A couple of weeks a go we were in Atlanta for Fabtech. During our stay, we had the opportunity to visit the Georgia Tech Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines, where we have a few Adaptive Grippers in service. The week before we visited, an event had been held in memory of roboticist Mike Stilman, who passed away earlier this year and we saw that big picture of Mike with Golem Krang signed by the event attendees.
I had first met Mike at IROS 2011 in San Francisco. At the time, my 3 year old son was with me while I had a chat with the Georgia Tech professor. I still remember my son's eyes while he was listening to our discussion. He had a questioning look. There was something special about this guy who was talking to his dad about a robot that should be able to break walls and lift tables while standing on its wheels. Indeed, Mike was a unique character in the robotics community: Exuberant, passionate and charismatic like no one else. He had that grand vision for his robotic creations and he had the ability to rally people around them. He needed hands for his robot, which we later provided.
A few months after he got the hands, Mike sent us an 'URGENT' email: the hands had been hit and damaged, just a couple of days before the Discovery Channel was about to come and take video of Golem Krang. Everybody made that extra effort to get Golem back to work. Because you see, Mike was the type of guy who would get into trouble by pushing the limits and then when he needed help, you simply could not refuse. His energy and motivation left you with no other option than to happily support his projects.
After our visit earlier this month, Can, one of Mike's students sent me the video shown below that was taken during that Discovery Channel week. Another nice souvenir from a man that I, like many others in this small robotics community, will miss chatting with.
Krang's MacGyver Capabilities: Using Environmental Objects as Tools from Can Erdogan on Vimeo.