Spencer Krause

It is challenging to build and test Field Robots. Project timelines, tuning issues, budgetary restraints, and even crashes (both literal and figurative) can cause setbacks. In order to enable more developers to work in parallel and reduce the risk of an expensive and/or dangerous failure, SKA Custom Robots and Machines employs a number of tactics, including systems engineering, breaking out individual subcomponents for testing and electrical / software integration, building standalone prototypes of subsystems, using a smaller, lower cost robot to act as a surrogate for a full scale system, and simulation. This talk aims to explore some of these development methodologies, when they are appropriate, and how to employ them at a high-level.

Biography:

Spencer Krause has spent over 22 years of his life building robots for a variety of purposes. He hasn’t worked on Asimo or the Mars Climate Orbiter but he has seen (and caused) a lot of mistakes and learned something from every one of them. Every mistake presents an opportunity for growth and this talk aims to explain and solidify that philosophy while divulging war stories and showing the audience some epic robot fails. In his spare time Spencer records a Podcast - “Collaborative with Spencer Krause” where he talks to people doing interesting things in technology, research, and entrepreneurship. Check it out on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform today!