Remember “Partybot”, Sam Ontiveros’ ingenious “artificial life of the party” robot?

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Sam created “Partybot”, his first robot, in 2015--when he was thirteen.

We discussed the robot as Sam was showcasing him at the 2015 edition of SoCal Maker Con.   Among “Partybot”‘s functions:  playing music and dispensing sodas.

But while fun and imaginative, the robot had exactly what any engineer can expect: a few “bugs” to work out.

With the arrival of So Cal Maker Con 2016, Sam, and “Partybot” were back.

Now, Sam has upgraded his party robot to Version 2.0.   The 2016 version is sleeker, smoother, more fun–and the sodas aren’t exploding.

Here is a retrospective on “Partybot”‘s first appearance, a look at the ways Sam has improved on his design–and the ways “Maker Sam” is reaching out, to get more kids his age involved in the maker culture.

On this edition of Over Coffee® you’ll hear:

• What  Sam used to construct the original “Partybot”;

• The functions the first robot could perform;

• The main engineering challenge Sam encountered, with Version 1.0;

• How Sam first came up with the “Partybot” concept;

• What upgrades he developed for the 2016 “Version 2.0”;

• How Sam designed the new edition to solve the main operational problems he’d encountered;

• What’s involved in the new upgrade;

• Sam’s  award-winning experience at the 206 San Diego Maker Faire;

• How Sam is involving more young makers in the maker culture, through his new website;

• How to contact Sam with questions or suggestions as he continues developing his maker projects;

• Sam’s goals for the future, as a maker and engineer.

 

(Want to find out more about getting started as a maker?  Sam’s “Maker Sam” website  features beginner projects and resources–along with Sam’s reviews of maker gear.)