Where are you from, and where do you live?
I am from a small town in New Jersey, about 30 minutes outside of New York City. I go to school at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY which is where I currently live.
What is your professional & educational background?
I am currently a full time student at RPI (I am a senior graduating next May). I am studying Industrial and Management Engineering as well as Psychology. I planon pursuing my Master's degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Might sound confusing, but basically, I want to study the psychology of people at work, and help businesses to improve worker productivity by making their workers happy with what they are doing.
What is your professional & educational background?
I am currently a full time student at RPI (I am a senior graduating next May). I am studying Industrial and Management Engineering as well as Psychology. I planon pursuing my Master's degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Might sound confusing, but basically, I want to study the psychology of people at work, and help businesses to improve worker productivity by making their workers happy with what they are doing.
also learned a lot from them and it was interesting to see how they used their own creativity and learning styles to approach problems.
How did you get into robotics?
I became interested in LEGO Robotics my sophomore year of college when I learned that there were middle schools in the area that needed volunteers to help out with after school programs. I became interested right away in helping out and learned the basics of the Robolab software and the basics of building. I learned with the students as well as on my own.
Describe some of the robots you've built
Besides helping out the kids with their marvelous creations, I have created (with the help of my colleague Alex Brownell) a robot that simulates the effect of gravity. It runs on a program composed in Robolab, and it is a car that runs toward a wall. When it gets close to the wall, it slows down. We used an ultrasonic sensor to measure the distance from the wall, and used the investigator feature in Robolad to graph the distance traveled, and velocity and acceleration at any point during the drive. It is a great way to teach these physics concepts to students.
What do you enjoy about designing and building robots?
I enjoy the problem-solving aspects of robotics. Most of the time, and idea will evolve during the construction of it. It is interesting to see how a great idea gets changed when you actual go to built it. It makes apparent the fact that even the best ideas are still only ideas until you actually try to implement them.
Where do you see the future of robot design, construction and implementation?
The future of robotics is very exciting to think about. I imagine that in the coming years robotics will be used prevalently in manufacturing and health care. Hopefully this will speed up production systems and help out humans with disabilities. I do not envision a future where robots will take over the world, but I do see a great potential for them to assist humanity and make our lives easier.
What does RoboFest mean to you?
I see RoboFest as a unifying force. It brings together great minds of all ages to one place, with the common goal of discovery and innovation. It is a force because it motivates its participates to use their brain power in ways that they might not have thought was possible. This will inspire them to be a creative force for the future, either in robotics or a field of their choice.
How can young people prepare themselves for, and get involved in robotics?
The primary piece of advice I would give is that robotics can be for everyone. Don't be intimidated by the fact that it involves technology and computer programming. The beauty of robotics is that it can be broken down into simple steps, and anyone can learn the basics! Young people can become involved in robotics in school clubs or technology classes (if they are provided), or by opening up any Lego Mindstorms kit and simply following the instructions. You can also research robotics on the internet, or sketch your brilliant ideas. Bottom line is that there is always more to be explored in this growing field, and anyone can participate in the learning and innovating.
How did you get into robotics?
I became interested in LEGO Robotics my sophomore year of college when I learned that there were middle schools in the area that needed volunteers to help out with after school programs. I became interested right away in helping out and learned the basics of the Robolab software and the basics of building. I learned with the students as well as on my own.
Describe some of the robots you've built
Besides helping out the kids with their marvelous creations, I have created (with the help of my colleague Alex Brownell) a robot that simulates the effect of gravity. It runs on a program composed in Robolab, and it is a car that runs toward a wall. When it gets close to the wall, it slows down. We used an ultrasonic sensor to measure the distance from the wall, and used the investigator feature in Robolad to graph the distance traveled, and velocity and acceleration at any point during the drive. It is a great way to teach these physics concepts to students.
What do you enjoy about designing and building robots?
I enjoy the problem-solving aspects of robotics. Most of the time, and idea will evolve during the construction of it. It is interesting to see how a great idea gets changed when you actual go to built it. It makes apparent the fact that even the best ideas are still only ideas until you actually try to implement them.
Where do you see the future of robot design, construction and implementation?
The future of robotics is very exciting to think about. I imagine that in the coming years robotics will be used prevalently in manufacturing and health care. Hopefully this will speed up production systems and help out humans with disabilities. I do not envision a future where robots will take over the world, but I do see a great potential for them to assist humanity and make our lives easier.
What does RoboFest mean to you?
I see RoboFest as a unifying force. It brings together great minds of all ages to one place, with the common goal of discovery and innovation. It is a force because it motivates its participates to use their brain power in ways that they might not have thought was possible. This will inspire them to be a creative force for the future, either in robotics or a field of their choice.
How can young people prepare themselves for, and get involved in robotics?
The primary piece of advice I would give is that robotics can be for everyone. Don't be intimidated by the fact that it involves technology and computer programming. The beauty of robotics is that it can be broken down into simple steps, and anyone can learn the basics! Young people can become involved in robotics in school clubs or technology classes (if they are provided), or by opening up any Lego Mindstorms kit and simply following the instructions. You can also research robotics on the internet, or sketch your brilliant ideas. Bottom line is that there is always more to be explored in this growing field, and anyone can participate in the learning and innovating.
I have spent the past two summers teaching Lego Roboitcs summer camps (one summer in Troy, NY and one summer in Hilo). They have both been such fun experiences in large part because of the enthusiasm that the students bring with them everyday. They really made my job fun and easy. I