More about Bionic Builders

IMG_0556In a previous article, I mentioned stunt expert Casey Pieretti and engineer Bill Spracher on their show, Bionic Builders.  In his presentation during the Tuesday General Session of SolidWorks World 2011, Pierretti declared, “I don’t want to be enabled; I want to be super-enabled.”

Later, at the press conference that followed the General Session, I asked Pierretti and Spracher if they thought about making everyone super-enabled.  Pierretti said they thought about the broad range of possibilities but focused on prosthetics for amputees.

Additionally, Pierretti and Spracher are trying to make prosthetic limbs that are inexpensive as possible.  Medical insurance wouldn’t even apply to the types of prosthetics they produce, nor would it need to if the cost is in the right price range.  One thing that has helped reduce costs is the standardization of the pyramid fitting.  The standard connection also makes marketing prosthetic limbs easier.

I’m glad to see this topic getting this type of attention.  One thing I would like to see on Bionic Builders is something similar to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, where they could dedicate one of the stories in each episode to help a new person who has a need for a special prosthetic.  That would be great!

SolidWorks World 2011 in quick review

SolidWorks World 2011

SolidWorks World 2011 offered attendees a unique experience.  The Apollo 13 sub-theme to the General Sessions was a treat.  The Monday General Session included a recounting of the Apollo 13 mission from an engineering perspective.  Kevin Bacon’s appearance during the Wedsnesday General Session was an added bonus, as he talked about the vomit comet used in the making of the Apollo 13 movie (among other things).  The cool customer profiles on Tuesday added a degree of depth as well.  Although there was a thorough What’s New in SolidWorks 2012 presentation, it does not seem (at this point) that new features will be added to the next version.  Instead, SolidWorks is getting some long requested user interface and performance improvements.

As a matter of full disclosure, for my attendance to SolidWorks World 2011, I was provided a Press Pass.  Though the Press Pass as no direct monetary value, it does include access that is equivilent to the Full Conference Pass.  Through various events, I received some additional value, usually in the form of meals.  SolidWorks Corp did not cover or reimburse me for additional costs, such as travel expenses, but did pay for my hotel stay.  I am under no obligation to write any material, nor present a particular point of view.  The content of my articles is solely my own.

SolidWorks World General Session day 2: Bionic Builders on Discovery

The General Session on Day 2 of SolidWorks World 2011 profiled a very interesting new show on Discovery Channel called Bionic Builders.  The show centers around Casey Pieretti and Bill Spracher.  Pieretti is a stuntman that has been in films like Spider-Man 2, Starship Troopers and Serenity.  Before his stunt career started, he lost the lower portion of his leg when he was 19.  Since then, he has been looking for ways to allow ambutees to transition from “being disabled to being fully enabled, but different”.  Spracher is the engineer that works with Pieretti to turn his ideas into reality.  As Pierretti said, “I don’t want to be enabled; I want to be super-enabled.”

Bionic Builders is the culmination Pieretti’s and Spracher’s quest to create those super abilities through design of new prosthetic limbs with awesome abilities.  In this show, they allow Pieretti to swim, jump, run better.

I’ll have more information about this topic later on.

General Session day 2: SolidWorks World 2011

The General Session on day of SolidWorks World 2011 was filled with profiles of many interesting SolidWorks customers.  From my perspective, the two most talked about companies afterwards are Mako Surgical and Local Motors. 

Mako Surgical Corp. is a medical device company that developed advanced knee implants for a minimally invasive orthopedic procedure called knee MAKOplasty.  Their technology involves a surgeon interactive tactile surgical platform that incorporates a robotic arm and patient specific visualization technology and prepares the knee joint for the insertion and alignment of knee resurfacing implants through a minimal incision.

Local Motors conceptLocal Motors is a new American car company whose business model is based on sustainably designing and building vehicles.  They create a direct connection with customers who guide and participate in design development of a car based on personal desires in an open source manner. Local Motors plans to built micro-factories throughout the US.  Cars are built and sold from the micro-factories on a just-in-time basis.  They state that development and manufacturing processes dramatically reduces waste while maintaining the flexibility to incorporate new, efficient technologies as they emerge.

Local Motion

Bertrand Sicot declares he will be a CSWP

At SolidWorks World, there are a lot of events.  One of the more interesting events is the Press Event.  This event is held in honor of the Press attendees.  It gives them a chance to connect directly with SolidWorks employees and leadership.  Bernard Charles, CEO of Dassault Systemes, and Bertrand Sicot, CEO of the SolidWorks subsidiary, were both on-hand at this year’s Press Event last night.  Several of the CAD bloggers had a chance to talk with both CEOs for a considerable length of time.

As some are aware, Sicot is a SolidWorks user.  In Sales, he may be called upon to demonstrate the product.  During our conversion, I asked Sicot if he is a CSWP (Certified SolidWorks Professional).  His first answer was a sheepish smile.  After reminding him that Jeff Ray (previous CEO of SolidWorks) has his certification, Sicot lamented, “I should have my CSWP.”  In front of Charles and others, Sicot then added, “I will have my CSWP before the next SolidWorks World.”  I must give kudos to Sicot for stepping up to the challenge.

He is a busy person right now.  Since his promotion, he has been doing double duty both as CEO of SolidWorks and also still as EVP of Global Sales (until his replacement is found).  With those responsibilities, I don’t expect him to earn his CSWP within the next couple of months.  Becoming a CSWP by this time next year does seem realistic.

The CSWP is important since it demonstrates that a person as a firm understanding of how to use SolidWorks core functions.  Sicot’s spontaneous declaration (that he will earn his CSWP) isn’t a stunt, in my opinion.  It seems to be born out of a genuine desire to connect to SolidWorks users.