Steve, Author at Nomadic Research Labs

Although most of the graphics are stock photos, I like this article… Joe Dysart takes a long view, nicely blending the human side with the tech. This was written during my 2 years in San Diego, working with UCSD engineering students on the Microship, and the story has a nice sense of inhalation about the…

During the BEHEMOTH speaking tour in the early ’90s, I had occasion to visit some amazing places. Argonne was one (Fermilab another, not to mention some delightfully geeky companies). Being surrounded by people who are gurus in a topic I find fascinating is one of my favorite ways to spend time, so an event like…

I have fond memories of this one… during my travels, I had kept up an email correspondence with Ann Stein, a teacher at Welty Middle School in New Philadelphia, Ohio. She had passed along questions from students and I had sent notes from the road, so when my 1994 speaking tour took me within range…

I remember this as a sweet and energetic evening, put together by Jason Asbahr. The hosting organization was C.R.A.S.H. (the Computers, Robotics, and Artists Society of Houston), which reports on its site: In November of 1994, CRASH organized a talk by Steve Roberts, technomad and internet expert, at the University of Houston. He spoke on…

There was an interlude in the Microship project that I remember fondly… a brief foray into an off-the-shelf boat, simple systems, and emphasis on adventure over geekery. After a year or more of over-engineering, I bought a Fulmar-19 to fast-track our way to the planned expedition, and this is the rollicking story of the maiden…

For 2 years, I had a lab in the engineering building at University of California San Diego, where, as “adjunct faculty,” I ran a projects class for seniors in electrical & control engineering. This article appeared during the first year there, when the nautical substrate was a Fulmar-19 trimaran, and we were building a network…

Speaker Steve Roberts, N4RVE 1994 ARRL Southwest Division Convention San Diego, California August 26-28, 1994 The ultimate road warrior, roving researcher and high-tech bicyclist Steve Roberts, N4RVE, of Nomadic Research Labs will tell us about the recumbent bicycle he built, the Big Electronic Human Energized Machine… Only Too Heavy “BEHEMOTH.” Steve’s solar-powered recumbent bicycle weighs 580lbs…

(Originally published as Microship Status Report #76 on August 9, 1994) I suppose I should just build a macro for an opening paragraph that apologizes for infrequent updates, and automatically insert it along with the title block on every status report. I’ve been busy, and a lot is happening. I need an archivist to do…

Nomadness Report, Issue #25 by Steven K. Roberts July 16, 1994 San Diego, California “Water corrodes; salt water corrodes absolutely.” — James R Louttit, The New Skipper’s Bowditch Hi. Remember me? It’s been almost 8 months since a Nomadness Report. While some might construe this as a lack of activity, it’s anything but: since the…

This cute video is a little feature on my BEHEMOTH bicycle during the time I was at UCSD (San Diego) beginning the Microship project. It’ll Never Work was a BBC children’s program showcasing new inventions in science and technology, and it ran seven seasons (1993-1999). This is from Program 6 of Series 2 (1994), and…

Posts by Steve

Man in Motion – Smart Electronics magazine

BEHEMOTH at Argonne National Laboratory

Bicyclist takes high-tech road – New Philadelphia Times-Reporter – OH

BEHEMOTH visits CRASH in Houston

The Fulmar Adventure

For biking nomad, home was the Internet – San Diego Union-Tribune

BEHEMOTH at 1994 ARRL Southwest Division Convention

First Pass – Microship Rev 1.0

Fulmar X-19 Delivery

BEHEMOTH on It’ll Never Work – BBC Children’s science programme