Life in the robotic lab

A new beginning (3 of 3)

Well, if you was curious and you "googled" the words "robot abu dhabi", you already know the end of this story.
I will be brief: everything was so fast! The last tests in the morning, the preparation of the stage and the conference press at the beginning of the evening.
There was not time to think or worry: at 20:00 o'clock the official presentation started.
When I remember the 20 minutes of the demo, I can just say that I was so concentrated monitoring that everything was running correctly, that I did not have the time to stop thinking about how important that moment was.
This time I will not give you any boring detail... just enjoy the video.

Well, in few words, everything was fine! Applauds, hugs, hand shaking, interview with the press, answers to the public... and then, a shisha (smoking water pipe) in front of the sea to celebrate.

A chapter of the project (and a chapter of my life) closed that day. I have been looking at that event for many months, thinking that it would represent the end of something very important for me, a milestone, an exam...

But immediately I realized that it is just a new starting point. thanks to the success of the demo, the REEM team has now a new and (even) more ambitious project. My dear reader, the best is yet to come!

5. The italian job (September 2002)

Well, I was back in Italy and I was enthusiastic: I was going to create an Italian team of RoboCup that would be just mine. Looking behind my shoulders, I wonder why I was SO sure that I could made it.
After all, it would be bloody difficult to find money, people and time to do it all... but I have never doubted about myself.
I started hanging posters at the faculty with the phrase: "do you want to participate to the robotics soccer world championship? Join our team and build a humanoid robot".
(I am not sure it was written EXACTLY with these words, but it was something like that).
I received a dozen of "CV" and one day I had a meeting with the people that answered my call to explain them what RoboCup is and which was the "plan".
Then, I selected 5 of them... the core that few weeks later become the ISAAC TEAM (the name "Isaac" comes, of course, from Isaac Asimov).
Then, one of trickiest parts of my project: to find money and support from my University (that is not famous for funding bold projects...).
I decided to go to the department of Robotic and Automation, but at the beginning I have found just a lot of professors looking at me like I was drunk.... "nice idea, but... try to knock to the next door".
So I did: I knocked to all the doors, until I get to professor Giuseppe Menga.
Our chat it is still indelibly written in my memory, and it was more or less like this:

Me:" I would like to build a humanoid robot to participate to the world robotic championship and I need the support of Polytechnic."
Prof.: "Hummm... look, I am doing a little project to build a small Segway using Lego, why don't you give me an hand with that?"
Me: "No, I guess I didn't explain myself very well. I want to build a humanoid robot. You know, with legs, arms, torso..."
Prof.: "That is far too hard, it will need at least 10 motors".
Me: "Well, actually we must use 12 motors just on the legs..."
Prof.: "you will need 2 more people helping you."
Me: " Actually I have planned to have a team of 6 people, and I have already found most of them."

Few seconds of silence...

Prof.: "You are not able to do it!"
Me: "I am!!!"
Prof.: "You will not find the money."

I laughed.

Me: " may be you are right just on this point."
He took some seconds to reflect, then he told me: "Ok, I will help you".

And that was the really beginning of the Isaac Project.