About Matt Fisher

Matthew Fisher is the Founder and Chief Technical Officer of KumoTek Robotics, a Richardson, Texas-based robotics company whose clients include leading universities and themed entertainment facilities around the U.S.

Matthew has successfully grown KumoTek from a small robot import and distribution company, to a multi-faceted software design and production
company for both educational and interactive entertainment robots. Their latest work in interactive robotics exhibit ROBOSUE: THE T.REX ENCOUNTER will launch alongside A T.REX NAMED SUE on September 16, 2011 at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and will run through January 8, 2012.

Aside from his day job at KumoTek, Matthew is a commissioned officer in the United States Navy Reserves and guest lecturer to the Chief of Naval Operations’ Strategic Studies Group, discussing such topics as emerging technologies, artificial intelligence and robotics.

Matthew states that his continuing goal is to educate and entertain the public, while driving the robotics market forward with meaningful robotics applications. Matthew is fluent in Japanese and is a graduate of the Robins School of Business at the University of Richmond, Virginia.

Q. Who were your heroes as a child?

A. Aside from my own father, who holds the top rank in my bucket of heroes, I was highly inspired by my high school JROTC instructors, Lieutenant Colonel Herman Walker and Senior Master Sergeant Fred Norwood. I didn’t fare well as a young teenage student and spent a considerable amount of time hanging out with friends, or making paper footballs outside the principal’s office. Despite my shortcomings as a high school student, Lt. Colonel Walker and Senior Master Sergeant Norwood - for whatever reason - decided to promote me to the rank of Cadet Second Lieutenant halfway through my junior year. This extra boost in confidence helped me regain focus by adding a military-like structure to my life. I eventually pulled away from the social distracters and began to focus on being a better student. This shift in lifestyle paved the way toward a 6 year career in the Navy after high school.

Q. How did you first get interested in robotics?

A. I became interested in robotics while I was working as an electronics technician in the Navy.

I had no idea that I would actually pursue a career in this field until later in life, when I was studying International Business and Japanese at the University of Richmond. I visited Japan for independent study during my senior year and wrote a thesis on the emerging robotics market in Japan. The paper was written entirely in Japanese. During this time, I interviewed and befriended several people who would later become well-known and highly regarded leaders in their field. I gained a considerable understanding of a culture that closely embraces robotics, and,  to this day, it has been the backbone of my robotics endeavors.

Q. KumoTek is involved in making a variety of robotics products. Which type do you find the most challenging to develop and why?

A. Our most difficult tasks have been developing interactive animatronics platforms that are both durable and appealing to the general public. We learned early on that the general public was highly interested in robotics, but the average consumer wasn’t ready to invest thousands of dollars a home use robot. Over time, we changed our strategy from developing high-end consumer robotics platforms to creating interactive entertainment systems for large audiences. This way, we are able to appeal to both the imaginations and budgets of our target audience, while potentially driving the robotics market forward. Developing systems that can withstand the test of time and continue to draw new crowds is both a challenging and rewarding experience.

Q. Which type do you feel will have the most impact on society?

A. There is no doubt that robots have a special place in cultures around the world. Movies, books and stories have been a huge driving force for the innovations we see in modern robotics markets. Many of these products, however, are costly and well out of reach of the average consumer. Our goal with the interactive dinosaur show and other hands-on robotics programs is to inspire and educate today’s youth with fun and interactive robotics programs. Given the hugely successful turnout and popularity with the dinosaur shows, however, it seems that the public embraces these character robots. Hopefully, they will continue to educate, entertain and inspire our society for years to come.

Q. Why is partnering so important in robotics?

A. Robotics has many disciplines. The degree to which applications can be applied across these multiple areas is daunting, at best. Through true partnerships and collaborations with other robotics organizations, in both the U.S. and Japan, we have been able to capitalize on untapped strengths, while simultaneously enhancing potentially deficient areas. The wheel turns both ways. Our partners have gained insight into the mechanisms of the U.S. market and have enhanced their own product offerings. Having a good partner allows for organizations to learn and explore new areas, while adding value to their own organization and the robotics community as a whole.

Q. Which robot that you’ve developed are you most proud of and why?

A. I am personally proud of the KT-X Humanoid Robot. This was a robot I developed with Vstone corporation back in 2007 when I was still learning the intricacies of the U.S. robotics market. The KT-X has starred in several TV programs, has appeared on the cover of ROBOT Magazine, and to this day continues to educate and entertain children around the world.

Q. What’s the best thing about what you do?

A. The interactive dinosaur show has been a huge success for us and the venues that host our exhibit. The work developing and installing these shows is tough work, but the feeling we get when our customers smile with satisfaction and kids run out screaming after coming face-to-face with a life-like Tyrannosaurus is absolutely priceless. The friends and partnerships we have made along the way continues to a driving force in our work and I imagine it will only get better with time.

Editor’s Note:I first met Matt in 2007 at the RoboBusiness Conference in Boston, which was the first day that I stepped into robotics media. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to see Matt at a variety of events, including the CES Robotics TechZone, which takes place each January in Las Vegas. During the event a few years ago,  Matt was presenting at the conference and had some down time, so he camped out at my booth. He had one of KT-X humanoid robots with him doing all kinds of tricks and attracting all kinds of crowds. While he was away in a meeting, he left me to keep an eye on the KT-X when a very high level military fellow came by and asked if the robot was Matt’s. I said it was and he proceeded to tell me that not only does Matt make fun robots, but he can be credited with saving many lives of soldiers in action. I had no idea. After interviewing Matt, I see how the military helped him at a young age to focus and become successful in his life, and he has helped the military with his insights into the robotics technologies he now creates.

Matt got a boost from his JROTC mentors in high school. If you are interested in being a mentor for kids interested in robotics, and possibly change the direction of a child’s life, let us know.