Nick DePalma
Graduate Student
MIT Personal Robots Group
Boston, MA USA
“If you're still thinking about [something] in the shower…that's when you love it.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationNick DePalma
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
His love for computers and programming started with video games.
First, he'd hack his computer to get the most out of his games.
From there, he started physically taking clocks and computers apart and rebuilding them.
He originally had a computer science degree that focused on special effects, but for his master's, he chose a specialization in robotics.
Now, as he's pursuing his Ph.D., he's part of MIT's Personal Robots Group, that focuses on human / robot interaction.
Time magazine named his lab's creation-Nexi, a robot that can display human emotion-one of the best inventions of 2008.
Says you know you love something if you're still thinking about it in the shower.
Says, unfortunately, part of becoming a professional means building a professional persona, but you can maintain your identity in outlets outside of work.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Graduate Student
I build autonomous robotic systems for interaction. My focus is on perception, action, and sensorimotor architectures.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Science
Technology
Building Things
Interviewed By
Getting in Touch with Childhood Dreams
The team lands at the doorstep of the MIT Media Lab, where they speak with a graduate assistant in the robotics department. Next, they talk with two women who founded sOccket, a soccer ball that generates electricity, and the co-founder of Bamboo Bike Studio. The Roadtrippers also stop at the USA Shaolin Temple in New York City, where they meet founder Shi Yan Ming who is known for his super-human abilities-such as breaking rocks with his skull. They end the week with Nat Paynter, director of water programs at Charity Water.
