Systm + David Calkins = More Mayhem, Completed Projects

We’ve been searching for a new full time cohost for Systm for what seems like forever. In a perfect world, we’d have found somebody months ago. Instead, we found somebody perfect for the job… it just took us a while to find them. Meet David Calkins, robotics expert, RoboGames founder, occasional pyromanic and the new cohost of Systm.

Lest you think David is just another pretty face, we’ll skip past his experience teaching classes on how to build your own R2D2 droid at events like Comic-Con to his experience as a Lecturer of Computer & Electrical Engineering at SFSU.

To say that David loves robots and robotics (and all the various disciplines required to make them work, from programming controllers and milling metal to the terminal search for better battery tech you can actually afford to buy) is a gross understatement.

Forget about his combat and Cocktail Robots... to advance the art of robotics David founded RoboGames, the world’s largest open robot competition (It’s in the Guinness Book of World Records) The annual event has a stellar reputation for bringing contestants together from around the world to compete in dozens of events. The real focus, though, underlying the competition, is cross pollinating ideas across the all too specialized fields of robot development. (OK, the robot combat is of epic intensity, and well worth watching… think 504 robots in 58 events, the video is sick)

Then there’s his work in advancing robotics in education, working with local high schools, NASA, and, of course, as the president of the Robotics Society of America, which works especially well with Systm: David’s not only used to sorting out tech puzzles, but explaining them to other folks.

Did I mention R2D2 earlier? David molded the plastic to build his own Stormtrooper armor. Chances are he takes his nerdly obsessions a tad farther than you: there were Stormtroopers at his wedding. Think I’m kidding? It made BoingBoing I won’t get into where it was held.

So join me in welcoming David Calkins to Systm… this should be fun!

Tags: blog, systm