Queen of Robotics

Many people are still glued to the news of events in Iraq. Yet few know that
robots were and are being used there. These robots are made by iRobot, a
Massachusetts, USA-based com- pany, which is run by a woman.

Helen Greiner is the co-founder and President of iRobot Corp. iRobot,
established when Greiner was 23, has grown into a

successful, independent robotics company–the largest in the world. In the
early years, she built it into a world-class research organization by developing
robots that challenged the existing technology in mobility and intelligence.
Today, her company is delivering robots into the consumer, industrial, academic,
and military markets.

In 2002, MIT’s Technology Review named Helen as one of the Top 100
Innovators for the next century. Fortune named Helen as one of the top 10
innovators in the USA and Ernst and Young named Helen and Colin (cofounder and
CEO, iRobot) as Entrepreneurs of the Year in 2003. She holds a B.S. in
Mechanical Engineering and an M.S. in Computer Science, both from MIT. Her 16
years of experience in robotics includes authoring and co-authoring of several
prize winning papers on robotics, work at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
California and MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

The London-born Greiner’s father fled Hungary in 1956, a refugee, like
Intel’s Andy Grove. Her grandfather would risked being shot for
"advocating capitalism" if they had stayed. Her mother is from the
Yorkshire, UK. Her parents met at the university in London. Greiner’s family
moved to the USA when she was five, to Long Island. NY.

In this interview to Deepa Kandaswamy, Helen Greiner talks about her robots
at work in various parts of the world. Her company, the challenges faced by
people in technology and business, and the future of the robotics industry.

n Were you
technically inclined as a child? What influenced you to take up engineering, AI
and robots in particular?

I saw "Star Wars" when I was 11. There was something about R2D2.
He was not just a machine. He had moods, emotions, and, dare I say, his own
agenda. This was exciting to me–he was a creature, an artificial creature.

I also had a TRS-80 computer from Radio Shack that I was programming a lot to
play games and perform some useful calculations.

n Most
women in the technical field get a master’s degree or Ph.D and go on to teach
or work for others. What made you want to start a company?

I saw the work going on in research labs and universities. It was really great
stuff, but it all seemed to die when the funding ran out, or when the student
left. I found this really appalling. Seeing what happened in the computer
industry, where although research was done in universities at first, it was
really companies that made the field take off and gave us the amazing
capabilities we have today–computing power that used to be contained in a
room, is now on my watch! I knew robotics would follow the same model.
Commercial successes will drive the innovation, leading to more commercial
successes.

n Tell
us a little about how you started iRobot Corporation with Colin Angle. How did
you meet? Why this particular name?

I met Colin the first day of classes at MIT. We independently chose the same
career path so it was natural to start a company together. He is a wonderful
business partner and friend. iRobot works on many levels. First, for the
technophiles, it is the name of Isaac Asimov’s futuristic book. Second, it
combines one (the personal) with robots (the technology). It can also be thought
of as interactive, intelligent, interconnected Robots.

n Society
tends to associate only men with technology and business despite a large number
of talented and successful women in the field. What could be the reason?

People do make up reasons why women have succeeded rather than crediting
skill or intelligence. In part, this is because women are typically more modest
than men about their accomplishments.

Could it be because women in business are unable to market
themselves the way men do? For example, we can’t think of Microsoft without
thinking of Bill Gates.

There are many good companies that don’t rely on star power
of an executive. They build up good decision making processes. Rather than rely
on one person (see Jim Collin’s "From Good to Great", one of my
favorites). This is a safer bet…and you can use many dotcoms star executives
as examples (Bill Gross, Tony Lenk, Reed Slatkin).

I don’t think women must act like Gates to run a company or
to be successful. Building teams, solving problems, and juggling many things at
once are things that women do very well, and things that corporate executives
need to do to be successful.

n Why
do you think there is a perceived disassociation between women and technology in
society? Do you think the feminist movement failed to support women in business
and technology in the past few decades?

I don’t perceive this dissociation. I love technology. I do always hate it
when a woman says "I can’t understand technology". Many times it
seems to be a call for reassurance, not a true statement of ability. The problem
is that little girls hearing this may feel that technology is not for them.

MAGIC CLEAN: A breakthrough in home cleaning, Roomba is a new offering from iRobot. It is the first automatic vacuum in the US, cleaning your floors all by itself. Well, it just about does everything for you–sweeps and vacuums just about any home floor surface and its compact shape allows it to clean completely under beds, tables and other furniture

I have actually never perceived chauvinism in my time at MIT
or at the company (though high school was different). I realize that this is
because of the sacrifices of the generation of women just before me.

n There’s
this perception that girls like to play with dolls and boys with cards and
planes. Do you think iRobot’s products can change that?

I, for one, was always was jealous of my brother’s radio controlled cars
and electronics sets. In fact I sometimes took them. I think it does kids harm
not to see what they gravitate towards and make toy selections appropriately.
However, when my family got a computer (since it was not historically gender
branded) I claimed it.

But maybe we build the coolest stuff here at iRobot because I
didn’t get it as a child easily.

n Could
you tell us about your robots used in the UK?

This robot is called the PackBot EOD and detects bombs and disarms them. The
Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) package includes a disrupter mount, safe
firing system, 8DOF arm, smart fiber optic spooler and disruptor. We hope the
PackBot EOD will become standard around the world. Like our reconnaissance
robots it will reduce risk to soldiers and bomb technicians. The base PackBot
unit is the same as the ones deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Future? In 15 years, 1/3 of all military vehicles will be unmanned, say US military officials

When a bomb is left by a terrorist, the robot goes in and
destroys it. They do this with a disruptor that shoots out a high speed slug of
water which destroys the electronics. They could also pick it up and move it.
This keeps people from going near these life-threatening devices.

n Your
robots, the PackBots are being used in Iraq and Afghanistan. Are they both one
and the same?

The base chassis is the same. The robots used in Iraq by 101st Airborne
Division are called PackBot Scouts. They’re used to search vehicle, airfields,
buildings and land for booby traps and mines. They can also detect arms caches.
We have added more payloads to the ones going to Iraq. Some have chemical,
nuclear, and gas sensing capabilities. Now they can go into a potential Chemical
Agent facility instead of a person putting himself in harms way. The latest
batches also have EOD payloads similar to the ones used in UK.

n And
in Afghanistan?

Surveillance and security robots are used in Afghanistan. These robots are
equipped with multiple cameras, sensors and grenade launchers which first screen
the area for safety, so that allied troops are safe from surprise attacks by the
Al-Qaeda terrorists hiding in the cave complexes.

n Do
you have plans to produce assistive robot for the disabled?

No purely assistive robots. But one of our robots, called the Co-worker
could really help the elderly and incapacitated. Imagine a version in an elderly
relative’s house. You could log in and visit with them anytime, from anywhere.
And the, maybe it could start to help them more and more on its own-finding
misplaced glasses or fetching medicines.

n How
do you think the field of robotics will affect the aviation, defense and space
industries?

According to high ranking US military officials within 15 years, 1/3 of all
military vehicles will be unmanned. In addition, robots will be used by
individual soldiers to reduce danger. We used them in New York for search and
rescue missions in the aftermath of 9/11, security operations in Afghanistan and
now in Iraq.

n What
are your predictions for the robotic industry 25 years from now? Do you think it
will change the way we live dramatically?

Technology predictions never hold up for more than 20 years. From Production
of oil, to industrial cleaning, to mining, robots will change industries. On the
home front, within 5 years robots will be cleaning floors and acting as remote
eyes and ears. Within 15 years, they will act as true personal assistants and
friends.

n What
is your personal vision for iRobot?

Our robots taking on all dangerous jobs. A robot in every office building. A
robot in every home that has a computer. We will change the world with this
technology.

Deepa Kandasamy

The author is a writer-engineer based in Trichy, TN, whose
articles have been published in five continents, including in Dataquest, PC
World, The Hindu,The New India Express, The Christian Science Monitor, Herizon
(Canada) and Khaleej Times (UAE). Her article in Dataquest on the "Talibanism
of Technology" was nominated for a UN media award and voted best
non-fiction article of 2003 http:/www.anotherealm.com/ prededitors/vote0308.htm