This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at SolidWorks World 2011: Segunda jornada

Users and their inventions (robots and similar things) star in the General session of the day

SolidWorks World 2011: Second day

Joan Sánchez Sabé, from San Antonio, TX, USA25/01/2011

The General session today focused on users of SolidWorks. It has been acknowledged to the network of groups for users of SolidWorks (SolidWorks User Groups Networks - SWUGN). Jon Hirschtick, SolidWorks founder, has shown products and three outstanding customer experiences. Finally, discover the stars of an American television show: Bionic Builders.

User communities

Fielder Hiss, the Vice President of product management, has been the driver of the presentation today. After a brief presentation of Tom Salomone, of HP, has given the word to Richard Doyle, the head of the network of groups of users, who has emphasized the communities of users of the product. The prizes have been delivered to the 'group of users of the year', 'Leader of groups of users of the year'. Phil Sluder, owner of Triaxial portfolio and Analysis has honored the memory of Michelle Pillers, on whose behalf a 'prize Michelle Pillers community SWUGN', has been established now that has been received by Wayne Tiffany.

Three special clients, submitted by Jon Hirschtick

The founder of SolidWorks has presented to us today its first customer: Dr. Bill Townsend, founder of barrett technologies, robotics company in turn. Its objective, the robotic 2.0, happens to get robots to give something away from the human to avoid accidents, to be something that moves between humans. Its landmarks: robots that control his strength, which reduce its electronic components to a tiny size, approaching them the electromechanical components that Act, and that may turn 100 cables to 4. And get a (very small) robot to function with 5 9V batteries. The electrical closet: history.

Jon Hirschtick (on the left) with Bill Townsend (right) while explains how a cabinet can take between the fingers.

The following prominent client was Rony Abrovitz, founder and 'chief visionary officer' (something as well as visionary Chief) of the mako surgicalcompany. The company uses to robotics to surgery of implants. One of the clients/patients, Sam Brooks, has shown us how well it works their prosthetic knee, allowed him to walk two hours after the operation. Mako uses techniques of scanning of the bones and joints of patients to design custom-made prosthesis. Of course, with SolidWorks.

Mako Surgical Corp. To the right, Rony Abrovitz.

Finally, Jon has presented to Mike Pisani, Local motorscompany, dedicated to make cars that have been designed by 'crodsourcing', using 'open source' by a community of 9,500 users. Of each model are manufactured, a maximum of 2,000 units. It is built from designs created by users, and this has enabled them to develop a car in two years, when it is normal that the cycle will require between five and seven. The designs that have shown us, of course, between little and nothing conventional.

Mike Pisani has told us how to get a car 'open source' (with Creative Commons license).

The climax of the day: the Bionic specialist of Starship Troopers

Darren Henry, director of marketing of SolidWorks, has invited to the scenario to Casey Pieretti and Bill Spracher. The first is a cinematographic specialist, with a leg amputated that substitutes by the inventions of the second. His histories have turned into a series of the Discovery Channel, designated ‘Bionic Builders' (Constructors Biónicos). The concept: achieve that Casey was not a disabled, but a supercapacitado. It practises all type of activities and sports, rather little conventional, including the scuba diving and the climbing. All this thanks to diverse artificial legs, that can arrive to be anything less legs: aletas of nadador, an underwater propellant, or a leg that disassembles and goes out shot to the air. Casey, when it already had lost his natural leg, was discovered by a trainer of specialists, the one who proposed him be the substitute of the interpreter of a character of Starship Troopers (film based in the novel of the same name of Robert To. Heinlein, and that has translated in Spain by ‘The Brigades of the Space') that loses a leg in an explosion.

If the session of today had appearance of ‘show', the end could not be of another way.