On May 19, students at St. Brigid School were treated to a special guest speaker—Fred Alibozek of iRobot. iRobot is a Massachussetts-based company that develops robotic technology for home, commercial, and military applications. Mr. Alibozek, a senior mechanical engineer at the company, spoke about how the robots are created and used. The visit was part of efforts to generate excitement about careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
Mr. Alibozek brought several examples of robots, demonstrating their abilities and discussing their uses in real life. The Roomba and Brava robots, which clean floors, rolled back and forth across the gymnasium. These devices have special sensors that prevent them from falling off “cliffs.” Students watched in amusement as the robots approached the edge of a table and stopped just short of falling off.
Next up was the FirstLook, a 10” robot that zipped across the gym with surprising speed. This device is specifically designed to be thrown into dangerous areas, and it sends back a video feed of what it “sees.” It can flip itself over and roll under vehicles. It is used by police and military forces to check for hazards in otherwise inaccessible places.
The real star of the show was a much bigger and more advanced model. There were gasps of astonishment from students as this $125,000 robot managed to climb up the stairs from the gym to the stage. Students were also amazed when Mr. Alibozek switched on its thermal imaging camera and they were able to see their own body heat projected on a screen. The regular camera on this robot can read a license plate from a half mile distance. It can withstand temperatures of -40F to 130F, and one was used to help clean up Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant after the tsunami in 2011.
“It was amazing,” one student said. “I wish I had one at my house!”
