Robots as a Dream: A Call to Action
At Misty Robotics we are inspired to build personal robots that — one day — will be found in every home and office. But first, we are recruiting all those dreamers amongst us who share this vision to help make it real.
At Misty, we want to help humanity thrive by speeding up development and adoption of personal robots. The immensity of our vision is not lost on us. We know there is a long road ahead of us. Yet we are undeterred. We know that robots will, one day, be as indispensable in our daily lives as cars and smartphones are now. We believe in the inventiveness of the dreamers and makers among us.
These dreamers and makers come in many shapes and sizes. Some people want to start their own business and introduce a new app to the world. Others have day jobs at large companies where they are responsible for researching technologies and identifying innovation. Still, others have the ambition and will to learn because they know robots are a big part of the future. Then there are those that stay up all night coding just for the joy of it. Optimism permeates each of these archetypes but they know the future doesn’t just arrive. It is created. And they want to be a part of it.
Who wants to program a robot?
Let’s dive a little deeper into each of these personas — maybe you’ll see yourself in one (or a few):
The Entrepreneur Creator
Lucy is a programmer at a medical records software company and the daughter of 80-year-old Jane. Lucy can see the dehumanizing effect of nursing homes and has plenty of ideas for what a personal robot “elder companion” could do to radically alter her mom’s life. She wants a platform upon which to pursue these ideas at night and, if successful, launch a company that reduces the need for nursing homes. Lucy is emblematic of entrepreneurial programmers in dozens of industries who could create compelling solutions with a robotic platform.
The Enterprise Researcher
Bob, a Sr. Programmer in the Research department at Acme Inc., has several challenging business problems that all begin with: “From time to time we need a human to do a specific task, and it’s hard to find that human, schedule them, or ensure their completion of the task.” Bob would love to have an experimental personal robot to explore the opportunities and challenges that come with enlisting a robot for some of those tasks.
The STEM Student (and sometimes their parents)
Emily wants a platform to educate herself about robots — starting at the highest level and constantly delving deeper into the guts of robot control systems. She keeps her LinkedIn profile updated to indicate her proficiencies with robot software concepts such as SLAM, personality, real-time control systems, perception, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Emily’s dad, David, wants Emily to be successful in the future job marketplace and knows robotics is “a thing”.
The Hacker / Maker
Hal, a passionate programmer hobbyist, loves playing with the latest technology for fun. He’s not in it for money, but he is passionate about exploring the leading edge of tech. Hal was one of the first to experiment with drones (he flew his drone over SF Bay with a camera attached and got a lot of YouTube attention from his friends). He was one of the first to buy and program his own game for the Oculus Rift when it came on the market. Hal is technologically savvy and wants a personal robot around the house to do a variety of humorous and useful things — mostly just to see if he can.
Misty Developer Program
We’ve launched the Misty Robotics Developer Program as a way to connect and engage with the types of people that are interested in personal robots. Early participants will be given the option to receive one of a limited number of Misty I Developer Edition prototype robots. These are handmade, pretty fragile, and not feature complete. Though they are missing some of the expected functionality today, intrepid developers who decide to purchase one will join a small group that will have a big impact on the future of Misty robots and the personal robot industry at large by helping guide our efforts.
Interested but still aren’t sure? Maybe you haven’t ever programmed a robot before. That’s good — we’ve made the Misty robot specifically for you — you don’t need prior experience with robots. We’ve made it that simple. In fact, we are building the Misty robots and development platform to leverage all the energy and skills of the millions of software developers out there that are interested in robots but haven’t known how to get started. Apply for the program, today.
“I have no experience with hardware, so that’s what I found enticing about Misty. I could write code that causes something to happen in the world, not just on computer screens or phones.”
—Cameron (Developer Program Member)
Even though we won’t be able to get one of these early Misty robots to everyone who applies for the Developer Program, we still would love to see everyone’s passion and energy form the basis of the most comprehensive and active robot-focused community online. We’ve set the foundation, now we’d love for you to help build it. The Misty II, the first production robot from Misty Robotics, will incorporate the feedback and learnings from these discussions, early experiments, and inventions to create an even better robot later this year.
Misty Community Forum
And for those of you interested in robots but not ready to commit to a Developer Program and/or purchasing a Misty I, we’ve launched the Misty Community forums where like minded robot enthusiasts can share ideas and opinions. We’d love to have you create an account and join the discussion!
You probably believe that robots belong in our homes and office, not just in factories. Us too. That’s why we’re making products that finally make advanced robots accessible to every programmer and maker. So whether you’re an entrepreneur, programmer, enterprise researcher, STEM student, or Hacker/Maker, we bet that you dream of robots like we do.
If so, join us.
