Cool Robot! ... What does it do ?
(18 October 2003)

I build robots.

I build big ones and small ones, some are made of circuits and wheels, others live completely in software. Yet others never leave the drawing board, existing only as paper and calculation and a glint in my eye. Many of my friends build them too - they dream about robots, they play with robots, they talk about them like they were children.

When people ask me about my robots, the typical question is "cool - what does it do?". Sometimes it is very hard to supply a satisfying answer to that question because, while I think it's function is quite obvious, others always seem to look for something much deeper. Quite often, the function of a robot is not to actually DO anything except force the humans around it to THINK more.

I occasionally have the opportunity to teach a class in robotics to groups of 10 to 12 year old children and in that class we build very simple robots called SYMETS. These SYMETS have only one function - consume (and store) power, then move until the power is all gone, and do it again. One observer to a class commented to me that the robots didn't do anything useful, and from that point of view, they were correct. But from my perspective, I was watching children learn basic electronics with a very hands-on approach. They were creating an electronic circuit that closely approximates many insect-like life forms on this planet, and they had to work together to figure out some of the more complicated aspects of the project.

This tiny robot helped them learn some electronics, biology, physics, math, chemistry and group cooperation. Go ahead - ask me again what this little robot does. The most satisfying part of the entire project is when the robot moves for the fist time and it's 10 year old creator squeals "OH COOL! - IT MOVED!" - that just makes my day.

Right now (2003), the robotics world is at about the same place that computers were at in 1979. There are tones of experimenters and hobbyists around the world playing with gears and wheels and circuits, sharing ideas and challenging each other at competitions and robot club meetings. If you were to have appeared at a meeting of the "Home Brew Computer Club" (arguably the birthplace of the modern PC) around 1979 you would have heard many versions of the future of computers, but I am sure that few would have predicted the technology explosion we have seen in recent years. You would have also been introduced to some very young experimenters who when on to become captains of this industry.

If you are interested in learning more, there are some great resources out on the web. The first one I would point to is the Western Canada Robotics Society (WCRS) based in Calgary, Alberta. The WCRS hosts the Western Canadian Robot Games annually which attracts competitors from all over the North West quarter of the continent. The WCRS also is hosting a First Lego League competition this year which will prove to be a huge event in Canada. They hold monthly meetings, build-fests, occasional casual competitions, and seminars for members throughout the year and all are welcome.

Similar to the WCRS is the Seattle Robotics Society, Portland Area Robotics Society, Vancouver Robotics Club, and Winnipeg Area Robotics Society. All are great clubs and are dedicated to advancing the general interest in robotics.

For more information about robotics, browse on over to the MAIRS site.

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