{"product_id":"sam-jonathan-waldman-9781501140600","title":"Sam: One Robot, a Dozen Engineers, and the Race to Revolutionize the Way We Build","description":"\u003cb\u003eA true story of innovation that \"reads like a movie\" (Seth Godin), centered on a scrappy team of engineers--far from the Silicon Valley limelight--and their quest to revolutionize the traditional trade of masonry by building a robot that can lay bricks.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHumans have landed men on the moon, programmed cars to drive themselves, and put the knowledge of our entire civilization in your back pocket. But no one--from MIT nerds to Army Corps engineers--has ever built a robot that can lay bricks as well as a mason. Unlike the controlled conditions of a factory line, where robots are now ubiquitous, no two construction sites are alike, and a day's work involves countless variables--bricks that range in size and quality, temperamental mortar mixes, uneven terrain, fickle weather, and moody foremen. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTwenty-five years ago, on a challenging construction job in Syracuse, architect Nate Podkaminer had a vision of a future full of efficient, automated machines that freed bricklayers from the repetitive, toilsome burden of lifting, in bricks, the equivalent of a Ford truck every few days. Offhandedly, he mentioned the idea to his daughter's boyfriend, and after some inspired scheming, the architect and engineer--soon to be in-laws--cofounded a humble start-up called Construction Robotics. Working out of a small trailer, they recruited a boldly unconventional team of engineers to build the Semi-Automated Mason: SAM. In classic American tradition, a small, unlikely, and eccentric family-run start-up sought to reimagine the behemoth $1 trillion construction industry--the second biggest industry in America--in bootstrap fashion. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the tradition of Tracy Kidder's \u003ci\u003eThe Soul of a New Machine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e SAM\u003c\/i\u003e unfolds as an engineering drama, full of trials and setbacks, heated showdowns between meticulous scientists and brash bricklayers (and their even more opinionated union), and hard-earned milestone achievements. Jonathan Waldman, acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eRust\u003c\/i\u003e, masterfully \"reveals a world that surrounds us but mostly eludes our notice\" (\u003ci\u003eThe Boston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Jonathan Waldman\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1501140604\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781501140600\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Avid Reader Press \/ Simon \u0026amp; Schuster\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/26\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.50lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.30h x 6.00w x 0.80d","brand":"Jonathan Waldman","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44052667662591,"sku":"9781501140600","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_8f287abc-a984-4ca6-980e-6b248d2e5c62.jpg?v=1685020112","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/sam-jonathan-waldman-9781501140600","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}