A Panasonic VR-005 CII from RobotWorx will be featured on a special "Robots" episode of The History Channel's Sliced this Saturday. An interview with Associate Producer for the episode, Jeff Boedeker, explains how this came about.
RobotWorx: Why did you decide to focus on industrial robots in this episode?
Sliced: The robots episode has quite a few different types of robots. But we wanted to include a revolutionary robot that has changed and helped how people work - that is industrial robotic arm.
The robotic arm is by far the most complex and intelligent robot in our episode. We knew we would not have a robotics episode if we did not showcase the very important role industrial robots play in the world of robotics.
RobotWorx: Why should audiences watch this particular episode?
Sliced: This series is what we consider "infotainment". It may not appeal to the serious engineer, and it may not be the most practical way to see how robots work - but it is fun and very informative to the everyday American. Anyone who is even slightly interested in robots will enjoy the episode. It is a light program to learn, in a very unusual and fun way, how an eclectic mix of robots work.
RobotWorx: While researching this episode and cutting into the robot, what were the most surprising things you found out about industrial robots?
Sliced: We had a blast with the setup and slice of the robot. We work in a very visual medium, so we knew going into this it was going to be one of the more difficult episodes to produce. We had to focus on the visual, and were surprised that each joint has its own motor. Perhaps to those in the industry this would be very obvious, but for us, we assumed there was just one big motor at the bottom the powered and controlled the whole unit. Instead, we learned, it is actually quite similar to a human arm.
RobotWorx: What made you decide to work with us?
Sliced: RobotWorx was an easy find online, as with many companies. However, we can quickly tell which company will be a good fit for the program and television production. RobotWorx was a perfect fit.
First, we found the RobotWorx was one of the most respected companies in the industry. Information is key to creating television, as we produce content we initially have little to no knowledge about. Obtaining this information with a quick turnaround is not always easy with large companies.
RobotWorx has been incredibly accessible to our management and producing team, and we have had an open line of communication - something not always available with companies. In short, we were excited to produce this episode, and RobotWorx was excited to help us make it the best possible program of the series. That's a great recipe for an easy collaboration.
RobotWorx: How was the experience working with RobotWorx staff /product?
Sliced: [RobotWorx has] perhaps been the easiest to work with throughout the season. The openness and accessibility, matched with very accurate information, has made our jobs much easier. One of the challenges of the program is simplifying it for our general audience, and for the production team. RobotWorx gets that and has helped translate the complex language and workings of its industrial robotic arm to an understandable form.
And that's not all...
RobotWorx' industrial robot will share the spotlight with a Roomba vacuum cleaner and Zoltar fortune-teller. Tune in this Saturday, October 2nd at 8AM to see robots sliced and diced.
www.history.com/shows/sliced
