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James McLurkin BiographyJames McLurkin is a senior engineer at Google, working on hardware development.
Prior to this position, he was an Assistant Professor at Rice University in the Department of Computer Science for almost 10 years.
As a child, McLurkin was constantly building with LEGO bricks, cardboard boxes, or any other materials he could get his hands on. Today, McLurkin continues this tradition. Using Mother Nature as a model, his core research is developing distributed algorithms for multi-robot systems: the software for large swarms of autonomous robots. Inspired by the behavior of ants and bees, the SwarmBots perform individual tasks that collectively contribute to the goals of the group. They were originally created during his five-year post as Lead Research Scientist at iRobot, one of the world's leading robotics companies.
Since 1995, McLurkin has lectured extensively at companies and universities such as the Smithsonian Museum, Harvard University, Infosys, IBM, and Honda. He is dedicated to illustrating the fun and excitement in science and engineering, and teaches classes to students of all ages, from elementary school to graduate school. He cherishes his "Nerd Pride", and uses it to help excite the next generation of engineers and scientists.
McLurkin is a native of New York, where his parents encouraged his inventiveness and engineering prowess at a young age. From LEGO bricks to BMX bicycling to programming self-designed video games, he quickly became consumed by his passion for engineering. He built his first robot, Rover, in 1988, and quickly followed it with many other designs, including the Robotic Ants created at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab for his undergraduate thesis. McLurkin recounts, "I remember when I was in the 7th grade and saw the MIT Mechatronics (2.70) Design Competition on a NOVA television special. I thought, wow, that's the coolest thing on the planet." The program featured a behind-the-scenes look at students working in a machine shop, using huge tools to build robots. "I was amazed at the machines they were building and the intensity of the competition... and I realized that's what I wanted to do, and that's where I wanted to go to school."
In 2003, McLurkin received the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize, which is awarded to burgeoning MIT student inventors. Also in 2003, he was recognized by Time Magazine as one of five leading robotics engineers in their "Rise of the Machines" feature, and by Black Enterprise magazine as a "Best and Brightest Under 40." In 2002, he was featured in the Lemelson Center's nationwide interactive traveling exhibit, Invention at Play, which began at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
He holds a S.B. in electrical engineering with a minor in mechanical engineering from MIT, a M.S. in electrical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a S.M. and Ph.D. in computer science from MIT.
Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on James McLurkin and other top speakers and celebrities.
-The presentation starts with a lighthearted look at society's views on robots, Hollywood's portrayal of them, the current state of the art, and the future of the technology. Philosophical questions about the nature of intelligence are discussed, as they pose serious problems for the creation of artificially intelligent devices. The final conclusion? Robots are phenomenally stupid and we should be more concerned about the next asteroid strike than a robotic rebellion. In spite of this, robots are still useful, and swarms are the future of robotics. McLurkin explains the need for swarms of robots and the technology required to produce their group behaviors. Live robot demonstrations and video clips of the swarm in action punctuate these main points. The presentation concludes with an autobiographical sketch that traces the events, ideas, and toys that have influenced McLurkin's career. Starting with cardboard boxes and tape, moving through LEGO and video games, this high-energy slide show concludes with a behind-the-scenes look at the construction of the iRobot Swarm.
James McLurkin, Assistant Professor, Rice University Department of Computer Science. "Some potential application areas for swarms of robots are: cooperative ...
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James McLurkin is a senior engineer at Google, working on hardware development.
Prior to this position, he was an Assistant Professor at Rice University in the Department of Computer Science for almost 10 years.
As a child, McLurkin was constantly building with LEGO bricks, cardboard boxes, or any other materials he could get his hands on. Today, McLurkin continues this tradition. Using Mother Nature as a model, his core research is developing distributed algorithms for multi-robot systems: the software for large swarms of autonomous robots. Inspired by the behavior of ants and bees, the SwarmBots perform individual tasks that collectively contribute to the goals of the group. They were originally created during his five-year post as Lead Research Scientist at iRobot, one of the world's leading robotics companies.
Since 1995, McLurkin has lectured extensively at companies and universities such as the Smithsonian Museum, Harvard University, Infosys, IBM, and Honda. He is dedicated to illustrating the fun and excitement in science and engineering, and teaches classes to students of all ages, from elementary school to graduate school. He cherishes his "Nerd Pride", and uses it to help excite the next generation of engineers and scientists.
McLurkin is a native of New York, where his parents encouraged his inventiveness and engineering prowess at a young age. From LEGO bricks to BMX bicycling to programming self-designed video games, he quickly became consumed by his passion for engineering. He built his first robot, Rover, in 1988, and quickly followed it with many other designs, including the Robotic Ants created at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab for his undergraduate thesis. McLurkin recounts, "I remember when I was in the 7th grade and saw the MIT Mechatronics (2.70) Design Competition on a NOVA television special. I thought, wow, that's the coolest thing on the planet." The program featured a behind-the-scenes look at students working in a machine shop, using huge tools to build robots. "I was amazed at the machines they were building and the intensity of the competition... and I realized that's what I wanted to do, and that's where I wanted to go to school."
In 2003, McLurkin received the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize, which is awarded to burgeoning MIT student inventors. Also in 2003, he was recognized by Time Magazine as one of five leading robotics engineers in their "Rise of the Machines" feature, and by Black Enterprise magazine as a "Best and Brightest Under 40." In 2002, he was featured in the Lemelson Center's nationwide interactive traveling exhibit, Invention at Play, which began at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
He holds a S.B. in electrical engineering with a minor in mechanical engineering from MIT, a M.S. in electrical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a S.M. and Ph.D. in computer science from MIT.
Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on James McLurkin and other top speakers and celebrities.
The presentation starts with a lighthearted look at society's views on robots, Hollywood's portrayal of them, the current state of the art, and the future of the technology. Philosophical questions about the nature of intelligence are discussed, as they pose serious problems for the creation of artificially intelligent devices. The final conclusion? Robots are phenomenally stupid and we should be more concerned about the next asteroid strike than a robotic rebellion. In spite of this, robots are still useful, and swarms are the future of robotics. McLurkin explains the need for swarms of robots and the technology required to produce their group behaviors. Live robot demonstrations and video clips of the swarm in action punctuate these main points. The presentation concludes with an autobiographical sketch that traces the events, ideas, and toys that have influenced McLurkin's career. Starting with cardboard boxes and tape, moving through LEGO and video games, this high-energy slide show concludes with a behind-the-scenes look at the construction of the iRobot Swarm.
James McLurkin is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book James McLurkin for your event is $10,000 - $20,000. James McLurkin generally travels from Houston, TX, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Dr. Michio Kaku, David Pogue, Jason Silva, Steven Squyres and Jim Carroll. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling James McLurkin for an upcoming event.
The presentation starts with a lighthearted look at society's views on robots, Hollywood's portrayal of them, the current state of the art, and the future of the technology. Philosophical questions about the nature of intelligence are discussed, as they pose serious problems for the creation of artificially intelligent devices. The final conclusion? Robots are phenomenally stupid and we should be more concerned about the next asteroid strike than a robotic rebellion. In spite of this, robots are still useful, and swarms are the future of robotics. McLurkin explains the need for swarms of robots and the technology required to produce their group behaviors. Live robot demonstrations and video clips of the swarm in action punctuate these main points. The presentation concludes with an autobiographical sketch that traces the events, ideas, and toys that have influenced McLurkin's career. Starting with cardboard boxes and tape, moving through LEGO and video games, this high-energy slide show concludes with a behind-the-scenes look at the construction of the iRobot Swarm.
James McLurkin, Assistant Professor, Rice University Department of Computer Science. "Some potential application areas for swarms of robots are: cooperative ...
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This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.
All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.
If you are the talent, and wish to request removal from this catalog or report an issue with your profile, please click here.
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