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Sean Snyder

Visit to the MIT Media Lab

Today I went to the MIT Media Lab for an interview with one of their students. The experience was fascinating. The atmosphere was very playful, like a children’s museum for adults, very intelligent adults.

From the reception area, I was directed to room E15 468, the Robotic Life Lab, also known as Santa’s workshop.  Looking up toward the rafters, there were wires strewn across every beam and coming out of every crevice and crack the room had to offer.

There were computer terminals teaming with students and robotic faces looking into the center of the room.  There were also a number of toys and teddy bears lying around, which I assumed were for specific projects.

There was a garden of robotic flowers in a bed of metallic shavings and speakers. I wasn’t quite sure what they were there to do, but I was waiting anxiously for it to happen.

As I peered deeper into the room and my feet followed my gaze, I saw a gigantic android resembling a gremlin, specifically Gizmo from the movie, but I hear that his likeness is a point of possible tension for his creators who have named him Leonardo.

Leonardo was fascinating. He had movement and nuance that mimicked a human’s abilities when triggered by the motion sensors his puppeteers were manipulating.  He even blinked, probably the most human feature to this soft animatronic giant.

I didn’t get a chance to meat Leo, though I have a feeling we may get to know each other sometime in the future.

But now, I’m on to my interview, so you will have to excuse me.