Outside of the Box

National STEM Champion Jerry Yao Talks About Developing Assistive Tech

We are back with another STEM Spotlight and this time Christine talks to National STEM Champion Jerry Yao about the tactile tech he has developed to help those with sight impairments to "see" art. The discussion highlights the importance of using technology to help people as well as dives into other potential applications for this type of technology. Please check out https://www.nationalstemfestival.com/ for more information on the Festival and how you can get involved!

Talking Turnabot with the Siegel Family on Outside of the Box

This episode is all about family as I chatted with the Siegels who run Turnabot out of Georgia. They have created a company that gets people into combat robotics at an affordable price point and has been an amazing resource within the community. The family talks about what they have accomplished so far as well as things to come. Check out turnabot.com for more information!

National STEM Champion Ashrita Gandhari Talks About Using AI to Improve IVF

It is almost once again time for the National STEM Festival and on this episode I talked to Ashrita Gandhari, a high school senior, who developed an AI that helps determine embryonic health during the IVF process. She talks about her passion for the OBGYN field and her process for researching her project and proving her hypothesis. Please check out https://www.nationalstemfestival.com/ for more information on the Festival and how you can get involved!

Fantasy Robot League with the Hunter Brothers on Outside of the Box

If you are like me and have been into fantasy sports at some point in your life, you may have been craving a league for combat robotics. Well, the Hunter Brothers have started a league for NHRL robots that starts with the upcoming February event. Hear all about how they came up with the league and how you can follow along with the season. Check out Havoc Rundown's Discord for more info! https://discord.gg/hgwHd2Ju

NHRL Round 1 Preview on Outside of the Box

We're back to preview the first round of NHRL competition in 2025! I gathered a great collection of competitors representing every weight class with Anthony, Nelson, Paul & Craig to chat about their preparation for this event, who they'd love to face and which robots they might want to avoid. Check it out and get ready to see robots fight on February 1st!

2024 Boxy Award Winners and Year End Wrap-Up

Join myself and Ashley for the final OOTB episode of 2024 as we talk about all of the amazing Boxy winners including out super special secret categories that we had not announced publicly! We also talk about the year as a whole including amazing growth in the combat robotics community and also the amazing antweight kit giveaway when I hit 1000 subscribers on YouTube! Check it out!

2024 NHRL Finals Preview on Outside of the Box

For this episode, I gathered a group of the most talented builders at NHRL to talk about the most wonderful time of the year - FINALS time! Join myself, Jamison, Aidan, Corey, Glenn, Jaaron, Matt, Myles, Peter, Brandon, Dima & Julian as we chat about everyone's season so far and how they feel about finals. You'll see some friendly trash talk, thoughts on the rest of the field and how everyone feels about Emulsifier. Check it out!

The 2024 Boxy Award Nominees Show

It is finally that time of the year for Ashley and I to get together and recognize so many amazing people in the combat robotics community. Hear us work through all of the categories and talk about each of the nominees one by one. Voting will run through December 4th so make sure to vote for your favorites! You can cast your votes here: https://forms.gle/TEcgKNDi9E64YF6g7 

Michael Perl of the Grant Imahara STEAM Foundation on Outside of the Box

I had the absolute pleasure of talking to Michael Perl who is a multi-talented entrepreneur and President of the Grant Imahara STEAM Foundation. He talks about how he got his start in music and then video games where he developed his own game studio and eventually got connected with the Foundation. We talked about the STEAM Star program which features influencers talking about their experiences as well as their Bot Battles program - both of which are completely free. You can check out their programs on https://www.grantimaharafoundation.org/ and botbattles.org.

NHRL October 2024 Event Recap on Outside of the Box

The October NHRL event was full of tricks and treats including a great run from Drumder Child, an impressive showing from Minor Threat 5 and Golden Dumpsters for Slam Plan and ARES. In this episode, I talk to Nate Franklin about going up against strong competition in his bracket fights, then chatted with Luke Grell about his hard-hitting, veteran robot. Brendan Steele aka Business Cat also makes a bold prediction about his chances at the December Finals and the ARES crew at MIT talks about rebuilding their combat robotics program and about that thrilling win over WarHard XXL!