit from Junun, but I wound up modifying almost every aspect of it. Working from a kit was a good introduction to building a complete robot because all the bits and pieces were there. But working with a kit that was just so many pieces bolted together also really lent itself to being modified, changed, tweaked, and played with. It was the perfect starting point for me.

Since then I've built a line follower I hope to have ready for Robofest 2007, I'm working on an entry for the Lego Pit Dash, and I've got a couple of other irons in the fire I hope to be able to bring as well.

What do you enjoy about designing and building robots?

It's the culimnation of a number of interests I've had through the years. I enjoy programming, but there's a huge difference between making something happen on a computer screen and making something physically move and do things. I enjoy mechanical design and machining, but there's a huge difference between making a fitting or a bolt-down part and making something that you know you're going to be able to tell to physically do something. It all boils down to that, really: you're starting with an idea and winding up with a machine that does exactly what you'd envisioned.

Where do you see the future of robot design, construction and implementation?

It's in its infancy right now, but it's taking off. When computers first came out they weren't in the home, they were in academic or industrial settings. You couldn't go out and get one for personal use, and you certainly couldn't go out and buy a book about how to make one. When robots first came out they, too, were to be found in academic or industrial settings. But just as the computer started finding its way into the home in the late '70s and early '80s, robots are starting to as well.

I think we're going to see an explosion in available technologies as interest outside of industry grows. A number of problems that presented major hurdles for the researchers are now turning up as turnkey devices for the home builder. I hate to speak in terms of economics, but it really does boil down to that. Once there's consumer interest in a technology, it takes off. That's happening with robotics right now. What's to come? I can't say.

Where are you from, and where do you live?

I grew up in Texas, and now live in Waimea.

What is your professional & educational background

Oooh! That's involved. Educationally speaking I guess my background is in astronomy. But I've always been attracted to the machines rather than the science, so even when I was finishing my degree I knew I'd never be an astonomer. Over the years I've been a picture framer,

What does RoboFest mean to you?

RoboFest is simply great. It gives a lot of very hard-working people a chance to showcase what they're doing and why they're doing it. More importantly, it takes someone who might be interested but have no idea

how to begin, and puts them in a setting where they can ask questions and get the answers they need to get going. And it gives them a chance to showcase their own work once they do.

I was blown away by how much excitement there was at last year's RoboFest, and how many people were building! There's a clear message being sent: you can do this, and you can do it right now.

How can young people prepare themselves for, and get involved in robotics?

Ask how things work. Explore. Find out. And come up with a better way to do it.

I'm a little appalled at how easy it is to buy something, break it, and throw it away without ever wondering why, or how, or seeing if it can be fixed. We've lost the idea that it's people who come up with these ideas, that it's people who make these things, fix these things, and who can change them, improve them, or come up with an entirely new idea. People like you, people like me. Go into robotics with this thought in mind and the possibilities are endless.

Don't be afraid to not know the answers. It sounds like a cliche, but the internet offers a global community of people who are interested in robotics, who are building, and who can lend a helping hand. If Robofest 2006 is any indicator, there's a large community right here on the Big Island as well! I've learned more from admitting I'm ignorant and asking my question than from trying to look like I already know the answer and leaving the question unasked.

Most important of all: build. I spent almost twenty years thinking of building robots before I ever really sat down and got one built. Had I just sat down and built one, those twenty years could've been spent building even more robots.