Bottom of the barrel dangerously over-scraped
Hello internets. How are you?
On Monday we had a highly esteemed visitor at our lab, a professor from the French Academy of Sciences, who specialises in walking robots. The video below features the experimental setup she works with, called the "Rabbit" for some inexplicable reason (although she is not in the video, and the video is mostly in French):
Some of you may have seen the giant walking robots from Honda etc and be wondering just what is so special about it. The special thing is that it has no feet, and must dynamically maintain balance as it steps forward, like walking on stilts. The Sony and Honda robots have such large feet that they could stop at any point in their motion, and not fall over. Dynamic balancing is much tougher mathematically, and a lot of the work I am currently doing is directed towards this sort of problem, so it was good to talk with her about their approaches.
I was supposed to spend a week at her lab (in Nantes, on the Atlantic coast of France) from the 20th to 25th of Sept, but unfortunately it clashed exactly with Mandy and Dean's visit to Umeå, but perhaps some other time. She was asking quite pointed questions about what I wanted to do After Umeå.... so France could be my next home... who knows?
Whilst I'm "talking shop", as the yanquis say, I've started to add pages to my official web site describing my current projects. I won't link here, since I don't really want Google to associate the two pages, but if you search for my real name it pops up near the top. It has come to my attention that basically nobody has any idea what my job is actually about (or even if I really have one)... but no excuses from now on!
On a lighter note, my last remaining Aussie in Umeå (Tiff) came back here recently, and brought me a DVD of the Late Show, Champagne Edition. Lots of solid gold material I'd forgotten all about, particular: "okeee dokeee give me the ball!" (Rob sitch (as Graham or the Colonel) as a very Swedish Stefan Edberg, trying to get a tennis ball back from a cocker spaniel, which has replaced all the ball boys at Wimbledon). He really gets the accent spot on! I've been saying it all week. Okee dokee give me the ball!!!
On Monday we had a highly esteemed visitor at our lab, a professor from the French Academy of Sciences, who specialises in walking robots. The video below features the experimental setup she works with, called the "Rabbit" for some inexplicable reason (although she is not in the video, and the video is mostly in French):
Some of you may have seen the giant walking robots from Honda etc and be wondering just what is so special about it. The special thing is that it has no feet, and must dynamically maintain balance as it steps forward, like walking on stilts. The Sony and Honda robots have such large feet that they could stop at any point in their motion, and not fall over. Dynamic balancing is much tougher mathematically, and a lot of the work I am currently doing is directed towards this sort of problem, so it was good to talk with her about their approaches.
I was supposed to spend a week at her lab (in Nantes, on the Atlantic coast of France) from the 20th to 25th of Sept, but unfortunately it clashed exactly with Mandy and Dean's visit to Umeå, but perhaps some other time. She was asking quite pointed questions about what I wanted to do After Umeå.... so France could be my next home... who knows?
Whilst I'm "talking shop", as the yanquis say, I've started to add pages to my official web site describing my current projects. I won't link here, since I don't really want Google to associate the two pages, but if you search for my real name it pops up near the top. It has come to my attention that basically nobody has any idea what my job is actually about (or even if I really have one)... but no excuses from now on!
On a lighter note, my last remaining Aussie in Umeå (Tiff) came back here recently, and brought me a DVD of the Late Show, Champagne Edition. Lots of solid gold material I'd forgotten all about, particular: "okeee dokeee give me the ball!" (Rob sitch (as Graham or the Colonel) as a very Swedish Stefan Edberg, trying to get a tennis ball back from a cocker spaniel, which has replaced all the ball boys at Wimbledon). He really gets the accent spot on! I've been saying it all week. Okee dokee give me the ball!!!
posted by I-Rock at 10:21 PM
9 Comments:
What do you mean we don't know? It definitely has something to do with alfoil, dancing in undies and lots of holidays!
+ nerd stuff.
What do you want from us?
Nobody knows what I do either, including me sometimes. it's the modern way.
To tell the truth, I often forget that I have a job and stay in bed all day, sipping cups of tea. But don't tell anyone!
From what I understand your job is mostly about conference calls with washed-up reality tv show co hosts, and trying to make alcohol attractive to young children without using fluffy animal characters. (Rediculous... where would Australia be without the Bundy Bear? Or David Boon?)
I also look at YouTube, and deal with peoples' social retardation.
oh, and eat complimentary office fruit.
Staying in bed, drinking cups of tea, watching lake swing/jumps that is...
And Ian, I'm still not convinced your job is not reminding the masses about A1 material from yesteryear. And salud to you and your "robot" friends for it.
I think I took that photo of you on your 'professional' web page didn't I?
Also, if you end up working in France in this area your new theme tune should be Daft Punks 'Robot Rock'. It works on so many levels! Well, 2 levels, 3 at a stretch.
I-rock I have nothing to read, please amend.
I-rock, majorly excited to be seeing you soon, need your dates for drinking purposes in Australia (tinnies), can you jj or email please?
Hope you're going really well, big hugs,
KT.xx
boring.
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