Central Illinois Robotics Club

Monthly Meeting Recap – 3/11/12

Our March 2012 monthly meeting did not follow the typical format due to a very low turnout and because we had a lot of Bot Brawl details to discuss.

Robot Show & Tell:

• We did not have time for a formal show & tell presentation

Announcements (We also ran out of time for announcements but there were a few things I wanted to mention):

• Job Offers:
  • AVR and Embedded Linus Developer
    • I have escalated a two-year engagement with a company that makes cell phones. You have heard of them, but I’m under NDA so I can’t disclose their identity. They have development offices in the San Francisco area, Lund (Sweden), Tokyo, Beijing, and elsewhere. I have done a significant amount of embedded development work for them personally over the last two years, and now the amount of work that needs to get done is far beyond what I can deliver myself. Anyway, their phones are Android-based which means there is a lot of Linux platform integration work on Qualcomm and ST-Ericsson chipsets. In addition, an accessory device project has been added to my workload which contains an AVR microcontroller along with a bunch of other circuitry. This stuff is very, very sophisticated: the phone device alone has upwards of thirty different power domains e.g. voltage regulators, and we push Linux APIs for USB, I2C, SPI, VREG, platform, and others to the max in order to tame these beasts. The need is immediate, and the current assignments are active through the end of the year— but there will be follow-on work. So this is a near-permanent opportunity for someone, at least if they are comfortable working as a 1099 consultant in a somewhat pressure-cooker environment at times. The ideal candidate can travel to Silicon Valley once or twice a month, and who lives/can be present either in the Peoria area or near the north suburbs of Chicago (where a fellow developer on the project lives and works). They need some familiarity with embedded Linux, i.e. have done a platform or I2C/SPI driver, but I don’t expect them to be experts. I do need for them to be highly trainable, strong communicators, and able to take initiative and responsibility. They can send resumes to me at bgat@billgatliff.com, or contact me at +1 (309) 453-3421.
  • LEGO Robotics Instructors for Summer Program – v-blanas@northwestern.edu
    • We are currently looking for Instructors and teaching assistants for our Summer classes. Classes run Monday through Fridays from 8:30am-2:45 pm for three week sessions.
      The dates and descriptions are as follows:
      June 24-July 13
      Robotics Honors (7th & 8th Grade students)
      Did you know that mp3 players, microwaves, copy machines, cell phones, and universal remote controls are all robotic systems? This hands-on course focuses on mechanical construction, characteristics of sensors, motors and batteries, and control strategies for autonomous robots. Students are members of class teams that design, build and program complete robots that participate in competitions. Biologically inspired approaches to the design and control of autonomous robots are emphasized.
      Robotics (4th-6th Grade students)
      Have you always wanted a robot to do your chores? Are you fascinated by “smart” technology? In this course, students learn the basics of engineering, building and programming robots. Using the LEGO NXT Robotics Design System, students work in small groups to create robots that perform simple tasks, all the while learning basic principles of engineering, honing their math skills and testing their creativity.
      July 15-August 3
      Robotics Honors (7th & 8th Grade students)

      Did you know that mp3 players, microwaves, copy machines, cell phones, and universal remote controls are all robotic systems? This hands-on course focuses on mechanical construction, characteristics of sensors, motors and batteries, and control strategies for autonomous robots. Students are members of class teams that design, build and program complete robots that participate in competitions. Biologically inspired approaches to the design and control of autonomous robots are emphasized.

      Robotics (4th-6th Grade students)

      Have you always wanted a robot to do your chores? Are you fascinated by “smart” technology? In this course, students learn the basics of engineering, building and programming robots. Using the LEGO NXT Robotics Design System, students work in small groups to create robots that perform simple tasks, all the while learning basic principles of engineering, honing their math skills and testing their creativity.
      Pay for the Instructors is $3100/three-week session
      Pay for the Teaching Assistants is $1200/three week session
• Event Recap – Lakeview Museum National Engineers Week 2/19
  • Big thanks to Len Shelton, Mike Dvorsky, and Bruce Stott for helping with the display
  • More info and pictures posted here
• Urbana-Champaign Mini Maker Faire, April 14th
  • http://ucmakerfaire.blogspot.com/
  • Do we want to participate in this event?

Upcoming Events:

March 11, 2012 at 9:37 pm | Monthly Meeting Recaps | No comment

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