From the Founder
McKinley Technologies was born out my expertise as a software engineer with a PhD in robotics. Having been recruited to assist with robotic software development as a freelancer, I established McKinley Technologies to offer my software development expertise in a structured and professional manner. Since then I've assisted numerous companies and teams develop robotics systems, with a focus on the use of the SAE JAUS standard; a robot interoperability standard I've helped develop since 2006 and to which I am currently one of the lead contributors.
Over the years, I've found that many robots are difficult to test and change and that many robotics companies can benefit from better, more modern software development practices. However, many don't have the resources or internal knowledge to apply these practices leaving roboticists either spending countless hours running tests or feeling uncertain about if their changes are safe. It also leaves robotics companies slow to adapt to customer needs or unable to introduce cost saving hardware changes. I want to fix that.
As such, McKinley Technologies is now also the owner and operator of buildrobotsbetter.com, which focuses on improving the lives of roboticists everywhere, and helping robotics companies make their systems easier to build, easier to test, and more adaptable. I believe this will lead to robots that are safer to be around and more affordable.
In retrospect, Build Robots Better isn't a change from what I've always done, it's more a sharpening of my beliefs into a focused mission. If you've interacted with me through McKinley Technologies, you can still reach me through contact@mckinleytech.com or any other channels you have. However, going forward buildrobotsbetter.com will be the best place to see what I'm working on.
Best,
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Nicholas M Johnson, PhD