Here's an Idea

Some conditions are too dangerous, or just too mundane, for people.

For decades, humanoid robots have been stepping in to take tasks off our hands. One named Manny spent a lot of the 80s being shot with a flamethrower. Another, R2, is currently doing chores in space.

In this episode, we look at how humanoid robots have evolved, and why we have the need for robots that look, act, and even think like humans.

Episode highlights include:

• In 1988, a team at Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) created a mannequin robot named, well, "Manny." Manny’s job was test the shielding clothing used in hazardous environments. Gordon Anderson, one of the original engineers, talks about his time making Manny.
• NASA's Dr. Julia Badger is one of the original developers of the Robonaut 2 – the first humanoid robot in space. She talks about expectation versus reality when dealing with a 330-lb robotic assistant.
• Dr. Scholtz, a computer scientist at PNNL, evaluates how humans interact with computers. Dr. Leslie Blaha, a PNNL mathematical psychologist, leverages cognitive human-behavior models to add a more “life-like” intelligence to robots. The two share their insights in robot-human interaction.

Read the full-length interviews and related stories below.

A Look Back at the Trailblazing "Manny" Robot – A Firefighter's Friend

A Role for Boston Dynamics’ Back-Flipping Robots: Is Space the Place?

How to Understand Humanity Through Humanoids

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On a snowy day in 1926, a physicist named Robert Goddard set out to his Aunt Effie's ranch. What happened next was not your typical day on the farm – Goddard launched the first liquid-propellant rocket.

In this episode of Here's an Idea™, we explore how Dr. Goddard's efforts, almost 100 years ago, have inspired generations of rocketeers and spaceflight launches.

We speak with engineering student Josh Allen; Orbital ATK’s Mark Ogren; NASA’s Rob Garner; and Estes model-rocket director Michael Fritz.

Access full-length interviews below.

• A Q&A with Orbital ATK: Exploring the Roots of Rocketry
• Rob Garner: How Robert Goddard Launched Present-Day Spaceflight
• Michael Fritz: How Model Rockets Launch Tomorrow’s Engineers

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Chances are you’ve heard of 3D printing - the modern fabrication process being used today to make everything from football cleats to dental implants.

In this episode of Here's an Idea™ we look at how 3D printing began. We speak with the creator of the 3D printer himself, Chuck Hull, who admits he could never have guessed that his "stereolithography apparatus" would be capable of so much more than prototyping plastic parts.

In the making of this episode, we also spoke to industry insider Terry Wohlers and engineer Ramille Shah. Access the full-length interviews below.

How 3D Printing Began, Layer by Layer: An Interview with Chuck Hull

Terry Wohlers' Insight on the 3D Printing Landscape - Then and Now

Ramille Shah Talks About Bringing 3D-Bioprinting to Life

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