Daily Archives: July 23, 2017

Watch the first trailer for Steven Spielbergs adaptation of Ready PlayerOne

A student walked up to me at an event following Mondays TC Sessions: Robotics event in Cambridge. I have a question for you, he said, adding that he was a few months away from becoming a college senior. How do I launch a successful startup?

I explained that I might not be the person at the show best equipped to answer, but I offered some simple advice nonetheless: find a problem that needs solving, address a need that already exists, and dont go offering up solutions in search of problems.

Oh, and get a day job.

Learn the industry and the ins and outs of running a business from someone whos already in it. Work on your passion on the weekends and after work, while youre young and still have the energy to invest. Be bold and be excited, but temper that with pragmatism. Theres a reason that one of the most successful robotics companies at the event is the one that sells robotic vacuums. Its not universal advise, but its a model thats worked for countless startups before.

The student seemed unimpressed.

It wasnt difficult to come up with an answer. It was something Id been thinking about quite a bit in the lead up to the event. Moderating multiple panels gave me the opportunity to put the questions to a number of people far smarter and with far more direct industry experience. It was the one question I had on my index cards for multiple conversations: Are universities doing a good enough job preparing students to make the jump from the research lab to real-world commercial endeavors?

At MIT, were very excited about taking ideas that matter today and making them real, Daniela Rus, the head of MITs massive CSAIL interdisciplinary laboratory told me toward the close of the days first panel. In general, we are focused on long-term research. We want to invest in the future of computing and a future enabled by computing. But we are also very interested in how our ideas can matter today.

Universities and startups are very different beasts, built around very different models. Schools have their own pressures getting grants/sponsorships, publishing papers, applying for awards. But any researcher interviewed about their work by a member of the media will invariably get the same question: what are the commercial applications for this work? That topic isnt always at the top of students and professors minds when theyre doing the sort of long-term research to which Rus refers.

But there does seem to be an increasing interest in helping researchers make the transition to real-world product. Certainly theres a lot to be said for seeing the work on which youve spent months or years laboring have a direct impact on the lives of real people. Earlier this week, I spoke to ReWalk Robotics CEO Larry Jasinski about the companys relationship with Harvards Wyss Institute.

Turning research into product is one of the institutes key components, working to leverage [its] internal business development team, intellectual property experts, and entrepreneurs-in-residence to drive commercialization, throughindustrial partnershipsand the creation ofstartups, according to its mission statement.

In the case of ReWalk, the company gets to commercialize the research of Biodesign Lab head Conor Walsh, in exchange for help with FCC red tape, market considerations and royalties on sales. Theyre trying to develop the institute as something that has more of an application mindset, Jasinski told me. We are a bit of an experiment, as part of their attempted business model.

Its a commendable model, particularly in the case of the Restore soft exosuit the partnership has created to assist stroke patients. But that particular model doesnt address those students looking to transition out of the research lab and into the world of commercial robotics.

In a conversation with our own Ron Miller, Sami Atiya, the president of Robotics and Motion at industrial automation giant ABB, did a good job succinctly contrasting the two worlds. In academia, we focus on proving a hypothesis works, he explained. If you look at the industry, if we did that, we wouldnt be able to survive. We have to feed solutions to our customers that are highly repetitive, precise and accurate. The customer wants to have 99 percent uptime that is repeatable, at a cost that is affordable.

Expectations shift dramatically when research becomes product. No one knows this better than iRobot CEO Colin Angle. The companys first dozen years were a struggle to create a truly profitable robotics company. Its a decade lined with space rovers, baby dolls and movie licensing attempts before finally creating the Roomba in 2002, a product that has disrupted the vacuum industry and become the first and arguably still only mainstream home robot.

Angle laughingly explains that he didnt find success as a roboticist until he became a vacuum salesman. Its a funny statement, but the sentiment is important. The key to launching a successful robotics startup is focusing on the practical ways in which technology can positively augment our lives and, to some degree, getting lucky.

The idea that you launch with, youll either be very, very lucky or wrong, Angle told me during our interview. Youll need to stay open to learning how the rest of the world reacts to your idea and be flexible. Patience is also critically important, and its best not to do it alone. At iRobot, if we had been alone, instead of the three of us, it would have been a very different experience. We arranged that no one would be allowed to have crushing despair while another was having crushing despair.

Its true that the robots that are having the most immediate impact on our lives lack the sort of bleeding-edge excitement outsiders are hoping for from the field. Theyre the industrial pick-and-place arms from companies like ABB and the wheeled robots being used in Amazon warehouses. And the realities of running a business can be equally mundane, from the government regulation to payroll.

But universities do seem to be taking a more aggressive approach toward helping students make the transition. Carnegie Mellon has Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, which serves as a sort of on-campus incubator, helping to launch companies and, hopefully, fostering the startup community in and around Pittsburgh.

MIT, for its part, is being more progressive on that front, as well. During our interview, Rus described the schools technical entrepreneurship course, along with a new initiative. MIT has also started a big incubator called The Engine, which is extraordinarily exciting, she explained. It was just kicked off a few months ago, and there is already so much energy and buzz and so many companies that are taking advantage of it. We have a lot of opportunities for students. We want to train them to become entrepreneurs, just like we trained to become academic or industry researchers.

Theres no simple answer to the question, how do I launch a successful startup? Its long and frustrating and almost invariably paved with failures. But with a good idea, the right guidance and knowledge of the market, a student can turn a great bit of research into a successful product and if theyre lucky, it wont take 12 years to get there.

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Helping students transition from the laboratory to robotics startup ... - TechCrunch

Outside Bujumbura International Airport in the capital city of Burundi, six teenagers bound for Washington D.C. to compete in an international robotics competitions locked hands with parents and relatives to pray one last time before boarding their flight. In Kirundi, their native language, Coach Canesius Bindaba asked God to bless their journey to the United States.

I prayed that God may keep us safe on this trip, Bindaba said.

When Bindaba uttered those words, he said he had no idea that the teens likely with the help of their families had orchestrated a secret bid to stay behind and possibly seek asylum in the U.S. and Canada.The squad two girls and four boys who range in ages from 16 to 18 went missingon Tuesday from theFIRST Global Challenge robotics after it ended at DAR Constitution Hall, and their disappearance set off a panicked search for them at Trinity University in Washington, D.C., where they were staying in dorms.

By Thursday morning, D.C. police said two of the teens Don Charu Ingabire, 16, and Audrey Mwamikazi, 17 crossed in to Canada and were with friends or relatives. Police on Thursday said the other four Richard Irakoze, 18, Kevin Sabumukiza, 17, Nice Munezero, 17 and Aristide Irambona, 18 were not yet with relatives but were still safe.

[Two of six African teens who went missing from robotics competition are in Canada, D.C. police say]

The teens, who did not respond to Facebook messages, have left anger, disappointment and questions about their intentions for staying in the United States and Canada. Burundi has been seized by intermittent political violence for years that has driven hundreds of thousands of people out of the country.

I am disappointed that the students chose not to return home, even though I have a very clear understanding of the challenging circumstances they face in their nation, said FIRST Global President Joe Sestak, a former Congressman and Navy Admiral, in a statement. He said that the State Department and his organization, which brought in young people from 157 nations, had stringent review protocols for the visa process.

This year was the first for FIRST Global to host an international competition, and it featured an impressive array of competitors. But there were complications: Gambias team faced hurdles getting visas to come to the U.S., but eventually obtained them. An all-girls squad from Afghanistan was also initially denied visas, but after an international outcry, President Trump intervened so they could come to the U.S.

[For Afghan girls team, a trip to Washington was about more than the robotics]

If the teens plan to stay behind, it would be antithetical to the purpose of FIRST Global, which aims to help countries like Burundi build the ranks of skilled engineers by getting young people interested in engineering through its robotics competitions. Its founder, inventor Dean Kamen, hopes these robotics competitions can build the kind of networks and friendships that will help countries tackle global problems like water shortages and climate change together.

If we can get kids from around the world to deal with the same issues we could compete on the same team, Kamen said lastSunday, in remarks at the opening ceremony. You dont have to have self-inflicted wounds created by arbitrary differences and politics.

[At a global robotics competition, teens put aside grown-up conflicts to form unlikely alliances]

Bindaba had never coached a robotics team before and the students, who hailed from public and private schools around Bujumbura, had never built a robot. They adopted the motto Ugushaka Nugushobura a Kirundi proverb that means Where theres a will, theres a way.

They began in early April, putting in 3-4 hours after their high school classes, working out of a classroom at a technical institute owned by Audreys mother. FIRST Global connected the novices withRichard and Isabelle Marchand, a couple who have led robotics squads in Christiansburg, Va. The pair became virtual mentors, coaching them via Skype amid regular power outages.

Once the students landed in the United States, the Marchands would become their caretakers, ensuring that the teens, who were unfamiliar with American cuisine, were fed, Bindaba said. Reached at their home, Isabelle Marchand declined to comment, referring questions to Sestak.

From Friday to Tuesday, the teens spent hours at DAR Constitution Hall, arriving shortly after 7 a.m. to work on and practice with their robot. On Sunday evening, the teens strode onto the floor of DAR Constitution Hall for opening ceremonies, proudly waving the red, white and green Burundian flag, beaming and waving to the crowd. After, Bindaba said, Dons uncle took the team out to eat. Bindaba stayed behind.

Bindaba said he saw few signs that the teens had hatched a secret bid for possible asylum in the U.S. or Canada. They appeared nervous, Bindaba said, but he chalked that up to the competition and their new surroundings.

Before, I thought they were acting a bit strangely, Bindaba said, speaking from Bujumbura. I thought maybe it was their first time to be there, to see the big buildings that we dont have here.

Before closing ceremonies, Bindaba saw the teens onto the floor of the auditorium once more. They carried tiny flags and joined the throng of other competitors whistling and whooping, the ecstatic close to an exhilarating three-day competition. From the highest seats, Bindaba said, it was impossible to see the teens. He said he planned to decompress with the team over pizza and coke after the competition, a reward for the hard work that earned them a 73rd place finish out of about 160 teams. The following morning, the Marchands planned to give them a tour of the monuments. They had an interview scheduled with Voice of America.

Police said this is when at least some of the team members slipped away, taking advantage of the noise and the chaos surrounding the competitions end to disappear. At least one team member, Aristide, stayed behind. He helped Bindaba load the teams robot onto a school bus that would take them back to their dorms at Trinity University. Then, Aristide carried the robot to Bindabas room and told the coach that he was going to take a shower.

As Bindaba unloaded his bag, he noticed something peculiar: the other five team members had apparently secreted their name tags and room keys in to Bindabas bag. For the coach, it was a deeply unsettling discovery.

I knew something nasty was happening, Bindaba said. I felt it from within.

He then rushed to Aristides room: he was not there, and he had left behind a mess of pizza boxes and snacks. He checked the other rooms, too: the teens had still not returned.

I cannot really describe what I felt over there, but it was really scary for me, Bindaba said.

Bindaba also began sending panicked messages to the teens parents back in Burundi. But their replies made Bindaba suspicious: one childs uncle told the coachthat perhaps the children were nearby; anothers mother told him to cool down, that perhaps the team was out having fun.

I am not seeing the kids, Bindaba said. How can I cool down?

Around 5 a.m. Wednesday, about 12 hours before the teens were set to depart from Dulles Airport, Sestak called police to file a missing persons report. Their sober passport portraits went up on the D.C. police Twitter account, under the banner MISSING PERSONS.

Bindaba, who was unable to afford another plane ticket and had been assured the students were safe, headed home. The following morning, when Bindaba was still en route, police would announce two of the teens had made it to Canada.

The coach said he sympathizes with their desire to stay in the United States and Canada. But he said he wishes they understood what their skills and their potential could mean to the future of their own country. Burundi suffers from brain drain, with many of its brightest young people leaving to get education abroad and never returning. For me, they were some kind of hope for the future of this project in Burundi, Bindaba said. Its an opportunity for my entire country.

See the rest here:

He brought Burundi's first robotics team to the US to inspire his country. Then, the teens disappeared. - Washington Post