Qualcomm Robotics Accelerator Spotlight: Reach Robotics

Qualcomm partnered with Techstars in 2015 to launch a 16 week, 10 team Robotics Accelerator boasting an eclectic collection of ideas ripe for commercialization. Some projects stand alone as consumer products for lifestyle and entertainment, but many fit into puzzles of emerging infrastructure models from drone systems to medical applications. The convergence of these ideas in the near future is as exciting as the individual groups alone.

Reach Robotics teaches young people to program robotic systems in a fun and engaging way. They are developing a robotic battling game in which two players can link up through a mobile application in order to battle their inventions in real-time. Players continuously duel in order to win upgrades. These spider-like robots strike at each other, registering "physical" damage within the software. They also have imaginary laser cannons which, when fired, register as "digital" damage within the game.

The team at Reach is committed to introducing robotics and STEM skills to a younger generation. Users will be able to customize their models, swap out different parts, and even tinker with a motion editor to create their own gestures and movement styles. This effort toward accessible development kits and software is timed well with the growing, maturing robotics industry.

Reach Robotics favors in-depth customization and personalization, borrowing elements of RPG gaming. It's a great way to introduce technology in familiar terms that are engaging to young people. It's a way frame the kind of conceptual needed in various existing- or soon to be existing- industries. Manufacturing, municipal infrastructure, emergency response are already seeing integration with robotic applications.

Giving users simplified, modular hardware and intuitive software takes away the painstaking process of trial-and-error engineering and allows enthusiasts to be creative. Because there is a growing global competition to master these new technological domains, many industries requires upcoming professionals to be fluid in these concepts. This type of edutainment is certainly applicable to this effort.

#robotics #gameplay