DIY Interactive Robots: An Interview with Erin Kennedy

Erin “RobotGrrl” Kennedy designs award-winning robots. Her RoboBrrd DIY robot-building kit successfully launched in 2012 and was featured in IEEE Spectrum, Forbes, Wired, and on the Discovery Channel. Erin was recognized as  one of the 20 Intel Emerging Young Entrepreneurs. In this interview she tells us about her passion for robotics, early designs, and future plans. CIRCUIT CELLAR: How and when did Erin Kennedy become “RobotGrrl?” ERIN: I used to play an online game, but didn’t want to use my nickname from there. I was building LEGO robots at the time, so my friend suggested “RobotGrrl.” It sounds like a growl without the “ow.” CIRCUIT CELLAR: Tell us about RobotGrrl.com. Why and when did you decide to start blogging? ERIN: I started RobotGrrl.com around 2006 to document my adventures into the world of robotics. I would post updates to my project on there, similar to a log book. It helped me gain a community that would follow my adventures. CIRCUIT CELLAR: Your RoboBrrd company is based on the success of your RoboBrrd beginner robot-building kit, which was funded by Indiegogo in 2012. How does the robot work? What is included in the kit? ERIN: RoboBrrd works by using three servos, a laser-cut chassis, and an Arduino derivative for its brain. Two of the servos are used for the robot’s wings and the third one is used for the beak mechanism. To construct the chassis, all you need is glue. The brains are on a custom-designed Arduino derivative, complete with RoboBrrd doodles on the silkscreen. The first prototype of RoboBrrd was created with pencils and popsicle sticks. Adafruit sent me the electronics and in return I would make weekly videos about building the robot. People seemed to like the robot, so I kept making newer prototypes that would improve on problems and add more to the design. Eventually I started working on a laser-cut kit version. I won the