My name is Damon Padgett and I have a love and passion for robots and machines. I've wanted to build cool robots since I was in elementary school. As a child I would spend hours and hours with my Lego sets trying to build things that I would see on TV, anything from spaceships, boats, tanks, to cars and robots. As I got older this passion continued to grow and I was introduced to hobby level radio controlled kits. They were awesome! It was like building a plastic model car kit, but with the added bonus that you can actually drive it once it is complete. This only served to strengthen my desire to become an engineer. I was blessed to be able to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology and graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in August 1999.
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| Me in the Grad machine shop |
While attending Ga. Tech I was able to develop my mechanical design and machining skills using their facilities. I was also given the opportunity to compete in the very first Battlebots competition held in Long Beach Ca. in 1999. If you're not familiar with Battlebots let me explain what it was. It was a televised show in which teams would pit fighting robots against each other in a enclosed arena. It was a great show with many different and unique robots. My teammate Brad and I were able to create our tank like robot named Stinger and wound up finishing with a record of 1 win, 2 losses to end our season. I grew from this experience and would later use it to establish Tactical Robotic Solutions, Inc. a company created to design robotic platforms for Law Enforcement. With TRS I was able to create several robotic platforms over the course of four years.
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| Stinger in the pits @Battlebots 1999 |
The Spider mobile robot was our flagship device and was used with the Cobb County police dept. for some time. I also developed one of the first pepper ball shooting mobile robot platforms, it was called the Badger. Lastly, after further developing my skills with various plastics and metals, I was able to create a robotic platform for a company in Wi. called the ETGI 02. This is my most advanced scratch built robot platform to date. It has two video cameras, a movable boom arm with pan and tilt, a waterproof microphone, and external speaker, removable rechargeable battery, a wifi connection, and is driven via an xbox 360 controller.
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| Spider Robot platform |
Now I am using my knowledge of engineering principles, mechanical design, programming, and practical ingenuity to teach young people how to think and apply these tools for problem solving. I've worked with several different students, both one on one and in a group setting, on helping them develop a problem solving skill set. Last year I held the first TRS robotic challenge where two teams were pitted against each other in a robotic bomb disposal challenge. Both teams had great fun in trying to accomplish the strategies set forth by me that would fulfill the missions. I look forward to being able to share the knowledge and experience that I have with your student in the near future.
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| ETGI 02 Promo ad |
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