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Better Process Builds the Scrabble Bot to Teach Kids About Tech
John Himes
May 1, 2024
A robotic arm gently picks up one of the many tiles scattered across the table and lines it up neatly in a tray. Once the tray is full of letters, it begins laying them in order, one by one, until it spells the biggest word it can find among the available letters.
Meet the Scrabble Bot.
By combining AI-powered computer vision and robotics into a fun package, Better Process teaches students about automation technology in a way they can relate to. The company, an industrial systems integrator based out of Loveland, Colorado, regularly attends events at local schools because they believe nothing fosters learning like hands-on experience.
“We bring them in with the relatable Scrabble Bot, and then we can start talking about the tech behind it,” says Ken Rayment, Founder at Better Process. “We show them AI vision, and they say, ‘That’s cool! How does it work?’ We can then talk about the robot, about Python, electrical wiring, 3D printing, and everything else that goes into mechatronics.”
It comes down to a desire to make an impact on the local community. Of course, as advanced manufacturing engineers, the Better Process team loves working on hard problems and complex technologies to help their clients with industrial automation.
They’re just as passionate about the people behind the tech. They see how heavy-lifting cobots (collaborative robots) can prevent back injuries. They recognize that cooperating with local companies pushes the entire ecosystem forward.
And they want to pass that tradition on to the next generation. That’s why they use the Scrabble Bot to draw kids in and get them excited to explore technology.
The Better Process story and technology
After spending over a decade engineering at a large aerospace company, Rayment quit his job in January of 2020 to start his own entrepreneurial journey.
Let’s just say it probably wasn’t the best timing to start a company. Like many of us, he described the beginning of the pandemic as a “lonely year.” At the same time, he showed founder’s grit and kept at it.
Things began to take off in 2021, and he hasn’t looked back. What started as an individual consulting practice has blossomed into a company with seven employees. Better Process now serves a broad base of industries including medical devices, aerospace, and manufacturing.
As a systems integrator, the company’s innovations come in the form of real applications. For instance, they will train an AI to use computer vision, which in turn will enable a custom-programmed robot to “see” and then pick up items coming down an assembly line.
The biggest challenge, explains technician Rob Thomas, is moving the systems from a controlled lab environment into a real-world production facility. “Anything can happen at the final destination, so we offer continued support to make sure the customer is happy.”
Thomas himself is a testament to the company’s ethos of education and community. He met Rayment while enrolled at the Front Range Community College Center for Integrated Manufacturing in Longmont, and he started at Better Process as an intern.
He quickly progressed into new roles and connected with Rayment’s love for education. So he took it upon himself to invent and program the Scrabble Bot.
For Rayment, workforce development is all part of the process. “We’ve hired young people, even as young as 16, and we develop them by having them work on projects. It’s very practical. The older engineers have the experience, and they can work with the kids to take them where they need to go.”
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Better Process in the Colorado tech community
Even when they aren’t demoing the Scrabble Bot at local schools or connecting with students who want to learn more about automation technologies, the Better Process team stays active in the community.
For instance, Rayment volunteers as a board member for the Northern Colorado Manufacturing Partnership, an industry group that promotes collaboration and tech education in the greater Fort Collins area.
Better Process also currently operates out of Loveland’s Warehouse Innovation Hub, a flexible manufacturing space that’s designed for growing companies.
The nonprofit-led Innovation Hub is for “companies that are too big for the garage but not yet big enough for a permanent home,” explains Allison Seabeck, the organization’s Executive Director. “Whether you need a launch spot, you’re encountering unpredictable growth, or you just moved to Colorado, small businesses join the Innovation Hub to figure out what the future looks like for their business.”
What’s most remarkable is the sense of community. In addition to sharing an equipment shop, the Innovation Hub’s tenants often collaborate among themselves. “We’ve done process development in this very building,” says Rayment.
The Warehouse Innovation Hub is also part of a larger tech revitalization called Forge Campus. Starting in 1962, Hewlett-Packard built five buildings on the campus, but by the early 2000s, they were abandoned.
“When this campus closed, it left a hole in the local economy,” explains Jay Dokter, General Partner of Forge Campus. “Tech is the DNA of this community. So we started a nonprofit as a labor of love to give back and donated the Innovation Hub space to make the program sustainable.”
In true Colorado fashion, there’s also an onsite craft brewery that provides a centralized meeting place for the high-growth startups and advanced manufacturers that call Forge Campus home.
It’s this spirit of local collaboration that gets Better Process excited for the road ahead. They’re eager to make a difference for Colorado’s industrialists by helping them integrate advanced technologies like AI and robots.
“The challenge and greatness of Colorado is that it’s not a one-industry wonder, like Detroit and the auto industry,” concludes Rayment. “There’s a huge mix of innovation and manufacturing, so what gets me up in the morning is my excitement for helping companies get a better process, meet their customers’ needs, and overcome challenges so that they can thrive.”
About the Colorado Tech Spotlight
The Colorado Tech Spotlight highlights local innovations and the stories behind them. The series explores how the Colorado tech ecosystem creates an environment that promotes technological progress.
It is produced by Dynamic Tech Media and written by John Himes.
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