Your first experience with a robot

[JackWhite]

Tell us about your interest in robotics.
What are your first memories of robots (how did you understand that a robot is a robot, and so on).
And how did you get here.

[JackWhite]

I’ll start with myself.
Probably my first conscious understanding and knowledge of robots appeared when I watched the movie “The Terminator”.
Now I am interested in robotics only in theory, but this is for now.
It will be interesting to hear your stories.

[cbenson]

Certainly not my first experience or first exposure to robotics, but one of the more impactful:

I had gone into mechanical engineering primarily because I really enjoyed things that were powered and moved (as broad as that is). Although I had initially thought my path would be geared towards the automotive industry, my final year undergraduate (CAPSTONE) project ended up involving 12 students (mechanical, electrical and software) working together on a 12DoF quadruped walking robot. This was well before inexpensive RC servos were used, so our design involved fairly expensive geared Maxon motors and bevel gears (to have the motors within each leg), as well as a fairly complex and custom control board. Although the robot never walked (and we all went our separate ways after graduating so did not pursue the project to completion), it really got me interested in robotics, which I then started to do in my spare time.

[cowolter]

I was about 12 or 13 when my mother had a Macintosh LC575 and I used to purchase the magazine MacAddict without fail, every month (before it became MacLife, or whatever). Life was grand.

The mag used to come with random software that the writers liked, including a bunch of graphical adventure games by Ray Dunakin. I loved playing those game and eventually wanted to know how to build one. Then I found World Builder. It made it possible to create these games with its own World Builder language… Im not sure what language it was based off of, but it introduced me to if statements, for/while loops and variables. A fine foundation for programming.

[JackWhite]

@cbenson

Certainly not my first experience or first exposure to robotics, but one of the more impactful:

I had gone into mechanical engineering primarily because I really enjoyed things that were powered and moved (as broad as that is). Although I had initially thought my path would be geared towards the automotive industry, my final year undergraduate (CAPSTONE) project ended up involving 12 students (mechanical, electrical and software) working together on a 12DoF quadruped walking robot. This was well before inexpensive RC servos were used, so our design involved fairly expensive geared Maxon motors and bevel gears (to have the motors within each leg), as well as a fairly complex and custom control board. Although the robot never walked (and we all went our separate ways after graduating so did not pursue the project to completion), it really got me interested in robotics, which I then started to do in my spare time.

Very interesting story. It’s cool that you keep doing what you enjoy and enjoy. Thanks for sharing!

[JackWhite]

@cowolter

I was about 12 or 13 when my mother had a Macintosh LC575 and I used to purchase the magazine MacAddict without fail, every month (before it became MacLife, or whatever). Life was grand.

The mag used to come with random software that the writers liked, including a bunch of graphical adventure games by Ray Dunakin. I loved playing those game and eventually wanted to know how to build one. Then I found World Builder. It made it possible to create these games with its own World Builder language… Im not sure what language it was based off of, but it introduced me to if statements, for/while loops and variables. A fine foundation for programming.

Wow, that’s great. Still, it’s incredible how many different situations and stories can unite people who like the same thing. Thanks for sharing!