Robin Hartley
Robin is a fresh face in the maker community. He is at Maker Faire UK to demonstrate his first project, a keypad that can be programmed to perform multiple tasks at the push of a button. But what makes this project different to others is that it is programmed using a block interface.
Linux Format: Hi Robin, thanks for taking the time to talk to Linux Format. So can you tell the readers who you are? Robin Hartley: Hi, I’m Robin and I am studying for a Masters degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Sheffield. LXF: So you are not an Electronics Engineer? RH: No, electronics and ‘making’ is just a hobby because I really enjoy it. Along the way I have taught myself circuit board design, web development and 3D CAD design. LXF: So how long ago did you start to teach yourself these new skills? RH: I started about two years ago, programming with the Arduino, because I said that I could for a job interview. Luckily I had six months to learn and prepare myself. LXF: This weekend at Maker Faire UK you are running a stall to show off your latest invention. Can you tell us more about it?
RH: The Amazing Shortcut Keypad, a slightly tongue in cheek name. Computers can do incredible things, now we can do things with technology that just 20 years ago were merely a dream. But in all these years the interface has changed very little. We still have a keyboard, and we still have a mouse. So how do we typically interact with this new functionality? By using massive menus, and having to navigate through them with a mouse or using typed commands using keyboard shortcuts. None of these are really efficient.
I started by building the Keypad for myself, as the CAD software I was using required me to remember and type a series of commands, something that I was sick of. I just wanted to press a button and have it typed for me. So now I can press just one button and it will type out the command. All of this is made possible by an Arduino at the heart of the Keypad, that works as a keyboard, and to program the Keypad I have created a simple block editor that enables anyone to customise it to perform whatever action or shortcut they desire. I am also keen to enable users to share their custom maps so that the community can benefit from each
other’s help. For example a Photoshop user may wish to share their layout so that others can use Photoshop more efficiently. LXF: This keyboard could have far-reaching applications, not just for efficiency but for helping others to create custom inputs for medical/assistive technologies. RH: Yes, you can do so much with it, but there will be others who think of new ideas to expand its potential. LXF: So why did you embark on this journey to become a maker? Why did you feel the need to “understand how things work"?
RH: I think that the fundamental ‘thing’ about makers is not that we wish to make, but that we want to see things come to life. No matter what they wish to make, they each have the skill and enthusiasm to learn and make it happen. That is more about being a maker, rather than having the tools and knowing how to use them.
LXF: So you could say that you have a “Maker Mindset"?
RH: Yeah, it’s almost like in a startup it is called a “Growth Mindset”, the idea that you can learn and develop yourself and constantly get better. And this can be applied to a hobbyist level to create the same mindset but for makers. LXF: Maker Faire UK is much more than just cool technology, then? RH: Indeed, I am on my own at my stall so I won’t get the time to go round and see the exhibitors, but the public are great to talk to, hear their stories, be inspired by their awesome
projects and possibly make connections. The inspiration, the spark is what brings projects to life, and the exhibitors and general public at Maker Faire UK have plenty to inspire me. LXF: At Maker Faire UK we can see the breadth of Maker Culture, from helping the disabled with assistive products to learning how to knit and sew. Will there be a limit as to what can be encompassed under the name “Maker"?
RH: That is a tough question! There isn’t a boundary that can be drawn, we can’t say for example that laser cutting is, but 3D printing isn’t. It’s more about the attitude, the willingness to learn, the enthusiasm to bring something to life and the sense of community. The community plays a big part in the movement, everyone helps each other, with perspectives and offers of advice. LXF: Right now your keypad is still a prototype, are looking to crowdfund it? RH: Yes, the plan at the minute is to start the crowdfunding in mid-June 2017 and my website is http://theamazingshortcutkeypad.com . It’s very interesting to go from something that I soldered up in my bedroom, to something that I can crowdfund, being able to get the technology to a point where it can be sold to the public as well as all the boring stuff (passing regulations). This learning journey is something that the maker community lends itself to, as it is a natural progression of the maker movement.
“It plays a big part. Everyone helps each other with perspectives and advice.”