[Robotgroup] Short but important survey

[Leslie Filip]

To All Interested Parties:

This post started out as a short response to Shane's post about the  
self-healing robot, but quickly spun out of control. Since I have  
recently been reminded that new topics deserve new threads, here  
goes. Here is the link that broke the camel's back:

http://news.com.com/Photos+How+a+robot+learns+to+walk-and+limp/ 
2300-11394_3-6136573.html?tag=nefd.lede

This is exactly the kind of thing I would like to be experimenting  
with, if anybody cares. I believe the plastic parts of the body of  
this robot were made on a 3D printer. The lines are visible in  
picture 5 and appear to be different than milling marks. In the  
literature from 3D printers I have seen the same patterns. I am  
watching prices on these tools; they are now under $20,000, a price  
that a group of 20 regular users could finance for $10 a month per  
person.

Same thing with a "starter" CNC machine that comes with software and  
takes less than a week to set up and have working. $15,000 would have  
it here in 3 weeks. This would cost 20 regulars users a whopping  
$7.50 a month per person for access.

I understand it is pretty clear that the Robot Group entity is not  
going to be buying these tools, so this is not an arm-twisting type  
of post. This is not even asking about the Robot Group entity itself.  
Simply, I would like to ask the individuals some questions for the  
sake of planning. I would appreciate a response from anyone who reads  
this, especially lurkers and anyone who does not go to the Robot  
Group meetings with regularity. If you would like your answers to  
remain private, then please state that fact in your email, which can  
be sent directly to lfilip at mac.com . Replying to the group is also  
fine, but I ask that the thread NOT BE HIJACKED by off-topic  
tangents. This is all stuff that has been building up since my first  
involvement with the Robot Group when I met Denise Scioli at the SWSX  
Music Conference in early 2006. Again, I am asking for responses from  
individuals. While you are answering these questions, please pretend  
that you have never even heard of the Robot Group:

1. How many people would be interested in using these kinds of tools  
if they were available to you?
	1a. 3D printer
	1b. CNC router, 2.5 axis, 4 x 8 foot table with 6 inches on the Z axis
2. Are there any other  tools (expensive or not)  that you would like  
regular access to?
3. What kinds of software would you like to have access to?
	3a. 3D CAD
	3b. Animation
	3c. Audio/Visual
	3d. Web
	3e. Software compilers, etc.
	3f. Any others?
4. What would you like to learn about through short classes?
5. Would you like to have SIGs (Special Interest Groups) for specific  
types of activities rather than large general meetings?
6. Would you like to see guest speakers? What topics?
7. Would you participate in community events like doing presentations  
at schools, boy/girl scouts, fairs (or faires, haha), Dorkbot, First  
Night, etc.?
8. What other community events would you participate in?
9. Would you like to meet in a large, quiet room without distractions?
10. Would you be willing to commit time, and if so, how much and  
when, generally speaking?
	10a. For building and maintaining a room.
	10b. For community events.
	10c. For teaching.
	10d. For building electro-mechanical devices that most would  
consider to be robots.
11. Would you be willing to commit other resources toward such a  
project?
	11a. Money.
	11b. Credit.
	11c. Contacts.
	11d. Limited Intellectual Property Rights.
12. Do you have any philosophical argument against making money in a  
morally sound and ethical way?
13. Do you have any problem with the creators of projects making  
money from them for personal gain in addition to financing the  
collective? For example, being able to work full time on what they  
love without worrying too much about supporting themselves (or their  
families) while making possible the purchase of something for  
everyone to use?
14. Are you interested in creating entities that may not be a  
stereotypical robot (such as HAL in 2001)?
15. Are you interested in artificial intelligence?
16. What is a robot?
17. Would you build a robot?
18. What else would you design or build if you had access to the  
appropriate tools?
19. Essay section. Write down anything else you would like to say.

For the record, I am not even a paying, voting member of the Robot  
Group. I do not seek any office pertaining to the Robot Group, and I  
would not accept it in the unlikely event that I was successfully  
written in.

I encourage anyone who would like to discuss this with me to send an  
email indicating you would like to meet.

Take Care All,
Les Filip, www.enDesign.com