This week, the team I mentor (FRC45 TechnoKats) is working hard to decide what type of robot to design and build. The more we investigate things, the more complex the game appears to be. There are thousands of us going through similar processes of decision making.
Fortunately, I heard a new-to-me quote recently that is very applicable to our current concepting process. This is by Shunryo Suzuki: “If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything, it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.”
To me, this means that those of us who have been designing robots for years need to continue to be open to the new team members’ ideas. Their minds are fresh and don’t depend on paradigms as much. While our experience is important, so is our ability to continue to have an open mind to new ideas.
Andy B.