Parallax - Open, but Quiet

Parallax is open, but very quiet. A look at Parallax minimal operations during COVID-19 - take a walking tour with Ken Gracey by clicking here.

I got to visit Parallax a few years back when I returned to California to officiate at the wedding of a friend. Amazing place!

New Wireless Programming Tutorial from Ken Gracey and Parallax

The coolest thing ever! Programming wirelessly using the WX WiFi Module, ActivityBot 360 and BlocklyProp. I have all my robots set up to program this way. Great work Ken Gracey and Parallax.

I love this new gripper! I have a birthday coming up too. Hint, hint.

Restricted to Quarters

Now that we in Louisiana are officially ordered to "shelter in place" by our Governor, this classic Star Trek clip seemed appropriate.

What are you studying while you are restricted to quarters?

Send the Humans Next

Okay, this is cool. From SnorgTees - see here.

Good News Out of Bad!

Might be my first chance to attend a meeting! See here.

My Kind of Curling

My wife is watching Curling tonight on NBC Sports Network - USA vs. Italy. I am watching this...

What Is A Robot?

Here is a wonderful piece from IEEE SPECTRUM by Rodney Brooks - you can find it here.


Editor’s Note: When we asked Rodney Brooks if he’d write an article for IEEE Spectrum on his definition of robot, he wrote back right away. “I recently learned that Warren McCulloch”—one of the pioneers of computational neuroscience—“wrote sonnets,” Brooks told us. “He, and your request, inspired me. Here is my article—a little shorter than you might have desired.” Included in his reply were 14 lines composed in iambic pentameter. Brooks titled it “What Is a Robot?” Later, after a few tweaks to improve the metric structure of some of the lines, he added, “I am no William Shakespeare, but I think it is now a real sonnet, if a little clunky in places.”

What Is a Robot?*
By Rodney Brooks

Shall I compare thee to creatures of God?
Thou art more simple and yet more remote.
You move about, but still today, a clod,
You sense and act but don’t see or emote.

You make fast maps with laser light all spread,
Then compare shapes to object libraries,
And quickly plan a path, to move ahead,
Then roll and touch and grasp so clumsily.

You learn just the tiniest little bit,
And start to show some low intelligence,
But we, your makers, Gods not, we admit,
All pledge to quest for genuine sentience.

So long as mortals breathe, or eyes can see,
We shall endeavor to give life to thee.


* With thanks to William Shakespeare

Rodney Brooks is the Panasonic Professor of Robotics (emeritus) at MIT, where he was director of the AI Lab and then CSAIL. He has been cofounder of iRobot, Rethink Robotics, and Robust AI, where he is currently CTO.

Clean Bots & Care of Others

I was really struck and moved by this photo and post on the Parallax Inc. - Robots for Education Facebook Page. Like other businesses, educational facilities, churches, etc., we are all dealing with the COVID-19 virus. I am especially mindful of my friends at Parallax, my friend, Carol Lynn Hazlett, in Seatle, and all of our friends around the globe like Eric Ostendorff, and Nikos Giannakopoulos. This photo inspired me because it symbolizes the way the Church here in Western Louisiana and the Episcopal Church in the US, and indeed all of us, are or should be addressing this crisis. As our Bishop recently wrote, "We should all take precautions because we are people of love. You see, we do not take precautions merely to protect ourselves individually from infection. On the contrary, if each of us takes reasonable, common-sense steps, we reduce the likelihood that other, more vulnerable members of our community will contract the contagion. We are all in this together." Way to go Team Parallax!

The Light Bulb Just Came On!

I do not know if this is real or faked, but it is certainly in the realm of possibility! Any readers know?

via GIPHY

West Coast Chic

One of my robot-building heroes and mentors, Eric Ostendorff, a.k.a. "erco," sporting his red sea robotics' long-sleeve T-shirt, and holding one of his current projects. Eric and some of his buddies are now officially doing business as invenTOY. Eric's specialty is doing more with less.

Eric makes inventing look easy!

Recycle Bots

We found these "Recycle Bots" at the Natchez Visitor's Center. Very cool!