We’re often too busy gawking at newly designed toys to make our jobs easier, reading marketing language filled with three-letter acronyms (permanently infused in my vocabulary) used to sell us on the latest and greatest new product. Let’s remember the foundation this industry is built upon: getting actual things made.
I stood in Barrett Technology’s quaint Cambridge, MA office while on my nickel tour with members of the design engineer/CAD journalistic elite.
While some of my peers lingered in anticipation of the upcoming barbeque, I stood suspended in a coffee vertigo as Barrett’s designers, the very first SolidWorks CAD customers, sold me on the power of the gearless drive, and discussed haptic devices based on novel differential and high-speed cable drives.
I was keen to listen to everyone at Barrett. After all, before the bus ride to the shop, SolidWorks founder and ex-CEO Jon Hirschtick introduced Barrett Technology president and CEO Bill Townsend as, “One of the most interesting designers I’ve ever met.”
It was quite the introduction from the fellow Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) alum. According to Townsend, the next step in robotics is artificial intelligence. (I'll tackle significantly more on that subject later).
Townsend notes that R&D has exploded and demands further investigation into cable drives as a means for low-cost, reliable transmission.
He also offered a mind-blowing tidbit after he asked the audience to predict the state of robotics in 2030. Brace your mind … Did you know that the current size of the robotics market is 1/3 the size of the scented candlestick market?
I’m certainly a proponent, and avid burner, of the clean cotton Yankee Candle, but I refuse to believe that the market has a greater demand for short wicks and scented wax than intelligent vacuums, which will lead to our inevitable lust to have a Jetsons-inspired Rosie that feather-dusts our homes while we are away.
Note: This isn’t as far away as expected, nor is the impending robot apocalypse. I had an entertaining bus ride to the facility that included a conversation regarding the inevitable extinction of the human race.
It was good iRobot and Matrix conspiracy theory fun until we ended it with a cryptic, “It doesn’t matter; we’ll be long gone by then.” Sorry kids, (in the event that I ever procreate) I poked fun at your impending annihilation at the hands/limbs/haptic appendages of a superior robotic race that we knowingly created.
As fun as this conversation was, and I promise to mention it again in the future, I digressed from the one quote I sloppily jotted down while standing amongst the herd of beta testers, bloggers, Twitter enthusiasts, and the relic journalist/writers who seemed confused by the mass social media hysteria surrounding the event.
As a relic, I was forced to guffaw when a retiree-turned-CAD journalist opened his netbook, turned to me with an expression of confusion and asked, “Son, where’s your laptop?”
The subsequent eye roll after I pointed to my legal pad and pen swiftly reversed our roles, and my fading hairline grayed in the corners.
Back to the quote from Mr. Hirschtick who was gracious enough to join our brood of inquisitors. As we stood at a cubicle that was covered in soldering irons, loose wires, and customized Far Side cartoons, a courteous young engineer offered a quick preview of how the SolidWorks 2011 defeaturing feature (intended redundancy) has helped both Barrett and its customers.
Hirschtick leaned in, looked at the screen, and stated, “Too much of the industry is focused on TLAs [three letter acronyms]. This is what the industry is about, getting actual things made.”
We’re often too busy gawking at newly designed toys to make our jobs easier, reading marketing language filled with TLAs (permanently infused in my vocabulary) used to sell us on the latest and greatest new product. Let’s remember the foundation this industry is built upon: getting actual things made.
What are some of the most infamous TLAs? I personally hate LOL and COB, but that’s only the beginning. Yes, I know it has been awhile, so feel free to berate me at [email protected].
