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Five things we learned from robotics expert Mark Setrakian
Mark Setrakian has been working with robotics and animatronics for a while -- starting at 19 and working at Industrial Light & Magic. If you've seen Men In Black, Hellboy or even Pacific Rim, then you've seen some of his creations. He's also a former heavyweight champion of Robot Wars and the man behind Robot Combat League's metal fighters. Who better, then, to come onstage at Expand NY (the show starts today!) and explain how robotics make it onto the big screen, how to ensure it all looks the part and what challenges still remain. However, before all that, we've asked him to explain what he's learned from roughly two decades of making inanimate things come to life.
Five questions for the man making contactless wireless power a reality
With wireless power demos and proposals going as far back as 2006, what's taking so long? And, most importantly, is it safe? At Engadget Expand, we'll be addressing these questions with WiTricity CEO Alex Gruzen, who will also share his thoughts on the industry.
Five questions about VR beyond gaming with three people making it happen
Looking at Facebook, Sony and Samsung, you might think the future of virtual reality is all entertainment and social interaction. While video games and movie watching are both primary components of the recent virtual reality wave, there's much more to the field. Matterport, a company focused on 3D-mapping tech, and BeAnotherLab, the group behind interactive art installation "The Machine to be Another" -- are each pushing forward virtual reality, and neither are focused directly on game-like interactive immersion. The medium of virtual reality is young, but it is already varied. So, what does the future hold? We asked five questions surrounding that subject to three people who are shaping that future: the panelists for our "Back to Reality: VR Beyond Gaming" panel at Expand 2014 (which starts tomorrow!). Head below for their answers!
Five questions about the future of drones with 3D Robotics' Colin Guinn
Everyone, it seems, is talking about drones these days. Whether it's for industry, research or performance art, the skies have never been busier. Thanks, in no small part, to the ever-increasing number of consumer-friendly, ready-to-fly quadcopters. Colin Guinn left DJI to join one of the biggest names in commercial drones -- 3D Robotics -- as SVP of sales and marketing. If anyone knows about the future of our skies, it's him. I'll be speaking with Guinn at Expand on Saturday, November 8th, about the future of commercial, personal and hobby drones -- with maybe a little onstage flying going on, too. Before that though, read on to get a little primer on the buzzing topic from the man himself.
Five questions for the athletes making wearables you won't take off
MC10's most notable projects -- the Checklight head-impact tracker that protects athletes from the effects of dangerous collisions and a Biostamp "seamless sensing sticker" -- are already at the forefront of sports and medicine technology. Isaiah Kacyvenski and Angela Ruggiero are experienced athletes on the company's sports advisory board, tasked with figuring out ways to use technology to optimize athletic performance. That's certainly great news if you're an athlete in an impact sport trying to avoid the after effects of concussions, or a blogger getting punched in the face by your coworkers. But what about everyone else? Kacyvenski and Ruggiero will join me at Engadget Expand on November 8th for a discussion on how the new technology can help us stay healthy, and ensure that our workouts are refined to get the most impact. You can tune in or attend the event for free, but check after the break for a quick preview, and let us know if you have any questions that need answering.
Five questions answered about the future of food
There are more than 7 billion people on the planet and counting. The United Nations recently projected that the world's population will rise to 9.6 billion in 2050 and perhaps even 10.9 billion by the end of the century. With so many more mouths to feed, the environmental impact of increased food production is an issue that's only growing in importance. This weekend we'll be talking with two people who have very different approaches to the problem. Agnieszka Nazaruk (also known as Aga) co-founded a company called Niwa, which makes a smartphone-connected, modular hydroponic growing system that is intelligent enough so that even those with the blackest of thumbs can grow their own fruits and vegetables at home. Greg Sewitz, on the other hand, co-founded Exo, which offers a line of protein bars that has crickets -- yes, actual crickets -- as its main ingredient. Intrigued? Come on by the Expand stage this Saturday, November 8th, to hear more about what they have to say. Here's a little amuse-bouche for the conversation ahead (The answers below are not verbatim and were compiled from a series of interviews).
Five questions for the man who created a robot documentarian
We've spilled buckets of digital ink on headless horse bots, uncanny humanoids and the coming of the robot apocalypse, but there's a softer, more emotional side to these machines. Social robots, as they're referred to, are less mechanized overlords and more emotional-support automatons, providing companionship as well as utility. Robots like these are forcing us to consider how we interact with the technology that we've created. Under the direction of artist/roboticist Alexander Reben and filmmaker Brent Hoff, a fleet of precious, cardboard BlabDroids, set out to explore the shifting boundaries of human-robot interaction. These tiny, wheeled machines aren't automated playthings, but serious documentarians seeking an answer to a deceptively simple question: "Can you have a meaningful interaction with a machine?" We'll dive deeper into the topic at Expand this weekend, but in the meantime, here's a short Q&A with Reben on an incredibly complex topic.
Five questions for the woman running the Pentagon's mad science research agency
DARPA. It's an acronym that comes loaded with certain expectations -- a governmental research organization from which emerges some of the most advanced military technology the world has ever seen. While there's truth to that description, it fails to encapsulate all the work DARPA does. Yes, the research agency is developing robots, tactical drones and futuristic weaponry, but it also has its hands in biotechnology, big data analysis and telecommunications research, among other projects, too. And managing all of that fast-paced, groundbreaking work is Dr. Arati Prabhakar, DARPA's director. She's joining us this Saturday, November 8th, onstage at Expand in New York to share (some of) her agency's secrets, but you can read on to get a sneak peek into the United States' most renowned governmental skunkworks, right now.
Five questions for the creator of Google's modular smartphone
It's been just over a year since Google's Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) division announced Project Ara, a full-scale effort to produce the world's very first modular smartphone. The team has been working hard and fast to get a unit on the market before the end of its two-year mission, and it's progressing quite nicely: We recently saw a functional "Spiral 1" prototype running on Android, and the next version -- "Spiral 2" -- should be getting into developers' hands later this year. Paul Eremenko, who heads up the Ara team, will be onstage at Engadget Expand with me for a live demonstration and fireside chat. We'll catch up on how things are progressing, how Ara has evolved since its inception, the most interesting use cases for a modular smartphone he's seen so far and also discuss the next Developer Conference, scheduled for January 14th, 2015, in Mountain View, California. In anticipation of his appearance at Expand, I reached out to Eremenko for a quick Q&A about Ara.
Five questions about making music in the modern age with hip-hop producer RJD2
If you've ever watched Don Draper sling back an Old Fashioned, there's a good chance you're familiar with at least one RJD2 track. If you have a taste for instrument-infused breakbeat (and why wouldn't you?), then we assume you've been following his work since at least 2002's Deadringer. Whatever camp you fall into, you're in for a treat at this year's Expand. Not only are we going to chew the fat onstage with Mr. D2, but we're also getting his music into your ears, live. We're too kind. What's more, we've got a little taste of what you might expect from the stage interview. All you need to do is keep readin'.
Five questions for the man who's determined to put life on Mars
Bas Lansdorp has sunk his fortune into Mars One, a nonprofit with a singular aim: to put a human expedition on Mars by 2025. Before then, the outfit intends to put an unmanned probe on the red planet by 2018, shortly followed by a rover in 2020. It's an ambitious project, and one that's unique given that it'll raise the majority of its planned $6 billion budget by selling the broadcast rights to the event and by covering the exploration rover in advertisements. In the run-up to launch, there'll also be a reality TV show that documents the selection and training of the volunteers who've signed up for this one-way mission to the stars. We're going to sit down with Lansdorp at Engadget Expand on November 8th*, and you can come see the show for free, but to get you in the mood, here's a short Q&A with the man himself. *2:30pm at the Javits Center, the big glass building just off the High Line.
Five questions for Becky Stern, director of wearables for Adafruit
We've all heard of Google Glass. And smartwatches, and fitness bands, and gadgets that form some sort of combination thereof. But have you considered a skirt with embedded sensors? How about a purse, or a pair of socks? While a few companies, like Ralph Lauren, are dabbling in high-tech clothes, Becky Stern has been tinkering in the space for nearly a decade. As the director of wearables for the DIY electronics site Adafruit, she hosts weekly instructional videos on how to build your own wearables, and also stars in a YouTube show on the subject. We'll be sitting down with her at our free Expand event on November 7th, where we'll talk about the do's and don'ts of wearable tech, with a nod toward some of the more unusual things you can do with sensors. (Fine, fine, we'll touch on Android Wear and the Apple Watch too, if it makes you happy.) To whet your appetite, here's a short Q&A with Stern, and sound off in the comments if you think there's anything else we should ask.
