Jen dispatches the M&B robot into a collapsed building. Two safes containing chemical formulas and company secrets are among the wreckage. The robot’s mission is to place location beacons on the safes so that extraction engineers know their exact location, and can devise a strategy for their safe extraction. The trackers can also signal if the safes move, as a result of continued settling of the building debris. M&B also need to tag any hazards that salvage engineers will need to be aware of when retrieving the safes.
Jen successfully maneuvers M&B through openings in the wreckage; she locates and places the beacons, but extricating M&B safely remains a challenge: first the building shifts; then, the robot approaches charged electrical wires; and finally, it encounters an acidic pool — any of which could result in doom for our metallic heroes.
Will M&B complete the task and make it back to be reunited with Jen? You will have to download and read Momma and Baby (M&B) Are on the Job to find out.
Momma and Baby (M&B) Are on the Job, and Roman’s other books in the series, are free to download for IEEE members at the IEEE-USA store, and available for non-members for a nominal cost. Other books in the series are:
- Rover Boy Gets Steamed Up
- Pipeline Gets Rescued
- Rover Boy and Samson Team Up
- Stacks Gets Up in The World
Roman’s goal for his robotic comic series is to show readers how engineers use robots to tackle real-life engineering challenges. In his forward, he writes: “These stories are meant to show how advanced computer applications embodying artificial intelligence and neural networks are not to be feared — but understood — and contain vast potential for doing good in our world; and that engineers are responsible for wielding that good.”
Roman draws on his real-life experience using robots to solve real engineering problems. Before retiring, Roman worked with a team that developed robotics in the energy industry, including co-inventing one used to inspect large fuel oil storage tanks and another one used in nuclear power plants.
Roman was honored as Inventor of the Year in 2005, by the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame for his application of robots in hazardous environments in utility work.
Roman holds 12 U.S. patents; and he has received numerous engineering, invention and teaching awards. IEEE has honored Roman with a Meritorious Achievement Award for developing continuing education products for IEEE members. He currently teaches a graduate course at Montclair State University about applying STEM techniques in the classroom. He is also a docent/special lecturer at the Thomas Edison National Historical Park, in West Orange, New Jersey.
