Zygbotics, Inc. is a Robotics 2.0 startup specializing in open source human-robot interaction (HRI) and humanoid robotics research and manufacturing in the United States. Robotics is poised to become one of the most exciting and expansive growth markets for technology in the 21st century.
Robotics 2.0 refers to the idea of social robotics – that is, autonomous robots that interact with humans and other robots in order to exchange information, work together on problems, or simply to study communication methods, rather than simply interacting in the command-response format most commonly used today. This shift in market thinking will greatly enhance our ability to study robots – but also humans, and the way both creatures learn, grow, and interact.
Zygbotics will produce a series of increasingly complex and advanced robotics development boards, designated as The Robotics 2.0 Development Board, which will be combined with flexible and ubiquitous software libraries to provide “metadata” control of robots. The launch of the Robotics 2.0 Development boards will be made available through the Twitbotics Platform.
Jeffrey Walker, CEO & Owner: Jeffrey lives and works in the Greater Boston area, where he explores the technological, socio-cultural, and educational dimensions of the expanding humanoid robotics industry. Previous to starting Zygbotics, Jeffrey was a research associate at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City. He holds M.A. degrees in both religion and history, as well as an Ed.M. in comparative & international education.
Peter Stolmar, CTO: Whether designing a simple user interface in C++ or Java, integrating open source tools to create a collaborative web application, or building a robotics development board, Peter’s designs and ideas combine 7 years of experience in various technology positions, including Director- and C-level roles, with a primary focus on helping humans solve problems and interact with each other in new and better ways, breaking down the many barriers of communication and learning we face with current systems. Peter makes his home in the San Francisco Bay area.
Brian Davidson, Senior IT Project Manager & CFO: Residing in Los Angeles, Brian brings extensive IT consulting & project management experience within an international context. Brian has worked with start-ups and multi-nationals in the US and throughout Europe. Brian holds an MBA in Information Systems from St. Cloud State University.
Julie Carpenter, Consultant: Julie is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Washington in Educational psychology/Learning Sciences, with a specialization in Human Robot Interaction. Julie’s research focuses on user expectations of humanoid robots (roles, behaviors, appearance, communication) in learning situations, which can aid in the development of androids that are effective in human collaborative/team or training situations.
William Self, Robotics & Software Specialist: William is the founder & CEO of RoBe:Do Robotics and has over 10 years experience building robots, as well as more than 20 years of software product engineering experience.
Matt Mills, Developer: Matt holds a B.S. in Economics/History from The College of William and Mary and a B.S. in Software Engineering from the University of Advancing Technologies. His focus is on Flash design and code, processing, CSS/DHTML, and interaction design. Matt lives in Phoenix.
