Video: Robot basketball and a new generation of geeks

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Washington FIRST Robotics is holding its annual regional competition at the Century Link Events Center in Seattle today and Saturday, and we got a chance to stop by the event yesterday afternoon to talk to the students in the pits and check out some of the practice rounds. Here are some of the video highlights… Read More…

Geeks Who Give Back: Kevin Ross, Washington FIRST Robotics

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[Editor's Note: GeekWire has identified more than a dozen "Geeks Who Give Back" -- people who work in non-profits, mentor others and invest in the future of the tech community. They were all featured in the GeekWire 2012 Calendar, given out at the GeekWire Gala. As 2011 draws to a close, we'll highlight one of... Read More…

Newsmakers 2011: Yoky Matsuoka links humans to devices, from thermostats to robots

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Yoky Matsuoka has long been interested in the frontiers of human interaction with machines, exploring new ways for the nervous system to work in conjunction with robotics and other mechanical devices. In 2011 the University of Washington associate professor pushed that work forward on two fronts — inside the research lab, and inside a thermostat…. Read More…

Mind meets machine: $18.5M grant for new UW center to meld humans, devices

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An $18.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation will fund a new Engineering Research Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering on the University of Washington campus — a place where researchers will figure out new ways for the human nervous system to work in conjunction with robotics and other mechanical devices. The initiative will build… Read More…

Nerd Notes: Whales inspire pianos, bugs inspire robots and marijuana inspires Ziggy

Marijuanaman: Celebrating 4/20 everyday.

How to fix any computer by The Oatmeal. Kohler introduces new $6,000 “smart” toilet. The perfect place to spend the day listening to music, heating your feet and spritzing your biz. You know what they say about Tweeting and the length of your relationship… Meet Hector, the insect inspired robot. He’s a total creep. There’s… Read More…

Geek of the Week: Erica McGillivray, GeekGirlCon

(Photo: Annie Laurie Malarkey)

We’re kicking off a new feature today, a GeekWire “Geek of the Week” honor for the Pacific Northwest technology community. We thought it was only appropriate to start with Erica McGillivray, president of GeekGirlCon, a Seattle-based nonprofit holding its first annual convention later this year. As you’ll see from her answers (and picture) below, Erica’s… Read More…

March Madness for Robots (Video)

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Who cares about basketball when there are robots to watch? The Seattle regionals for the FIRST high-school robotics competition start Friday morning at the Qwest Field Events Center in Seattle, leading up to the championship rounds on Saturday afternoon. Competing to advance to the national championships in St. Louis will be 83 teams from Washington… Read More…