EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW W/ A. M. ROBERTSON

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

America.

WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSION?

Design.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PIECE THAT YOU HAVE CREATED?

Adonis is my most expressive by far. I have a couple flying car designs hovering around my deskthat are on deck. They are very eye catching, as well as very functional. I’m very excited to get them online.

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS?

I have family orientated goals. Operating remotely allows new avenues for personal development while staying close to my loved ones. I’d like to develop AMR Industrial Design further, eventually opening a design firm. I’d like the service to include modeling, rendering, and prototyping across multiple fields of design, hosting specialists in Architecture, Fashion, Product and of course Transportation.

WHAT IS YOUR INSPIRATION?

I’ve always loved cars. As a child I became obsessed with everything car related, which led me to racing. I’ve beat nearly every Gran Turismo. I fell in love with racing. Naturally you begin to the study the relationship between cars and racing. Many point out that Ferrari isn’t a car company but rather a racing company selling cars to continue racing. I see AMR as a company drawing inspiration from racing but selling cars to continue designing.

Growth. Continuous, sustainable growth is so inspiring. When a person or an organization is able to just get it right. I mean, how could anyone not admire that.

WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN?

You have more time than you think.

So take your time, it is your time to take!

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ANYTHING ABOUT THE INDUSTRY, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

The adaptability of new technology. I see it everywhere I go. The capabilities of some of the newest hardware is lost on the worlds biggest companies because of their unwillingness to upgrade tech. Students are coming out of universities all over the world with more updated technology in their pockets than their prospective employers have seen in the office for a decade. As well, the gap is increasing. Many industries are afraid, they are unsure, many have not even began using cloud based technology which means they are quite far from taking advantage of an open source file sharing system. It boils down to trust and security I think. I’m curious how far the gap will widen. The only solution is to learn, adapt, and grow. Trust the process.

HOW DOES A DAYIN YOUR LIFE LOOK LIKE?

We have a dog and cat. I feed them. I clean a bit and shower. Then I hop online and lose myself in social media. I’ve found targeted advertising to be quite useful. I reel myself back out around 10:30. I linger a bit longer. At 11 I start feeling really guilty. So I put my phone down.

I design from 11am-5pm with a lunch somewhere in between, sometimes a nap too.

Now I used to design in SolidWorks primarily. I did this for a decade or so. Right as I began mastering surface modeling these last couple years, I began noticing advancement in the virtual reality realm. Meta had acquired Oculus and released the Meta Quest. Seemed intriguing at the time but not enough to upgrade. Until during a family gathering, one of our cousins brought over the headset. We fell in love with it instantly. Being familiar with the capabilities of the HTC Vice and Tilt Brush I was confident that this new headset would be worth the low cost. So we purchased the Meta Quest and downloaded Gravity Sketch.

The Adonis is the first car I’ve created using the software. I wanted to push the limits of Gravity Sketch’s surfacing capabilities. Then I found out how easily every surface can be converted to Sub D models and thickened. Game over. The car became more than just an exercise in stamina. It became a realistic, printable object. Capable of not only existing in virtual realms like Movies and Video Games but to be available as an actual, tangible object. Matter matters. I’m very happy with the technology. The way the headset and controllers allow the designer to interact with the object is just incredible. It is beyond a screen. It is the future of design.

Afterwork I enjoy my personal time. It’s important to maintain a well balanced life.

WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOU?

Just to keep LIVING! I’d like to help contribute to my surroundings. Pushing design trends is veryfascinating to me. I’d like to continue doing that! Also, I’m hearing good things about the EVTOL sector...