I'm going to be attending the 2015 DARPA Robotics Challenge as a member of a team with an exhibit at the Challenge. It happens that I'm a Contractor, not an Employee of the firm exhibiting, which means that I have the freedom to write and post pictures about whatever I think is relevant.
In my case I'm a Mechanical Design Engineer with 35 years of experience in the Silicon Valley in the field of Robotics. Almost all of those years were spent in the Industrial sector. I've worked in the past for such companies as Lockheed Space Systems, Applied Materials, Labcyte, and a couple of companies that are now owned by Brooks Automation. Just so it's clear, I am not affiliated with any of those companies at the present time. The bulk of my experience is in Mechanical Design, but I started my career analyzing the complex motions of spacecraft mechanisms and separations events, and I earned my Master's Degree from Cal with an emphasis on Dynamics and Control Systems. In plain English, that's the study of motion, both intended and unintended.
Among my current hobbies are Running and Coaching Soccer; two activities where efficient locomotion is paramount. And in my younger days I was a member of a National Championship Drum & Bugle Corps called the Phantom Regiment. I taught marching as a Clinician following that.
This is all a long-winded way of saying that I approach the DARPA Challenge as an educated and uniquely informed observer. Luckily, I'll have access to the "Pit" area, which is something most professional Journalists won't have. I'll be able to see and report on things going on there first-hand. I'll be at the Challenge from May 30 through June 7, and I'll be blogging about what I see and hear every evening.
I hope you find it a worthwhile read.