PERSONALROBOTICS
UNDERSTANDING, DESIGNING & CONSTRUCTING ROBOTS & ROBOTIC SYSTEMS
■ BY VERN GRANER
ROBO RESOLUTIONS 2009
MY NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION IS 1650x1280 ;)
It's a brand new year and a great opportunity to make some Robo Resolutions!
Regular readers of this column are familiar with articles documenting my first
hand experiences with the robotic, artistic, and sometimes silly contraptions I
am apt to find myself in the thick of making or displaying. As this is the first
column of the new year, I decided to take the opportunity to offer some New
Year's Resolutions based on first-hand experience. (Remember, "experience" is
what you get just after you need it!)
RESOLUTION #0:
BUILD SOMETHING
Though I've emphasized this to
many of the regulars that attend
meetings of The Robot Group here
in Austin, TX, I can't say it enough:
Build something! You'll discover that
Building = Experience + Learning! It's
a completely different thing to build
something yourself than it is to just
read about a project or observe
someone else making it. Until you
actually build a device, you have
nothing to fix, troubleshoot, or
improve.
Once you have a prototype, you
will inevitably come up with ideas
and optimizations that you may carry
to a new version of the same project
or, in some cases, to an entirely
different project.
As you assemble your parts to
test your theories, things can get
very complicated very quickly. These
challenges encourage you to be
imaginative and creative in order to
deal with problems as they arise. This
is exceptionally good exercise for
your brain and the lessons learned
from overcoming these real-world
problems will stay with you a lot
longer than ones you've simply
read about.
RESOLUTION #1:
TEACH SOMETHING!
The old saw goes "the best way
to learn something is to teach it.” My
first hand experience in this area bears
this out. Teaching IS learning! If there's
something about which you are
curious, you may find the best way to
become well-versed is to teach that
subject to others. Though your skills
may not be PhD level, you probably
know more about something than
someone (especially kids, though
they are sure to think otherwise!).
FIRST robotics and other student-centric competitions are usually
dying for mentors, judges, or tutors to
help with events. Don't be afraid to
call and offer to help at these events.
The lives you touch and the people
you meet can change your life.
RESOLUTION #2:
CHALLENGE YOURSELF!
Get out of your comfort zone! If
you're an analog electronics person,
it might be time to look into dipping
a toe into some digital circuits. Or, if
you're really good with software but
are a little intimidated by mechanical
linkages and servo motors, take a
stab at building a software-controlled
mechanical project. There is
something particularly engaging
about making electronics that move!
Giving yourself a task that is outside
your comfort zone is a good way to
keep your skills sharp and to increase
your knowledge — in some cases,
your professional value, as well.
Find an area where you have an
interest but little or no practical
experience and take a stab at it.
You can do this by finding others
you can "swap" skills with or by
taking a course at a local community
college. The idea is to expand your
knowledge and explore your
talents. For example, with a newly
■ Vern Graner at Dorkbot Austin in
2006 giving a presentation on the
(then) forthcoming RoboSpinArt
machine — how it should work,
the work accomplished, the
problems encountered, and how
they were solved.
January 2009 15
