How can we inspire our employees to innovate with our platform and in the world of smart machines as a whole? What are the ways, outside of the normal 9 to 5 tasks, that we can encourage them to collaborate, problem-solve, and have fun in the process?
These are the questions that drove us to create monthly Show & Tell sessions—a fixed time where Viam employees present their work, 20% side projects, and breakthroughs, helping fuel a culture of curiosity and learning. From self-docking robots to tree-watering systems to new product updates, there’s no shortage of innovation at our workplace.
Dive in to learn more about these sessions and the incredible creations featured in them.
A look into the presentations
One of the key goals of Show & Tell is to bring together our employees, in-office and work-from-home, to take a break from their day-to-day and have fun. That’s why every session is hosted by a volunteer emcee who may spice things up with bonus trivia or games in between presentations.
From The Price is Right-themed game show to a soda taste test challenge – would you volunteer to participate? Try our game inspired by Mad Gab, deciphering gibberish to actual phrases when spoken out loud, to see how you’d do.
If you landed on “Artificial Intelligence,” congratulations—you’re right!
Now onto the builds.
Showcasing innovative projects
The passion our employees have for engineering and product development shines through in the projects they showcase during Show & Tell. Here are some of the most recent showings:
Universal self-docking robot solution
Our Principal Developer Advocate, Matt Vella, showcased a machine learning model for universal self-docking for robots to address the lack of a universal solution in the market. See his project in action through the video below.
Prusa Connect Camera Service
Another frequent Show & Tell participant and a Senior Software Engineer, Michael Lee, recently presented the Prusa Connect Camera Service. Michael wanted a way to monitor his 3D printers remotely, and the out-of-the-box camera support did not suit his needs, so he set out to solve this problem by making a service that runs on Raspberry PI using Viam.
Beyond the benefit of being able to remotely monitor and detect print failures, Michael’s also passionate about the new additions Show & Tell can bring to the Viam Registry.
“Doing demos like this makes sure our software works in real situations and helps us find and focus on improvements. I've heard from others that they get inspired by the presentations and dive into the hardware aspect of robotics more after presentations.”
Bonsai tree watering system
Software Engineer and amateur horticulturist, Zack Porter, built a Bonsai Tree Watering System, which allows him to check in on and care for his beloved bonsai tree (using Viam’s mobile app) while away on vacation, showcasing the versatility and ease of use of the Viam Platform.
Verification System Module
Bijan Haney, a Lead Engineer on the Computer Vision team, recently presented a Verification System Module, which can alarm when a person enters the scene and disarm when their face is recognized.
While he encountered some technical challenges in creating a microRDK remote robot that would change LED color based on the alarm system's state, he was able to produce an end product that wowed the audience through collaboration with other teams and testing out different possible solutions.
Viam Community Challenge
Developer Advocate Hazal Mestci highlighted the Viam Community Challenge: a six-week online hackathon, where participants can submit projects and compete for prizes.
Hazal knows first-hand the remarkable talent of the robotics community. By bringing together diverse participants from around the world, you can see a wide range of ideas and perspectives. She is very excited to see what people will build and submit and to connect with like-minded individuals who share a passion for robotics, smart machines and AI.
Living out Viam values
No doubt, Show & Tell at our office is a time for fun, but it also serves a far greater purpose. It's a way for our employees to embody the core values of our growing company.
Collaborating openly
At Viam, we’re always pushing ourselves to work together and openly provide feedback that can enhance the workplace and our products.
By bringing together employees from across the company to share their work process, and to provide feedback, we’ve been able to learn from each other, find bugs, and improve the usability and stability of our platform.
About Show & Tell, Hazal Mestci said,
“It allows me to learn from other people's experiences and perspectives, and gives us space to receive and give feedback, and suggestions for improvement. It is also a space to get inspiration, and the cross-pollination of ideas can lead to new collaborations.”
Leading with curiosity
We’re also empowered to improve ourselves and our products through continuous exploration. Exploring new ideas and thinking outside the box is highly encouraged.
“It’s great to take a quick break from work and hack together something fun. Doing demos like this makes sure our software works in real situations and helps us find and focus on improvements.”
said Michael Lee, a Senior Engineer on the Fleet 1 team.
Inspired by our Show & Tells and want to contribute to one yourself? Our innovative team is growing. If you want to join us, head to our careers page.
