We are Hiring! Job Title: Roboticist Apprentice Extraordinaire

December 20th, 2011

We are looking to add a new member to the team. If you would love to get paid to build robots read on.

If you have a place to share this post, by all means, please do! Help us spread the word and help give someone their dream job.

Job Title:  Roboticist Apprentice Extraordinaire

Where? Chicago far west suburbs (Downers Grove, 60515) (With future relocation to Chicago)
How much? 25K to 35K depending on experience and fit
When? We hope to hire the right fit before end of February 2012
Relocate? We are happy to consider the right applicant from outside Chicagoland. We cannot cover all the relocation costs, but for the right rock star we will help out. Also, expect a trial work period before moving permanently to see if we like each other.

Trossen Robotics is looking to add another member to the team. The optimal applicant will be able to handle very very long hours, extremely sarcastic work environments, have a diverse skill set (IE: customer service skills are as good as engineering skills), readily tackle challenging projects, and be able to hold their own in Halo Firefight.

Was GLaDOS of little challenge to you? Do you have a lot of FINISHED electronics and/or mechanical projects that you built lying around your house? Can you be in the zone with Tool/Puscifer/NIN/Ministry/insert-other-awesome-industrial-genius-here blaring on the sound system? Did school bore you because your mind is so brilliant that you were smarter than all your teachers? How many things have you ripped apart, just because you just had to know how it ticked? Does your narwhal bacon at midnight? Are you willing to burn the midnight oil to get projects done? Not because you were told to, but because you can’t sleep until you see it working. Do you want to feel like the work you do is having an impact outside your cubical? Do you not want to work in a cubicle? Good, we don’t have them.

Not-the-most-fun-grunt-things-you-will-have-to-do-part-of-the-time-just-like-the-rest-of-the-team – Help in the warehouse, restock inventory, pack orders, help build kits and count things, process RMAs, answer the same question on the phone with a friendly voice 843 times a year, sing for superiors on command… okay not really.

Main-duties-we-need-lots-of-help-in-right-now – product entry, writing product pages, product photography, project/product videos, blogging, project write-ups, code examples, production runs on laser CNC machine (yes, you can wear a lab coat and be a REAL laser scientist), running community contests, participating in said community, build demo kits and robots, creating product manuals, customer service (talking to customers about robots, answering product related questions), tech support, and in general being an awesome team player.

The-awesome-stuff-you-can’t-believe-you-get-paid-to-do-that-you-will-get-to-do-if-you-get-your-daily-chores-done – assist in mechanical design and programming on robotics products and kits, create & build fun DIY projects and robots, be a part of the product development and prototyping discussion, build giant killer 6-legged robots armed with paintball guns (we’re already half-way there), come up with great ideas to generate PR and viral videos, and did we mention robots? You get to build robots. That is awesome, in case you were wondering.

You will probably be put through the ringer and made fun of a lot in your first six months, but the bright side is that then you will get to make fun of and ridicule the next person we hire. That is how it works. The other bright side is that you will get to be paid to build robots, learn engineering, programming, marketing, community building, laser science, warehouse management (Meaning putting stuff in boxes and closing them. With tape. Repeatedly.), and be proud to be a part of building a great new company.

Seriously, we rock and roll while we work, and we have a good time, BUT we have a very fast paced environment here and we all work very hard. We get a lot done fast because we love what we do and we want to be the best at it. We are very well known in the community and are expanding our offerings rapidly.

We really would like to find someone who is already familiar with the DIY Arduino community and has already done some Arduino projects, but we are flexible. If you don’t know Arduino, then you should at least know programming in C++, python, or processing etc. Must be self reliant and not only be able to do projects unsupervised, we expect you to come back with ideas on how to improve things. We expect the right candidate to be constantly learning and improving their own skill set. A large part of the job will be doing product page write ups, manuals, project write ups, etc. So you will need to know how to write very well and quickly about technical subjects. This is a deal breaker if you can’t. Please be ready to show us something that proves you can communicate in print.

Exact definition of the position is to be determined. We would rather find brilliant hard working innovators and mold the right position around them than to predefine something rigid. Please send resume with cover letter to jobs@trossenrobotics.com. Yes, we are serious about the cover letter. If you can’t take the time to write one and let us know this really hits your passion buttons, then you really shouldn’t be taking a shot at it. Plus, there was that whole thing above about the job being largely about writing stuff. We look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,
The Trossen Robotics Team

Download the full job description here as PDF

Robot Gift Guide

December 6th, 2011

It’s that time of year again. Time to encourage our little brainiacs to engineer stuff. Because if we don’t, who is going to invent our future immortal robohuman brainswapping technology for us when we are old and frail? Think ahead people. Always be planning.

Trossen Robotics Robot Gift Guide

 

Maximum Security CaseMod

November 22nd, 2011

Maximum Security CaseMod

Our friend Will Lyon from over at thebestcasescenario.com is a master Computer Mod Designer. If you don’t believe me you can check out his latest project called Maximum Security. This badboy looks like he was yanked off the Nebuchadnezzar from the Matrix.

The project sports a liquid cooling system, LCD readout, RedBee RFID reader and self opening door powered by a Firgelli Linear Actuator. Checkout the project thread here and the video below. Nice job Will!

R/C Steampunk Trike

November 16th, 2011

Not exactly a robot. Awesome nonetheless.

That is all.

Watch the video.

Stop reading this.

Now. I mean it.

Rocket Brand Studios now open!

November 11th, 2011

Our friend Chris the Carpenter has finally launched his own robot shop, Rocket Brand Studios, with some awesome Arduino and Picaxe based kits and components! He has been a driving force among robot hobbyists and the LMR community, and we’re eager to see what sort of products pop up from his creative mind. We have already picked up a few of his items, so keep your eyes peeled for some new items from Rocket Brand Studios!

DSO Nano v2 Pocket Oscilloscope Price Slash – GONE!

October 18th, 2011
DSO Nano v2 Pocket Oscilloscope

DSO Nano v2 Pocket Oscilloscope

We are making room for new stuff. We still have 8 of the V2 DSO Nano in stock. We’ve slashed the price on these wonderful pocket sized oscilloscopes. (Was 99.95 now 59.95) If you were wanting one of these for your workshop, now would be the time to grab one ;)

SOLD OUT!

MORAV Project Needs Your Help!

October 10th, 2011

Fon Davis and his production company Fonco Creative are good friends of Trossen Robotics; they’re our neighbors at Robogames and they even were kind enough to lend their superb modeling skills in designing and building the arena for Mech Warfare!

MORAV has been a pet project of Fon’s for a number of years now, and he’s finally reached a point where it needs some extra help to get off the ground. Up to now, it has been exclusively self-funded and built from volunteered time. This is the true definition of a grass roots project, and something that is truly a labor of love for all of those involved.

They’re in the process of building a set to shoot a pilot for “MORAV: Missions” and need your help! They started a Kickstarter with a goal of $39,782 and they’re almost there! Every dollar counts, and there are less than 72 hours left for the donation deadline and they must meet the goal amount to receive even a single penny. If you’re a fan of giant robots blowing things up, awesome sci-fi stories, and grassroots efforts pursuing dreams, stand up and help out!

And check out this plug with Mythbuster’s Grant Imahara!

My Keepon says take me home!

September 27th, 2011

Keepon bopped into our hearts in 2007 dancing to Spoon’s “I Keep My Camera On.” It was an instant love affair and everyone wanted him. Problem was, Keepon is a research bot and cost a wee bit too much. On April 1st 2009 we came out with what we thought was a much better and affordable version. (Video here.) But we must have missed the mark somehow because we didn’t sell any…

But now you can finally own an official Keepon called MyKeepon and preorders are already available.  The price has dropped a little from 30K to $50. So he might fit into a few more Christmas budgets this year.

Another great bonus is that sales of MyKeepon help to fund Autism research. For those of us who have a loved one with Autism that is great news. Read more about the original research here.

New Phidgets!

September 23rd, 2011

Phidgets is just fun to say, Phidgets! Phidgets! Phidgets! The Phidget people of the Phidget company have made more Phidgets.

Phidget Temperature Sensor IR

Phidget Temperature Sensor IR

Phidget Temperature Sensor IR

How hot is your baby? The 1045 is an intelligent non-contact temperature sensor with a 10° field of view and a USB interface for easy connection to your computer. It measures the temperature of objects placed within its cone of detection.



Phidget Analog 4-Output

Phidget Analog 4-Output

Phidget Analog 4-Output

Gimme some juice! The PhidgetAnalog 4-Output Produces a voltage over -10V to +10V. This voltage will be asserted up to +-20mA. An error will be reported when this current is exceeded, and the voltage the customer is getting is no longer accurate. The voltage is produced with 12 bit resolution (4.8mV).



Phidgets Dual SSR Relay

Phidgets Dual SSR Relay

Phidgets Dual SSR Relay

Double your pleasure. The SSR Board is safe to use with sensitive control devices like microprocessors, and will not damage a Phidget device or your PC. Optoisolation between the control inputs and outputs of the SSR in the form of a GaAs LED paired with a set of optically-controlled MOSFETs provides protection from output to input. An on-board 47V bidirectional transorb across the relay output protects the board from static electricity and surges from inductive loads.



Phidget Sound Sensor

Phidget Sound Sensor

Phidget Sound Sensor

Can you hear me now? (Really, what other quip did you think we would use here?)  The Phidget Sound Sensor can be used to detect sounds, and approximate how loud the sound is. The 1133 measures sound across a very wide range, with a frequency range of 100Hz to 8kHz and pressure level from 50dB to 100dB.



Phidgets MotorControl 1-Motor

Phidgets MotorControl 1-Motor

Phidgets MotorControl 1-Motor

  • Controls direction, velocity and acceleration of one DC Motor
  • Requires external Power Supply (9 to 28VDC)
  • Built-in 2 digital inputs, 2 analog inputs, 1 encoder input
  • Protected against over-current, over-voltage, and over-temperature
  • Connects directly to a computer’s USB Port



Phidgets USB Isolator

Phidgets USB Isolator

Phidgets USB Isolator

You aren’t a serious hacker/builder/maker until you have burned out a few USB ports. We’ve been there too many times to count. That sudden moment of, “Wait, what? Why did everything just stop working?” The USB Isolator is designed to protect your PC from harmful voltage that can flow from devices attached to your PC through the USB cable. The isolator is inserted between the Phidgets board and your PC.



Phidgets GPS

Phidgets GPS

Phidgets GPS

Do you get lost often? Have your robots inherited this trait from their master? The Phidget GPS provides the longitude and latitude of the board’s position in signed decimal degree format. The position accuracy (best case) is 2.5m CEP (Circular Error of Probability).

The 1040 also provides altitude, heading and velocity as well as the time and date. It will also let you know when it has a satellite fix.

The PhidgetGPS has a 3V rechargeable lithium battery to provide “hot starts” by remembering its previous positions. With a live battery, the 1040 can perform a signal re-acquisition in less than 1 second. The battery provides up to 1 month of operation before having to be recharged. Recharging an empty battery takes 24 hours.

B-Squares: Modular Solar-powered Electrics

September 9th, 2011

Simple modular development kits have been somewhat of a unicorn in the safari of hobby electronics offerings. Many have tried, but to date there have been no break away success story yet. B-Squares is a new contender in the running and they are adding solar power to the mix along with an Ipod dock and an attractive form factor.

Previously we had Buglabs take a shot at this genre of product and it appears that they are still around, but it is unclear how long they will stay with $699 to $1,500 (!!!) price tags. It is hard to imagine anyone who wants to tinker with blocks having that kind of cash to burn to do so.

Modular Robotics has their cute little cubelets which shrink everything down and add robotics into the mix with options for drive cubes and range sensing. Also, a far more reasonable price. These look like great educational kits for teachers that want to get young kids excited about engineering.

B-squares with roughly a $25 price tag per square right now hits a nice price point and are being very smart by leveraging arduino compatibility. (You can pre-order on kickstarter and help these become reality) These stand a good chance of being popular at places like thinkgeek.com.