Adventures of an Urban Jungleboy

Saturday I preesented "The Accidental Roboticist" at the Livermore Public Library as the final talk in the Livermore Reads Together program for 2016.

Between 80 and 100 people attended, at least 1/3 of them children. My talk was short, 15 slides in about 35 minutes (or so, I took questions as we went along) and then time for people to come up and play with ThinBot, Arthur-9 and some of my neoPixel projects. (ThinBot was filled with water only, before you ask).

Thanks to bovil who shepherded people through the ThinBot navigation while I bounced between the youngsters driving Arthur-9 with my phone and people who had questions about Arduino, wearable electronics, and various and sundry other topics. Thanks, too, to Diane O. who helped encourage the shyer kids (or parents) to have a go with A-9.

We arrived at about 12:20, the talk started at 2pm, and we were done and loaded to head home at 5pm. Andy's Photos are up on our robotics team page, Drinks Advanced Research Project Agency.
It was a long but rewarding afternoon, and I urge folks to support Friends of the Livermore Libary, who sponsor the Livermore Reads Together program.

Also, if you live in Livermore or have friends who do, they have assorted robots you can check out for a month at a time to learn to program!

I've been working on a design and buying parts to exhibit a robot in BarBot 2012 in March. We've dubbed our 'bot "Thinbot" in honor of the Thin Man films; it only makes up drinks* :-)

( Basic design sketch under the cut )

Photos to follow as the rest of the parts arrive and I start assembly.

*as in "Drinks that are served in an up glass"