Love guru turns robot maker
Who can forget “Love Notes,” the popular radio show that made the love advice genre on the FM band a necessary item on any station’s programming set? Those awkward situations, shocking realities and incredible stories read on-air reflect the common Filipino love experience.
Who can forget the DJ who read those letters, whose wisdom people sought to solve their troubles, whose voice is so comforting and reassuring, anyone felt better after listening to him? Yes, Joe D’ Mango was an early morning fare no one could miss, as homes, offices, even retail stores and banks go to a grinding halt as people stayed glued to the radio to hear the stories and Joe’s pieces of advice.
The success of “Love Notes” on radio made the show expand to the print medium. A newspaper column and a bestseller paperback were born out of it . His popular program spawned several other similarly-themed shows in other radio stations and eventually led to the “in-your-face” genre of Papa Jack’s immensely-popular “True Love Conversation” and Papa Dan’s “Wanted Sweetheart.”
Joe, Rolando Sulit in real life and now a Canberra, Australia resident, is no psychology graduate nor career love counselor. He is a computer science graduate with a special interest in electronics and robotics.
‘Secret’ life
Joe had this “secret” that is literally kept in a laboratory—similar to any science fiction story; a fact that will surely surprise even his legions of “Love Notes” fans. Joe designs and develops robots!
This “fact” about Joe was only widely revealed when The Mind Museum in Bonifacio Global City tapped him to do some work for this prime science destination in the metropolis that offers the first T-Rex exhibit in the Philippines. The Mind Museum asked Joe and other Filipino scientists, artists and fabricators to help build the Philippines’ first world-class science exhibit. Several international companies like Dell, Cisco Systems, APC and Sony have supported this monumental initiative led by the Bonifacio Art Foundation via equipment donations.
Joe designed, developed and created a real robot that is fascinating guests at Mind Museum. Mimo is a talking and walking robot, among others of his kind in the science exhibit (Joe was also the lighting and electronics consultant for the museum’s Nature’s Hourglass attraction). It detects obstacles in its path and changes direction, while welcoming and accommodating those he encounters in its line of “sight.”
Joe says he always had a fondness for robots. Unknown to many, Joe had been bringing robots to life for more than a decade.
“I have been fascinated by robots since I was a kid and I have been building them for almost 13 years now.”
He says that the robots he made for Mind Museum “are all made from readily available and common materials like plywood , plastic containers and old appliances.”
“Each of the robots were designed according to a particular function and were all made from scratch.”
Big challenge
Of course, building them was a big challenge altogether.
“The aesthetic part is a bit easier because there are really no rules of design as most of it is a flow of creative thoughts and ideas. The challenging part is the mechanics involved to make movements , the electronics to control motors and servos, and the programming of microcontrollers that provide intelligence and autonomy to the robots. After several trials and errors, redesign and reprogramming most of the robots I make meet their design and performance criteria.”
Was it all worth it, seeing guests, especially children marveling at Mimo and the rest of the robots?
“It happily reminds me of my childhood when my eyes glow everytime I see robots on cartoons and movies,” Joe said. “It is always good to see that people appreciate art and technology at work.”
Does success in mounting such an elaborate science attraction made this Australian immigrant choose this field of expertise permanently and abandon his work as radio’s “love guru”?
“I haven't closed my door to broadcasting but science has a very special place in my heart and I think it is what will keep me busy for now,” says Joe, who in his e-mail says he works for Accent One Designs in Australia. “I am still a fan of technology and always put my hand in anything that involves tinkering, experimenting and design.”
For those impressed with his work, not as Joe D’Mango the “Love Notes” host but as Joe Sulit, the robot maker, he has this to say:
“Anyone can imagine, design and create. All we have to do is put our hearts in everything we do and fuel our vision with passion, patience and perseverance.”
Will robots eventually invade Pinoy life?
“It may take years for that to happen but we will definitely be influenced in one way or the other, directly or indirectly by many forms of robots that are already in use across varied industries,” Joe noted.
