Automaton

There are plenty of great blogs out there covering robotics, AI, and related stuff, so when my editor walked into my office one morning and proclaimed, "We're going to start a robotics blog and, by the way, you're in charge," I went looking for my voodoo doll.

But before unleashing my curse onto Harry's hirsute body, I realized that a robotics blog was actually a darned good idea! There's so much happening in this field, not only in industry and academia, but also in makeshift labs of enthusiasts and DIY folks around the world, that robotics now plays a major role in how we envision humanity's future and how we vacuum our living rooms.

With this blog we hope to contribute to the debate (the envisioning part, not so much the vacuuming), and we invite you to contribute, too. Some of the best story ideas we receive come from our readers -- engineers, researchers, students, analysts, CEOs, retirees -- so if you have suggestions, we would to love to know. Please write us at automaton@ieee.org. (Boss just called to say this post is "late, late, late!" Have effective voodoo techniques? Send those too.)

Automaton is IEEE Spectrum's robotics blog. But wait. What's IEEE and Spectrum anyway? The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) is the world's largest professional technical society, with nearly 400,000 members in over 150 countries. The IEEE organizes hundreds of technical conferences and publishes dozens of journals.

Published monthly, Spectrum is the flagship publication of the IEEE. It goes to all members and covers all areas of electrotechnology. With Automaton, we hope to improve our coverage of robotics, which we believe will play an ever more important role in people's lives. Meet the team:

Erico Guizzo, an associate editor at IEEE Spectrum, in New York City, has written and edited articles on surgical robots, exoskeletons, autonomous underwater vehicles, AI, and industrial automation. Originally from Brazil, he has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering with a concentration in control systems (ask about his recurrent nightmare involving Laplace transforms). He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., with his wife and a fish.

Mikell (pronounced "Michael") Taylor was diagnosed with acute robotics geekiness at a young age. Her current treatments include designing and building AUVs for Bluefin Robotics, in Cambridge, Mass., volunteering for the FIRST robotics competition, and watching her Roombas clean her apartment. When not geeking out, Mikell likes learning foreign languages, getting lost in big cities, and becoming a Guitar Hero. She is a black belt in tae kwon do.

Markus Waibel studied physics and has since been edging his way towards robotics. He has started a popular podcast on robotics and AI, coded a simulator for swarm robots, experimented with artificial ants, and now just finished his PhD in evolutionary robotics. Originally from Austria, Markus has traversed the Alps on skis and now lives in Lausanne, Switzerland.

AuAu, Automaton's robot-logo, was created by Fabio Miranda, a computer science professor at Senac, in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

I'll be traveling to CES in Las Vegas to check out the robots this week. I have a few appointments with some of the companies boothing at the event to see what they're up to, and I'll be updating as often as I have time and Internet access. Can't make the show, but still want to hear about a particular demo, keynote, or display? Leave a comment to let me know what to check out and report back on!

I'll be attending the RoboBusiness conference in Pittsburgh next Tuesday and Wednesday. They have an excellent set of conference sessions lined up and I'm excited to see the companies that are boothing (especially Ugobe, whose Pleo I have yet to see in person). Have any questions for the exhibitors or speakers? Let me know!