You may think you’re a pretty geeky dad, but this dude has got you beat. Meet Nao Maru. Here’s how he’s described in the intro to a must-read interview in the current Robot magazine:
Nao Maru works hard all week designing complex casting molds that are used to produce large metal valves, the type used for water distribution systems and industrial applications. And, like most of us, he likes to spend his free evenings and weekends with his family relaxing and enjoying sports and hobbies that they all love.
The big difference is that for the Maru Family their hobby of choice turns to to be winning humanoid robot competitions. In less that two years Maru and his two young sons went from complete novices to winning the ROBO-ONE 10 championship against the best humanoid robot builders Japan has to offer.
The article isn’t online, so I’ve scanned the four pages in here. Click on the thumbnails for full-size versions:
BTW, Robot Magazine is highly recommended if you’re into amateur robotics; what it misses in production value and writing quality, it more than makes up in ‘bot tips, news and reviews. Plus the ads are really interesting! Since most of the content isn’t online, it’s worth subscribing to the print version.
