Eric Schweikardt: Let’s stop using the word “robotics” and call it technology

I don’t really like that word anymore. Robotics is just technology, it’s just progress. Cars and dishwashers are robots. We don’t need to use the word “robotics” anymore; we can just call it technology.

Eric Big KC

SPN writer Julia Hogren took some time to chat with Big Kansas City speaker Eric Schweikardt, CEO of Modular Robotics:

Your company, Modular Robotics, creates robot toys for kids. But as you mentioned at Big Kansas City, “robotics” can seem like a scary, corporate word.
It’s definitely a scary word for people, which is funny because “robotics” is in our company name yet we make toys for kids. I guess it’s a nice dichotomy. I think adults at some point adopt the attitude that they’re not capable of learning about something new. Adults will say, “Help me fix my computer but just fix it, I don’t want to learn about it.” But kids aren’t scared of stuff like that. I’ve never heard a kid say, “Well, I don’t know anything about that.” Kids won’t say that.
What does “robotics” mean to you?
I don’t really like that word anymore. Robotics is just technology, it’s just progress. Cars and dishwashers are robots. We don’t need to use the word “robotics” anymore; we can just call it technology. Most people think robots are going to come and kill us or something, so maybe we should just focus on calling it technology. More people are used to that word, and technology provides a net positive gain whereas people still aren’t sure that robotics can offer that.
Are you excited to go to work every morning?
Yes. I mean, Mod Robotics started with two people and now we’re at 70 and I’m the CEO. My job over the past five years has changed dramatically, from working on a robot in the basement to managing a company. My day-to-day responsibilities have totally changed. There was definitely a year along the way where I was focused on human resources, accounting, supply chain management and so on, and it wasn’t as enjoyable, but I knew it was a temporary period. Luckily, we have a great team of directors, so I think we’re finally at the point where I can focus on the things I’m best at, the things I enjoy most, and where I can make the biggest contribution.
How do you stay focused on what you’re best at?
There’s a little technique I use every Friday afternoon. I’ve used it for the past three years. I make a chart—a point cloud graph. On the X-axis, things I’m bad at versus things I’m good at. On the Y-axis, it’s things I don’t like doing versus things I like doing. I take my week, look at my calendar which is always busy, and I put dots for things that I’ve done in each quadrant. The point is to get into the upper right quadrant—things that I’m good at and enjoy—as often as possible. This also is how we hire. If we’re spending too much time in the lower left quadrant, then it’s time to look for someone who might be good at something we’re not, or who enjoys something we don’t. Leading a dynamic company can shift that balance a lot.
In the startup world, people always talk about passion and sometimes a little less about difficulties along the way. But companies are hard work, so how do you handle hard days while reaching for goals or a particular vision?
I’m pretty good at compartmentalizing. Sometimes it’s stressful, trying to manage relationships at work, figure out finances, deal with sales. I spend my days making decisions over and over, and that can be exhausting. But, we make toys. There are people all over the world getting shot at and dealing with really serious problems. So we’re in a pretty good spot when it comes down to it. When I spend more than four days in a row freaking out about something, I figure out a way to calm down and come back to the fun.
What product was the most challenging?
I’m proud of all of them in different ways. Cubelets was the hardest because it was the first. It came from my Ph.D. thesis, and it was designed for research, not a consumer product. None of us knew anything about manufacturing, materials, logistics and shipping. Moss wasn’t easy, but with Cubelets, we went from zero knowledge to finally shipping consumer products. It was a much more difficult path than I expected. If I had known how difficult a path it was, I probably wouldn’t have gone down it! I know how hard it is to go from zero to shipping units of something. I look back on the process, and there were so many loops and missteps. Cubelets was just a monstrous product.
Who are your mentors?
Two of them are Mark Gross and Brad Feld. Mark was my Ph.D. and undergrad advisor. When I was 18, he took me into his lab, gave me a research product, showed me how to write an academic paper, and sent me to a conference to present that paper, which changed my whole life. I don’t know what I would be doing without that experience. Mark gave me the amazing ability to help me discover things on my own. I would love to be able to learn how to do that, to be a mentor in that way for other people some day. Mark would see me churning on a problem, and a few days later, slide a paper onto my desk and say, “Have you read this? Looks interesting.” And then I would read it and head toward a solution on my own. Brad invested in our company, not to tell us what to do, not to steer, shape or mold us. He saw something he liked and saw the potential and wanted to come along for the ride. That’s an amazing type of investor to get, one who leaves all decision-making to the entrepreneur. Brad wasn’t a gatekeeper; he knew we could do what we wanted to affect change. That felt empowering.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to anyone interested in a career like yours?
Don’t always listen to people’s advice. When you start a company, there will be a cast of characters who will tell you how to do things. All that energy can be great and positive, but you’ll hear four different things from four different people. So don’t listen too much to what other people have to say, especially when they tell you what you “should” be doing. I hate “should.” I want to punch “should” in the face. Nobody can tell you what you “should” be doing. When you take eight pieces of advice and blend them together, you end up with the lowest common denominator, which is least valuable anyway. If you feel strongly, trust yourself and just do it. Be confident and f*ck what everybody else thinks.

 

Credits: Photo by Joshua Foo Photography.

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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