Robot Educator

This was the first model i was asked to design, I had been working on it basically since i was first brought in in May 2010.  Getting a chance to build a new version of the first robot everyone builds was a real great honor and a wonderful experience.
I started with just trying to copy the old NXT Edu base set.  The new motor shape really didnt make this easy, and the new EV3 brick also made it hard to look good as well.  The CMU Engineering Content pack had a really good design too, but that was just too complex, it took too long to build. So i had to break down what was good and wasnt good about the old base set model.  Constructive criticism was tough, I used that model so many times and had so much to say about it, also..the designer sat just two desks down from me.
The old robot angle was never good for me.  When you looked at the screen and pressed the button, and programmed the robot to go forward, the robot would fall into your lap.   I want the robot to go away from me when i push the button, and that was the first design decision. Still, the angled NXT made for great photographs, that angle would make it to other robots, just not this one.
I did an awful lot of research with FLL teams and WRO teams that year.  I mean really studying videos and competitions before really deciding what to do.  Though I dont have actual numbers, I thought that about 95% of the robots i saw were flat on top, so the kids looked down at the robot naturally, and when they pressed any of the buttons the robot went away from them naturally.  This was another major design consideration.
The rest fell into place, at least for the base.  All ports needed to be accessible, along with the USB, USB host and SD card slots as well.  The charging port for the battery also needed to be easy to get to.  This placed the EV3 Brick precisely where it was in the final model, and all the rest became structural .
One of our Educational Specialist Consultants made the suggestion to add the pointer to the wheel, so i had just enough axle left to place it there and it really made a great detail for educators and aesthetic as well.  Thanks Yannick, thats all you.
The front of the model had to allow for all sensors and extra motor, i wanted to make sure you could make many different configurations.  I had to compromise a lot of my designs to 'simplify' the build of the sensors, but in general it came out great.  The US sensor had to be in the center, and low to the ground.  We had a lot of worry that it would read the ground, but it worked out right.  Touch sensor could really have been anywhere, but i really wanted to have it be a wall follower, pointed to the side.  That never fell through, though its easily buildable. There was a lot of debate about having a line follower with an off set color sensor.  I know it works, FLL kids did it in so many models, it just took me a while to prove it to everyone.  The Color cube or cuboid had a really cool development, i'd need photos to show that one. The motor module had to be super stable and really be part of the robot.  I envisioned that people wouldnt take it off once they put it on, but they had the option to.  Being able to grab any object was much simpler than kicking a specific object.  The color cube just happen to fit, but it can get duplo balls, or anything that can be seen by the US sensor and fit within the confines of the mousetrap.  That connection was a bit strange though, but it worked, though i wanted something much simpler, and maybe more elegant.  The gyro sensor didnt need to be at the front, it didnt need to be anywhere really.  It just had to be visible and easy to put on.  The back of the robot seemed like a good spot.  Though I would have liked to wire it a little better.
Its really something i worked really hard on, this robot will be used by hundreds of thousands of kids around the world, i hope they like it.  So much more of my experiences went into it, and its also my first.  You'll never forget your first.

Lifes Work

In University I never knew what I was going to do with my life.  LEGO had always been part of it.  Those Technic sets helped me through Structures 101 and even Machines and Mechanisms 101 as well.   I always wanted to model my Dynamics and Statics classes (300 level and 400 level) with Technic.  Aerodynamics classes were definitely not my strong suit, and though I wasn't much of a student, I do blame the establishment a little.    I graduated, and life was an open book.

  My first job was looking for models at some weird agency..that taught me how to spot talent, and maybe even start to nourish it.  Sometime after that I was given the opportunity to teach young kids how to dance, how to perform.  There i learned patience, and connection to others.  I learned how to work with kids and understand their needs, learned how to talk to them and teach them properly.  They taught me just as much as I taught them.  Then the LEGO Store, and there I found my passion, where i found my calling.  Maybe i didn't know it back then, but it would come to pass.  After finding my passion I found my 'River of shit' at the DEP.  And there I understood the passion, and the things i didn't want to do.  You should know both.   I crawled through, faster than I really should have, but I'm finally at the moment when i don't regret that.  When I left the LEGO Store, i didnt think i would be able to go back, but maybe letting go was the best thing for me.  I started on the path of no return, to teach, to explain and eventually master MINDSTORMS. 

And finally getting the opportunity to come here, to build on everything Ive learned in the last 7 years, and even the 5 years before that, and the lifetime before that as well.  I couldnt even begin to explain it all, but it truly is an honor to work on the LEGO MINDSTORMS EDUCATION EV3 project.  

Here it is, order it soon, and know that someone put their whole being into it. 

www.legoeducation.com.  

Muse

I dont usually do this, mix that much of my personal life in here, but i think its relevant in the life of a designer. The things that inspire us and drive us, and the people as well.

Shakespeare had his muses and John Nash had his Alicia. This year i had someone who made me feel special, even if for a brief moment. These days it doesnt take much. That feeling came with personal ups and downs and all the wonderful dramatics of a romantic comedy or telenovela. It came with late night conversations, passed photos, wishes of sweet dreams good mornings all the way to flights and flights of fancy around the world. It also came with gut wrenching heartache and unfounded jealousy, start surprises and wicked revelations.

 But we as creatives need that, to build and to express needs emotion, 'emotional content' and 'feeling' to quote enter the dragon. Ive made some of the best things i've ever made this year due to all that. There's only so much you can get from physical inspirations, and even those are limited. We have that which drives us, and those who drive us and its great to find people like that. Some people search for a lifetime to get that kind of inspiration. I'd like to think it can come from anywhere, take it even if its short lived. Soon, sooner than later..my lifes work will hit the stage. I've got everyone to thank for it too. Though its still a bit early, up til now i could thank so many people. Though in the context, lets just thank all the muses in my life. The good feelings, the bad ones and the ones that never happened..You've all driven me to build a world of bricks bigger than maybe i'll ever know.

Though my muse this year, the ninja, the secret agent, the one with a gun, Thanks Ms KK

On a lighter note..finally a big business trip.  To Malaysia I go...and back to the stage.

Goose, chase.

I often wonder if these little trips change me. London was the last of the three major cities they say about Europe. Paris, Rome and London, that was my order. Each one was a learning experience, and this was no different. I went to see War Horse, as it nurtured my love for mechanics and theater and entertainment and puppetry. I went there to see if i could learn to build a better robot, or play experience or show experience. It was fantastic! And the little goose that stole the show. I was surely entertained. London itself was amazing, and i could go back just for the options of food alone. my pictures on facebook should show a little bit of it. But, am i more worldly now? am i any wiser? I always find myself more foolish after these trips, more brash. Another year like this and i'll find myself absolutely bonkers. Maybe Im wiser, more foolish and can build something new. I guess i wont know until the time comes. and with that.. foolishness and fearlessness... sometimes go hand in hand.

the good year

i remember the sick feeling i had when i walked out of that night club last year. my heart sank lower than my feet... It didnt stop me though, the year had been great after that. I met some really great people in the last 12 months. Some really did sway the direction of my life and maybe more than a few others crept into my heart only to slowly crawl out again, or maybe i just left the doors open. And its been another year working at this wonderful place with the amazing people though i stopped asking myself how i got so lucky and finally looked back at how much i busted my ass to get here. Maybe it never looked like it on the surface, but i knew where my heart was. but this year, this year was great. All the cool places i got to go, and the butterflies i got to feel in my stomach. The great meals, open spaces and tiny adventures mixed with blue seas hot sand and cool breezes. Yea.. So in the coming year, i hope to see a culmination of my lifes work and i really mean that. Everything ive done up to now..all those little and big sacrifices.

102.. anticlimactic

I saw this poster about getting things done hanging near my desk and it reminded me about how i felt just 6 months ago.. (or is it 7.. My math is not working..anyway the beginning of January). I had a totally different state of mind back then, so focused on my building, dead set on getting it done and i was able to manage that many builds in such a short time. Oh what passion and dedication it takes, i remember putting my heart and soul into those models. Then i got there and found something else... Now, its almost the same.. The first week recovering from home.. Getting back into the swing of things. And soon the pace will really pick up, and the faster i get things done, the faster each day goes. Except now..from then.. I let matters of the heart find me. Not a day goes by without a thought.. But maybe my little orange peels have dried up. I said once that i wouldnt let go... And sadly i have. At least i tell myself so. Oh but its a great story of a boy so far away finding someone to dote over, and letting the drama unfold in his head until a.. Not so climactic ending. Though, thats what next chapters are for, and bridges. So the fleeting moment that engulfed me for the last couple of months is fading, life continues...ill continue with my passions.. And maybe i can find another fleeting moment. But she has a place in my heart and maybe she will never realize how good of a place that could be. And so on to the next months projects.... Building and building, and soon to show the world where its all gonna be.

182.5 days in

So half the year is over. I must say 2012 has been pretty kind to me and just the stack of boarding passes ought to be a nice feather in my cap. Now i'm feeling like im getting settled in to life here. Getting used to the life, and reaping some rewards of my hard work. I cant wait to continue the adventures that is my life here in europe. Work never ceases to surprise me, and every day is just still wonderfully different. I know that i still have a lot to learn, and one day i'll have something out in the market. That will be a truly glorius day! Im sure ive been distracted in the last 5 months but some little orange. Though it could also be taken as inspiration, or a muse - much like the poets of old. Im sure its still healthy, but whatever gets one to build for the day right? THat being said, ive began to start looking at whats next in my life. New goals, new projects. Whatever it means, i find the need to climb a mountain. And we'll think about whats after that when i get down from the mountain.