Opinion

Throwback to 2010: my first robot, SPIDEE-1

This blast from the past came up in my news feed today. In 2010 I didn’t know anything about building robots, I didn’t have CNC machines or laser cutters or even a 3D printer. I made my first parts from foam core and hot glue! Wild times, wild times.

Point being don’t let your tools stop you, don’t let your talent stop you. All you have to do is have the will to figure out a solution.

If there’s one piece of advice I can add… Someone already went through the pain of figuring out an easier way to do things. I’ve been there so many times: working on some small job N times and it’s always around N*90% that things start to get into a really good rhythm and I wonder “why couldn’t someone show me this technique at the start?”. So my point! My point: you find them and copy their method? That’s called “doing your homework”. You refine it and get really good at it? That’s called “practice”. Do these things. They help you get better faster, the most efficient way to make more stuff.

Unless you know a faster way. Then tell me because I want to copy your method.