Interview with Mark Tilden

EEBeat has a short interview with BEAM and Robosapien inventor Mark Tilden. Some interesting tidbits in the piece, like how Mark engineered the RS2 by cannibalizing the RS1 and using his analog “nervous net” technology, but then “setting these patterns in digital silicon for reliability.” He and WowWee also custom-designed the motors and gearboxes “pushing the concept of ‘toygrade’ to the limits while still keeping costs low.” (If you read Rodney Brooks’s Flesh and Machines — where he talks about trying to bring his iRobot Real Baby to market and how insane the margins are on toys, with parts needing to cost less than nothing — you can appreciate what level of innovation needs to go into something like a Robosapien or Roboreptile to keep them within toy price ranges.)

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