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Joda showcased his engineering talents in Cyber Arm III, which beat out the competition in the Grabber Arm contest of March 2000. Now, we get to meet the brains behind the arm. From his distinctive Japanese perspective, Joda takes the time to share with us his influences, his techniques, and his words of wisdom for inventors everywhere.
LEGO: Do you prefer building or programming
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JODA: I prefer building and the creation of LEGO designs, without a doubt. I must say why I choose creating with LEGO elements for my hobby: I find that it is useful for stress relief and as a communication tool for my family. In addition, I find pleasure in creating something real using my fingers, like I had done during my childhood. If this was done only in the virtual world, I would not experience what wonderful LEGO creation is all about.
So, LEGO elements are more than just play things for me.
L: After reading your personal page and invention descriptions, it is clear that both the engineering design and the aesthetic design of your inventions are very important to you. Why do you think these aspects of design are important and how do you find the right balance between the two?
J: Actually, I was surprised when I discovered that LEGO and LEGO TECHNIC elements are made from the viewpoint of Industrial Design with strength, precision, and safety for children. I found that, in each case, these elements were extremely well designed. I was shocked by this fact! I still can't believe LEGO is a "play" material. I regard a "solid feeling" as an importance in beautiful LEGO element design as a "work of art". I think my "CyberArm III" mainly expresses itself in the form of its engineering. But I believe that, in this engineering design, it is a thing of beauty.
The truth is, when I entered my "CyberArm III" in the grabber arm contest, my creation wasn't finished yet: it needed embellishments. Without them, it was like a birthday cake without icing or candles! (We Japanese say, "Though a figure of the Buddha was created, the soul was not yet in it.") Certainly, CyberArm III did work without any problems; it just lacked a few finishing touches.
When building, I wish to create my LEGO robots as works of art. So, after I applied for the grabber arm contest, I adjusted the color balance of CyberArm III. I reconstructed the pneumatic compressor and valve switch to be smaller, in order to fit into the base component. I added other mechanisms and flourishes for decoration. Ultimately, adjusting the color of the LEGO elements in my design made it more impressive than before.
It's hard for me to find the right balance between the two types of design. But I hope I can produce LEGO creations which are like the large LEGO TECHNIC sets.
L: Do you work on projects with your children? What kinds of things do you do together that involve robotics?
J: Not yet, but my next challenge is to make a very simple robot. Maybe it will use only one motor, cams, lift arms, and the thin elastic cables of the LEGO Flex System. The robot will be a reproduction of the Japanese wooden automaton made by LEGO, in Japanese a Karakuri-Ningyo. Karakuri means "mechanism" or "gimmick," and Ningyo means "doll." We may work on this project together.
L: You mentioned on your Personal Page that your son makes robots influenced by TV animation and yourself. What kinds of robots has he made?
J: Lately, my 9-year-old son creates robots with LEGO TECHNIC elements. He has already built 6 robots from TV animation. His style of robot are creatures, such as lions, dinosaurs and insects. The head, arms, legs and other parts are moveable with small turntables, hinges, axles and beams -- not by any gears or motors. My wife takes pictures of his creations with a digital camera! So, in the future he will have the photos to look back and reflect on his past works
L: Have you taught him any principles of robotics or engineering? Or does he just learn by watching you build?
J: No, not at all. He "plays" with LEGO TECHNIC gears, axles, and motors. I believe children will find principles themselves by "playing." I think it's important for parents to give their children hints only. So, my wife and I are going to teach him about mechanisms, motors, and gears with LEGO -- slowly! We are just waiting for his requests for knowledge; we don't want to force him to learn it. Maybe after he watches me build some large LEGO TECHNIC creations around my desk, he will ask to learn soon.
So, we are enjoying the fact that our son makes LEGO creations with his outrageous and dynamic ideas. Sometimes, we are very surprised with his works. Perhaps we are no match for children in imagination, but the day is soon when he requests more knowledge.
L: What things do you do that make building easier? For example, you said you have more than 30,000 LEGO pieces; how do you sort through them all to find particular pieces?
J: Now, I have 15,000 pieces (almost all LEGO TECHNIC elements) and my son has 17,000 pieces (almost all LEGO SYSTEM elements). He sorts his elements into large plastic containers. I do not have enough space for my stock of elements. So, last year, I made a very large wooden tray (18" x 22" x 2.5") that is divided into partitions -- like those of kitchen utensils -- and contains over 3,000 LEGO TECHNIC elements. This tray is portable, so I can build LEGO creations with my son in our living room. I can find elements easily, and it is just as easy to replace them. If there are too few of some elements, then I only add those to the tray when I get a new set. This is my other invention for LEGO creations. But, I did not think I would become a weekend carpenter for LEGO!
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