May 30-my first official blog entry from the DARPA Robotics Challenge.
First, I have to tell you that the Challenge hasn't started yet. It doesn't really take place until next Friday and Saturday, June 5 and 6 at the Fairplex in Pomona, CA. Until then I'm going to be blogging about what I see leading up to it. It's sort of like the week leading up to the Super Bowl.
Second: I'd like to offer a little PSA:
I drove down to the LA area from the Bay Area on US 101. That route takes a 2 hours longer (8 hours on 101 vs. 6 hours on I-5), but it's definitely worth it. Really lovely.
Impressions: You know, you can do anything on a weekend in LA. Even getting caught in serial traffic jams. (It's Saturday. Where are all those other drivers going? More about driving below)
Now to business:
So far only one competing team is here- Boston Dynamics. I walked into the Building they're in (called, apparently "The Garage") late in the afternoon. There's a possibility that I won't have access to the Garage (since I'm an Exhibitor and not a Competitor). It that turns out to be true I'll probably pull the plug on this blog. There won't be much point.
Also, True Confession here: I'm taking pictures on a umm... (flip phone). I know that's not very Silicon Valley of me, but my Engineering career predates the internet. Here's the shot I took today:
http://images.dailykos.com/...
The guys from Boston Dynamics looked pretty serious, and not knowing if I'd get in trouble for taking a picture up close I chickened out out on that. Lots of cool stuff going on in that Garage space. I think I counted four, maybe 5 humanoids.
I also give them credit for having a cool team Tee Shirt. It says "Run DRC".
The Exhibitor's space is in another Building. As you can see, it's pretty empty at the moment.
http://images.dailykos.com/...
One note about driving in LA. I was rear-ended on the freeway going to my hotel room from the Fairplex. No major damage, just a little scratch which is probably going to cost a small fortune to fix (as opposed to a moderate fortune) The other driver was uninsured.
My insurance company wasn't too pleased to learn about that, but on the plus side I think it practically makes me a native of this part of the LA Basin.
I hope you've found this a worthwhile read.
-Dave
About me:
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.