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SOUL Tech

Robotics chat with Amazon
Shawnigan roboticists, past and present, came together over Zoom recently to enjoy a fireside chat with Brad Porter, Vice President and Distinguished Engineer, Robotics at Amazon.
 
This unique robotics opportunity, facilitated and supported by the creative vision of philanthropist Carl Bradley ’78 (Groves’) and the Bradley Family Foundation, saw a group of over 40 current students, alumni, Headmaster Larry Lamont and Shawnigan’s robotics instructors gather for an online presentation and Q&A session with one of North America’s top roboticists.
 
Alumni in attendance included Dennis Ren ’14 (Duxbury), the founder of the Shawnigan robotics program who now works for Apple in hardware development, as well as Parker Hutcheson ’15 (Copeman's), Damian Parlee ’15 (Duxbury), Dendy Addison ’16 (Lonsdale’s), John Yang ’17 (Ripley's), Stefan Esquivel ’18 (Lonsdale's), and Josh Wheeler ’19 (Lake's).
 
Mr. Porter talked about some of Amazon’s current robotics projects, including Prime Air drone delivery systems, Scout sidewalk delivery robots and fulfilment centre robots. He also addressed how Amazon has adapted in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, including its use of robots for safety and cleanliness protocols and the company’s work to scale up the 3-D print production of effective and affordable masks.
 
He then responded to a series of insightful questions from students and alumni, including queries about how Amazon protects robots out in the world, how scaling-up production to millions of items at short notice happens, the legal aspects of technology start-ups, and a bit about his own journey into robotics, including what advice that he would give himself as an computer programming undergrad. Mr. Porter was also excited to discuss the game released for next year’s VEX Robotics Competition and shared some of his thoughts and ideas about how the ShawkBots might approach their robotic designs.


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We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.