The Story of SOMA Robotics - trying to stop school shootings

SOMA Robotics - named after living at 7th and Howard in San Francisco, originated from travelling and being aware of the world. Hence the name SOMA Robotics.

At SOMA Robotics we a clear vision.

Stop or mitigate mass shootings using AI/ML through Robotics and Non-Lethal means.

Obviously integrated with the heroic first responders who we all count on to protect us. 

How did we get here?

I can't tell the story without getting a bit personal. The issue is important enough that if I'm afraid to tell my story, well, then I shouldn't have tried to start the project in the first place.

DEFCON, Las Vegas, 2016. I was there with my son (because that's how we roll.) 

A month prior, one of my brothers told me about a Night Club shooting near where he worked. He was NOT in the building, and had never been there. Not sure if he even knew the place existed. But it turned out several people he knew from work were in the night club. Thankfully his friends were OK and not injured

The place was called the "Pulse Nightclub" in Orlando Florida. You can read about the tragic events on wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_nightclub_shooting

This relates to me, well, like most people I had come to the conclusion that mass shootings were inevitable in the US and that the NRA was single focused on protecting gun rights as opposed to human rights. (stay with me here....)

I'm eating at a restaurant in Vegas and the people at the next table were talking, this was August 2016, so a month after the shooting. I hear a guy say, and I quote, "I don't know why the gay guys didn't fight back." I am not gay, and didn't realize the Pulse Night Club was a LGBT bar, but here is hat I do know:

Let's start with the obvious; every gay guy I know would have kicked that little punks ass. I grew up on Army Bases and I've always been a "gym rat". There is not time or tolerance for such prejudice in a gym. Gym's are the utimate meritocracy. When you go to a gym you are welcomed and pushed to improve regarless of your ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. Seriously - absolutely no shits given regarding your orientation. It's about competition when competing, and helping your competitor when you aren't on the court so they get better.

Then you fight like hell when you are on the court again even if it's with the same person you were just training. In other words, every gay person I know would have kicked that cowards ass, except for the fact that he had a sub-machine gun. They're tough and strong, but none of us are bullet proof.

I was angry over-hearing these statements, as every decent person should be, because they are prejudiced and ignorant on so many levels I can't even begin to describe. I was extremely angry to be honest - I wanted to turn around and educate them on... er... humanity, and what it means to be a patriotic American.

Add to this that I have a personal rule called the rule of "reverse karma." It's pretty simple actually. When someone goes all road rage on me, or insults me, rather than replay the situation with some other innocent person, instead the next waiter, bartender, street person I run into gets at least a $10 spot.

Take the negative, turn it into a positive.

How could I apply the rule of "reverse karma" to these cowards who are afraid to inquire within the answer? This led to what I view as the key to all knowledge;

What is the right question?