Grant Imahara (1970 - 2020)

July 14, 2020 5:18 AM

Grant Imahara, animatronics engineer, model maker, and MythBusters co-host, died yesterday at age 49 from a suspected brain aneurysm.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow (190 comments total)

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posted by jpziller at 5:18 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by mrgroweler at 5:20 AM on July 14, 2020

He possessed a rare combination of charisma, intelligence, and kindness, which made Mythbusters a delight to watch. This hurts.

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posted by schmod at 5:23 AM on July 14, 2020 [33 favorites]

2020 strikes again.

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posted by pianissimo at 5:23 AM on July 14, 2020 [4 favorites]

Just fucking awful. He was so wonderful in everything I saw him do.
posted by obfuscation at 5:24 AM on July 14, 2020 [5 favorites]

No words.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:25 AM on July 14, 2020

I was so sad to hear of this. Such a bummer.
posted by Wretch729 at 5:27 AM on July 14, 2020

This really sucks.

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posted by destrius at 5:28 AM on July 14, 2020

49!

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posted by Frayed Knot at 5:29 AM on July 14, 2020 [2 favorites]

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posted by octothorpe at 5:33 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by jozxyqk at 5:33 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by nonspecialist at 5:35 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by FishBike at 5:36 AM on July 14, 2020

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Met him once, when he was gave a fantastic keynote for a conference. Polite, professional, and had always had time for people who wanted to meet him.
posted by nickggully at 5:36 AM on July 14, 2020 [3 favorites]

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posted by Faint of Butt at 5:36 AM on July 14, 2020

Woke to this news. Bummed beyond words. Everything I have read — including Adam Savage’s comments this morning — point to what I assumed: he was a genuine, kind person.

My deepest condolences to all who knew and loved him. I’m sure there is a huge hole in each of their lives.
posted by terrapin at 5:37 AM on July 14, 2020 [2 favorites]

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posted by Captain_Science at 5:38 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by TedW at 5:39 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by JoeXIII007 at 5:40 AM on July 14, 2020

I was lucky to work with Grant briefly. He was just as sweet, good natured, and inventive in person as he was on TV. RIP.
posted by cron at 5:40 AM on July 14, 2020 [31 favorites]

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posted by Fizz at 5:53 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by grumpybear69 at 5:55 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by St. Oops at 5:56 AM on July 14, 2020

RIP Grant, always seemed like one of the good guys.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 5:57 AM on July 14, 2020

I LOVED watching Mythbusters with my oldest son when he was very young, in large part because I felt the whole crew, but Grant especially, projected a blend of intelligence and good-humored, open-hearted kindness that I wanted as a role model for him.

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posted by Caxton1476 at 5:59 AM on July 14, 2020 [13 favorites]

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posted by Pendragon at 6:02 AM on July 14, 2020

Fudge.

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posted by ZeusHumms at 6:05 AM on July 14, 2020 [1 favorite]

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posted by Gelatin at 6:09 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by wotsac at 6:13 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by solotoro at 6:15 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by cirhosis at 6:15 AM on July 14, 2020

I don't know why this hit me so hard. I watched Mythbusters back in the day and sort of followed Grant's work since through some of my Twitter follows. Maybe because it was so sudden, maybe because he's a year younger than me, I dunno. It was unexpected. Of course I immediately had to go see if it was COVID because that's the state of things now.

He seemed like such a neat person with an amazing mind. Such a shame.

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posted by bondcliff at 6:16 AM on July 14, 2020 [8 favorites]

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posted by Foci for Analysis at 6:16 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by antipodes at 6:17 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by tofu_crouton at 6:19 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by cmfletcher at 6:25 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by gwint at 6:26 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by Tell Me No Lies at 6:34 AM on July 14, 2020

Absolutely heartbreaking.
posted by lazaruslong at 6:35 AM on July 14, 2020

Just so sad. We were just watching him as Sulu in Star Trek Continues. What a loss.
posted by victoriab at 6:36 AM on July 14, 2020 [1 favorite]

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posted by carter at 6:38 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by faceplantingcheetah at 7:05 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by The Lurkers Support Me in Email at 7:11 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by selenized at 7:14 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by Sweetie Darling at 7:27 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by me3dia at 7:31 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by arkady at 7:36 AM on July 14, 2020

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What a loss.
posted by Cash4Lead at 7:37 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by sydnius at 7:41 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by riverlife at 7:41 AM on July 14, 2020

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this fucking year. it just takes and takes and takes.
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 7:42 AM on July 14, 2020 [13 favorites]

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posted by fFish at 7:43 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by Harald74 at 7:52 AM on July 14, 2020

Had a big crush on this dude when he was on Myth busters. I didn't realize how many of my favorite people knew and loved him. So sad.
posted by Kitchen Witch at 7:54 AM on July 14, 2020 [5 favorites]

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posted by sourcequench at 7:58 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by briank at 7:58 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by Splunge at 7:59 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by hijinx at 7:59 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by lord_wolf at 7:59 AM on July 14, 2020

Mythbusters is my happy place.

My wife says I'm Adam, but I always wanted to be Grant.

My condolences to everyone who knew him
posted by The Power Nap at 8:00 AM on July 14, 2020 [5 favorites]

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posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 8:01 AM on July 14, 2020

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I crossed paths with him once in an airport and he was very kind and gracious to a couple of excited, surprised fans who asked for a picture with him.

I adored Mythbusters and he was always my favorite. This is so sad.
posted by beandip at 8:03 AM on July 14, 2020 [2 favorites]

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posted by BlahLaLa at 8:05 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by cgg at 8:07 AM on July 14, 2020

He always came across as kind and inquisitive. What a loss.
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:09 AM on July 14, 2020

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fucking brain aneurysm! like a fucking piano falling out of the sky and crushing you in a cartoon, except NOT FUCKING FUNNY. FUCK.
posted by lalochezia at 8:14 AM on July 14, 2020 [9 favorites]

And he designed and built Geoff Peterson for Craig Ferguson! What a talent, what a tragedy.
posted by y2karl at 8:17 AM on July 14, 2020 [26 favorites]

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posted by dubitable at 8:18 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:23 AM on July 14, 2020

This one hurts. He was so, so great.

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posted by UltraMorgnus at 8:24 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by rhamphorhynchus at 8:25 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by xcasex at 8:28 AM on July 14, 2020

I found out about this from this moving Twitter thread by Matthew Mercer (of Critical Role) this morning.

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posted by death valley compound at 8:28 AM on July 14, 2020 [3 favorites]

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posted by pointystick at 8:29 AM on July 14, 2020

I wasn't a huge Mythbusters watcher, but from what I've seen, I got the same vibe as everyone else in this thred.

RIP and sympathies to his family and friends.
posted by symbioid at 8:31 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by nickmark at 8:32 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by oozy rat in a sanitary zoo at 8:35 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by blurker at 8:51 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by Canageek at 8:53 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by /\/\/\/ at 8:54 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by mochapickle at 9:00 AM on July 14, 2020

Grant seemed to just always pop up to help out in so many tiny ways. If you're a MBMBAM / The Adventure Zone person.
posted by lazaruslong at 9:01 AM on July 14, 2020 [5 favorites]

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posted by detachd at 9:03 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by Hairy Lobster at 9:06 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by Justin Case at 9:10 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by jquinby at 9:16 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:17 AM on July 14, 2020

This is bullshit. 2020 can go die in a fire.

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posted by headspace at 9:23 AM on July 14, 2020 [4 favorites]

And he designed and built Geoff Peterson for Craig Ferguson!

Geoff Peterson 1.0 Intro.
posted by Pendragon at 9:27 AM on July 14, 2020 [12 favorites]

. Gone too soon, but leaves a legacy of kindness, intelligence, heart, and joy. Condolences to his family and friends.
posted by coppertop at 9:32 AM on July 14, 2020 [2 favorites]

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posted by Aleyn at 9:41 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by Going To Maine at 9:44 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by thack3r at 10:10 AM on July 14, 2020

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Been a fan for a long time—when he showed up on Mythbusters, my wife and I were like, "Hey, it's Grant from BattleBots!"
posted by The Tensor at 10:22 AM on July 14, 2020 [4 favorites]

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posted by No One Ever Does at 10:23 AM on July 14, 2020

Awful news. Condolences to his friends and family.

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posted by biogeo at 10:23 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by emmet at 10:28 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by Atom Eyes at 10:28 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by sueinnyc at 10:28 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by bouvin at 10:29 AM on July 14, 2020

I've been pleasantly surprised to see how many engineering types are expressing their admiration and appreciation of Grant. How many he inspired to pursue a career. In how many he rekindled an interest in technical pursuits. I know the phrase has become tainted, but, truly, he always seemed like such a nice person.

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posted by grimjeer at 10:53 AM on July 14, 2020 [1 favorite]

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posted by simra at 10:58 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by bz at 11:00 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by proneSMK at 11:13 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by mce at 11:24 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by rewil at 11:47 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by snsranch at 11:47 AM on July 14, 2020

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far too young
posted by supermedusa at 11:53 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by ewok_academy at 11:54 AM on July 14, 2020

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posted by pearlybob at 11:55 AM on July 14, 2020

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He, and the rest of the Mythbusters, did a lot to make STEM look cool.
posted by mephron at 12:09 PM on July 14, 2020 [6 favorites]

This makes me so sad.

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posted by sarcasticah at 12:15 PM on July 14, 2020

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posted by theora55 at 12:18 PM on July 14, 2020

I don’t know why this one seems so much more unreal than other recent celebrity deaths.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:27 PM on July 14, 2020 [6 favorites]

When George Lucas needed a better R2D2 that didn't break down seemingly every shot, and when Energizer needed a better Energizer Bunny, they went to Grant Imahara.

I saw him live when he was a host of a RoboGames competition. He seemed to be smiling, laughing, and engaging with everyone around him the whole time. A genuinely great guy. This is really a shame.

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posted by eye of newt at 12:38 PM on July 14, 2020 [5 favorites]

Damn, I just saw him in an episode of Drunk History last week playing one of the conscientious objectors in a WWII Japanese-American internment camp. When I recognized him I thought to myself good on him for landing interesting TV roles outside of his bailiwick as the Engineer Guy. This is very sad.
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:39 PM on July 14, 2020 [2 favorites]

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posted by artsandsci at 12:56 PM on July 14, 2020

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posted by FallibleHuman at 1:20 PM on July 14, 2020

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posted by haiku warrior at 1:56 PM on July 14, 2020

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posted by blob at 2:02 PM on July 14, 2020

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posted by rhizome at 2:33 PM on July 14, 2020

Just a few months ago he completed work on a super realistic, fully animatronic Baby Yoda to take around to hospitals to entertain sick children. I mean, God bless this man.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 2:38 PM on July 14, 2020 [14 favorites]

Aneurysms are horrible.

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posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 3:11 PM on July 14, 2020 [2 favorites]

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posted by gt guest at 3:13 PM on July 14, 2020

He came to Dragon Con several times, and I had the great pleasure of meeting him. He was unfailingly kind to me, to the other volunteers, to attendees -- to everyone, really. He hosted the masquerade multiple times, and he was so very, very good with the kids especially. Watching him get so excited about someone's super cool costume build was the best.
posted by sgranade at 3:19 PM on July 14, 2020 [1 favorite]

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posted by photo guy at 3:30 PM on July 14, 2020

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posted by Thrakburzug at 3:32 PM on July 14, 2020

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posted by juv3nal at 3:55 PM on July 14, 2020

Remembering Grant Imahara - Still Untitled: The Adam Savage Project.
posted by Pendragon at 4:04 PM on July 14, 2020 [5 favorites]

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posted by Loudmax at 4:07 PM on July 14, 2020

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posted by Start with Dessert at 5:06 PM on July 14, 2020

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posted by mmascolino at 5:39 PM on July 14, 2020

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Such a shame.
posted by rmd1023 at 6:46 PM on July 14, 2020

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posted by gudrun at 7:06 PM on July 14, 2020

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posted by introp at 7:46 PM on July 14, 2020

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posted by Pouteria at 7:57 PM on July 14, 2020

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posted by monotreme at 8:31 PM on July 14, 2020

He's co-author of Stickman: Towards a Human Scale Acrobatic Robot (from Disney research, two years ago). It sounds like his voice in the accompanying video.

The technology will be used in a robotic Spiderman swinging above guests heads at Disneyland.
posted by eye of newt at 10:16 PM on July 14, 2020 [2 favorites]

Random death from something like a brain anurysm. One of my phobias. What a loss.

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posted by Windopaene at 10:52 PM on July 14, 2020 [2 favorites]

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posted by Sphinx at 12:08 AM on July 15, 2020

Dammit. I'm sorry for our loss.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 12:36 AM on July 15, 2020 [3 favorites]

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posted by Red Desk at 1:11 AM on July 15, 2020

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posted by Standard Orange at 1:17 AM on July 15, 2020

Grant Imahara and I were born on exactly the same day. Logically I know that statistically brain aneurysms are unusual and I'm not more prone to that kind of thing than anyone else my age, but way down in the irrational depths of my hindbrain something is yelling OH JESUS FUCK HOLD STILL AND NOBODY JOSTLE ANY PART OF THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM at top volume. :/

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posted by Mr. Bad Example at 2:58 AM on July 15, 2020 [8 favorites]

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posted by cowcowgrasstree at 10:24 AM on July 15, 2020

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I actually got my hair cut several times at a salon in San Mateo just because he gave it a good Yelp review.

He was my favorite 'buster.
posted by bendy at 11:15 AM on July 15, 2020 [3 favorites]

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This one hurts. :(
posted by CoffeeHikeNapWine at 12:04 PM on July 15, 2020

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posted by Ilira at 10:57 AM on August 6, 2020