About - Present
In recent years, Kyle has started paving his own way in the world of robotics. One of the major changes in his life was changing his major at the University of Wyoming, from Mechanical Engineering to Computer Science. This allowed him to follow a field he was more passionate about, while still being able to understand the engineering concepts required in robotics.
Of course, Kyle also runs an Instagram page, where he documents the progress made on projects, such as the fully autonomous astromech droid seen here. He hopes to use this droid to gain followers and be able to share his work with a larger audience, and eventually spread robotics to new people. The speed at which Kyle can build his robots is limited at this time, as he is self funded, and has a single 3D printer at this time. Of course there is lots of work to be done after a part is 3D printed, but currently the printer is the limiting factor.
Community outreach is a big part of Kyle’s life, where he attends many meetings to help teach robotics, as well as events such as 3D printing expos where he can learn more about the technology, and promote his work.
Kyle is also working on creating courses to be published online for those interested in beginning their robotics journey. It is apparent that the internet is flooded with robotics information, and it can be quite intimidating to know where to start. The goal of these lessons is to pave a way for new members in the robotics community.
Kyle hopes to one day gain sponsorships from larger companies to help support him in his efforts. Of course they would be prominently featured in his work, and recommended to others.
While Kyle was in FRC, the mentors impacted his life in such a profound way. He vowed to give back, and provide that same support and inspiration gained from his previous mentors.
Kyle was one of the first people to join the Laramie Robotics Club. This club helps teach robotics to kids from elementary school through high school. Kyle volunteers his time to help teach these students, as well as participate in outreach events. Soon he will have been participating longer than any other mentor helping with the program.
While it certainly is a more simple version of what Kyle has experience in, it is a great starting point in getting kids interested in robotics, and teaches the essentials in engineering and programming.
When Kyle first started his own personal robotics projects, he started using a makerspace at the University of Wyoming (Fun fact: they recently reached out about having Kyle teach robotics to college students). But frustrated with the cost of using their machines and the guidelines set by them, he set out on his own and bought an Ender 3 3D printer. While not a luxurious machine by any means, it is a good starting point for Kyle. He has spent countless hours upgrading it, and fixing it up to make it what he is wanting in a printer, although he still hopes to get an even nicer one someday.
Kyle’s one-bedroom apartment has turned into a robotics lab. It is barely recognizable as a living space at this point, as he has fully dedicated himself to robotics, and making sure he has the proper tools and equipment for making his dreams a reality. His bedroom is tool storage, his bathroom is a painting studio, his mechanical room is for printers and power tools (So he can throw sparks from tools like an angle grinder without fear of fires), and his kitchen/living room has become the main lab. This environment has allowed Kyle to teach himself so many useful things such as Git, and Python.
To most people, living like this may not seem comfortable, but to Kyle it is. He finds comfort in robotics, programming, and engineering. It provides him with a means to follow his dreams, and find a way to keep pushing technology and innovation forward.