I feel like I'm greatly missing out on new stuff like this. I'm trying to get a turtle bot together and build a sort of lab component of Prof Thrun's robot car class. But I wonder what else I could be doing. Anyone have pointers?
Google Puts Money on Robots, Using the Man Behind Android
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Re: Google Puts Money on Robots, Using the Man Behind Android
#12What kind of background is Google looking for when recruiting people to work on teams like these?
The article says they acquired 7 small companies recently, so I'm guessing they're looking for super-experienced people. Like people/teams who have designed and built a few robots from scratch before.
Re: Google Puts Money on Robots, Using the Man Behind Android
#13What kind of background is Google looking for when recruiting people to work on teams like these?
Industrial Perception is hiring: http://www.industrial-perception.com/careers.html
Re: Google Puts Money on Robots, Using the Man Behind Android
#14Earlier quoted context omitted.
Bot & Dolly is hiring: http://www.botndolly.com/jobs
They're a good company to work for. Less nerdy than 99% of robotics companies.
I'm not sure how 'less nerdy' would be a plus for a robotics company, but good to have a positive review of the place nonetheless. Do you work there?
Re: Google Puts Money on Robots, Using the Man Behind Android
#15Earlier quoted context omitted.
They're a good company to work for. Less nerdy than 99% of robotics companies.
I'm not sure how 'less nerdy' would be a plus for a robotics company, but good to have a positive review of the place nonetheless. Do you work there?
(tlb is Trevor Blackwell, a partner at YCombinator and founder/CEO of Anybots. It's safe to guess that he knows the field.)
Re: Google Puts Money on Robots, Using the Man Behind Android
#16Not keen on letting Amazon hog the PR spotlight, Google lets Andy Rubin out of the doghouse because the X Labs are all tapped out.
Could you explain how giving a guy free run of the place and acquiring 7 companies on his say so counts as "being in the doghouse". Maybe i'm just not used to silicon valley doghouses; I know things are expensive out here.
Exactly. This would be a dream job for a heck of a lot of HN regulars: running your own shop, with no significant money worries, and a decent chance of changing the world. If this is the "doghouse," I'd be happy to be there too.
Re: Google Puts Money on Robots, Using the Man Behind Android
#17I feel like I'm greatly missing out on new stuff like this. I'm trying to get a turtle bot together and build a sort of lab component of Prof Thrun's robot car class. But I wonder what else I could be doing. Anyone have pointers?
It depends what you want to do. Do you simply want to get some experience in turtles or try to go for the rabbit? I think we are in front of a major disruption. So in order to get a good starting point in that domain I would look for very simple and cheap idea that can make you earn money. With that money you can then explore bolder ideas etc. So instead of searching for a cool idea, I would look for something usefull with value for people. I would look where there is still room for improvement.
Robotics is the next big thing because it will apply in so many fields. Not only robots, artificial intelligence as well. Better be the one who builds and conceive them than the one whose job has been taken oveer by them.
Re: Google Puts Money on Robots, Using the Man Behind Android
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
They're a good company to work for. Less nerdy than 99% of robotics companies.
I'm not sure how 'less nerdy' would be a plus for a robotics company, but good to have a positive review of the place nonetheless. Do you work there?
Just guessing, but for me it's about the audience. Software in the 70s and 80s was very nerdy. With the rise of the web, it got less so, driven by the need to reach consumers and the influence of print design. In the last decade, a lot of tech is downright chic, and succeeds because of that. Look at the iPod and the iPhone, for example.
I think robotics is coming up on a similar transition. For years it was 99% research projects and industrial uses: pure nerdery. But Bot & Dolly is selling to Hollywood, and is very slickly marketed. Aesthetics are starting to really matter.
Re: Google Puts Money on Robots, Using the Man Behind Android
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
Could you explain how giving a guy free run of the place and acquiring 7 companies on his say so counts as "being in the doghouse". Maybe i'm just not used to silicon valley doghouses; I know things are expensive out here.
Exactly. This would be a dream job for a heck of a lot of HN regulars: running your own shop, with no significant money worries, and a decent chance of changing the world. If this is the "doghouse," I'd be happy to be there too.
Just to state the obvious: Andy is not (and was not) in the doghouse. He had a massively successful run as the leader of Android and is now doing something else. I look forward to seeing what his team comes up with.
Re: Google Puts Money on Robots, Using the Man Behind Android
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm not sure how 'less nerdy' would be a plus for a robotics company, but good to have a positive review of the place nonetheless. Do you work there?
Just guessing, but for me it's about the audience. Software in the 70s and 80s was very nerdy. With the rise of the web, it got less so, driven by the need to reach consumers and the influence of print design. In the last decade, a lot of tech is downright chic, and succeeds because of that. Look at the iPod and the iPhone, for example. I think robotics is coming up on a similar transition. For years it was 99% resea…
Whoa. It's worth checking out their video "Box":
Gorgeous.