Slashdot Mirror
Preparing for a Career in Robotics?
seanfast asks: "I just graduated from college with a B.S. in CompSci and a specialization in Artificial Intelligence. I am currently working full time, but I want to go back to school part time for my M.S. and specialize in AI or Robotics. Unfortunately, with my time schedule, and the extreme scarcity of a degree with either of those specializations being in my vicinity, I will most likely have to settle simply for a M.S. in CompSci with no specialization. If I want to work in the field of robotics and AI later on in life, what do I need to do in my current situation to prepare myself? Some have told me I need a strong mechanical engineering background, some have said I need a stronger software background, and some say I need to just tinker with stuff in my free time and not even worry about what they can teach you in school. Any advice, Slashdot?"
Most of what I see out there isn't robotics like sci-fi androids, where AI is needed. Its manufacturing work, and automation of small tasks (such as robotic vaccuum cleaners and dishwashers). Such things don't really need a lot of smarts, they just need precise movement and improved ease of programming/lower cost. If you really want to program them, study up on firmware and embedded programming, and machine vision (the only real AI most robots need). A basic understanding of ME is nice, but a degree isn't necessary.
I still have more fans than freaks. WTF is wrong with you people?
I ran one of the DARPA Grand Challenge teams, Team Overbot. I'm not sure there really are "careers in robotics". Of our best young people, one is now running a hedge fund, and the other is working for a financial derivatives firm in New York. Neither of them could find anything in robotics with a big payoff.
With 12 million illegal immigrants, the US doesn't need robots. Japan, though...
I'm a little surprised at the "There is no robotics industry" replies. I just graduated with an ECE degree, wanted to go into robotics, and had three awesome job offers from three awesome companies that are all really competitive in the field. I applied about ten different places in Boston alone that all catered to my interests, and I found many many more outside of the state. One big issue is location -- for robotics, in the US, you should be in Boston, Pittsburgh, or Silicon Valley. I'm in Boston, so I know the most about stuff going on here. Pittsburgh is building up a lot of spinoffs from CMU's Robotics Institute (much as nearly all the Boston robotics companies spun out of MIT). Silicon Valley has a lot of stuff coming out of Stanford. Then you have to decide what kind. Consumer robotics? Someplace like iRobot. Industrial robotics? Barrett Technologies makes ridiculous robotic arms. Places like Honda do pretty awesome things there, too. Military robots? Boston Dynamics makes the BigDog (it was covered on Slashdot a while ago). Places like Boeing have big contracts with the military's Future Combat Systems program. Draper Laboratory here in Cambridge does flying, swimming, and driving robots for military applications. Space robots? NASA, of course, as well as Ball Aerospace, Boeing, and various university labs. Medical robots? Vecna Technologies in Boston does a human-carrying bot for both battlefield and hospital use. Anthrotronix in Maryland makes robots for kids in physical therapy programs. Some company, I don't know who, makes the DaVinci surgical robot. I personally work on underwater robotics at a just-out-of-startup phase company here in Boston called Bluefin Robotics. Join the IEEE Robotics and Automation society to start networking. Google robotics conferences and see which companies attend. My delicious page here has a bunch of links to sites I used during my job search. I do only have my BS, but I plan to get an advanced degree later. As a few of my profs told me, if you want to do the really awesome stuff, or you ever want to start your own company (which I do), you need a PhD for the credibility. I also just feel like there are still other classes I want to take. ;) But MIT, CMU, Stanford, and Georgia Tech are all particularly well-known for their robotics and AI programs. Many other universities are starting to jump on that bandwagon as well -- BU is up and coming in surgical robotics.
So do your due diligence on Google, network as much as possible, and ask questions. There's a ton of stuff out there. Don't let anyone tell you the industry isn't there. This is just the beginning of something that will grow with incredible speed over the next couple of decades.