News

The word "Cobot" stands for "Collaborative Robots" and was coined in 1996, and refers to a robot that "collaborates" with it's humans. Through the 1990's the most common robots performed repetitive tasks in controlled environments, such as assembly lines. Workers gave these robots a wide berth, and in general protective barriers were required to keep people out of the danger zone, where they could be injured by the robots. Processing power and sensor technology was just beginning to grow sophisticated enough to allow robots to adapt to unpredictable situations, such as parts that were not centered properly on a conveyor...

and we're constantly underestimating them. As someone who learned soldering in his 20s I never imagined it was a task a 7 year old could take on, but that's just what happened today.  M (junior product tester)  wanted a handheld game system, so of course we got a PiGrrl Zero from our friends at Adafruit.com.  The soldering required for this kit is... extensive.  Armed with deer skin gloves that were at least 3 sizes to big M was up to the challenge. I expected an attempt.  I expected boredom.  I expected frustration.  If I'm honest, I expected failure.  I did...

Most folks are surprised to learn that our prototypes are soldered by hand, often in our founders basement workshop.  The fact is that powerful microcontrollers and low priced professional quality tools have made it possible for anyone with the inclination to design and assembly electronics using parts as small as the 0402 capacitor in our Input Box. Believe it or not with a little practice you can solder this part too.  The first step is to move from "Through Hole" parts to "Surface Mount" or "SMD" parts.  These parts, as the name implies, do not have wire leads that pass...

If you've never been to World Maker Faire New York or any of dozens of local faires you should really go!  It's a place like no other, where dragons breath fire, children become robots, and robots make pancakes!   We met the most wonderful people at Maker Faire New York this year, like the folks behind the amazing Volt robot.   Of course, robots are sort of our thing, but there's something for everyone, like making your own soap!  Lisa Chouinard delighted children and adults alike by teaching them to make their own soap.  Maker Maker Spaces and educational institutions were...