Eulogy for Lutz Michaelis
This was the eulogy for Lutz Michaelis that was read by Min Lin Hsieh and Ricky Ng-Adam at his commemoration at XinCheJian, May 20th 2015.
Chinese follows English version.
English Version
We've come together this evening as a community to commemorate a man who was taken too soon from this world: Lutz Michaelis.
Lutz passed away in San Francisco at the Makerfaire last Monday, May 18th 2015. He was doing what he loves: sharing his passion for robots with the world.
Lutz was 50 years old. He was born May 30th 1964 in Zwenkau, Germany. He was an hobby photographer, maker, father, husband, friend and a key member of this community.
Lutz had a long and varied life experience: instrumentation and control technician, sound technician, fisherman, truck driver, foreman in a construction company, computer scientist. He was also an entrepreneur who started his own companies. Most recently, he went from technical translator in a computer company to a robotics engineer that traveled the world to share his machines.
In 2011, Lutz found the spark that would start his deep, growing passion for building robots. He found in making robots something he had forgotten from the time his dad taught him electronics and soldering when he was 10 years old: the desire to create physical machines that combined mechanics, electronics, software and a bit of art.
One of the first email from Lutz to me was news of his first DIY robot project, an Insectbot. The Insectbot would serve as the basis for many workshops at XinCheJian. He signed off his enthusiastic message with "Ahhhh i am infected... ^_^". He had indeed caught on the beautiful contagious sickness of wanting to make robots and he transmitted it to everyone around him.
From then on, Lutz spent his spare time organizing and running workshops, working on and posting projects, contributing in XinCheJian as a stakeholder, recruiting new members and taking beautiful pictures of the makers using his talent for photography. In his workshops, he would patiently and expertly explain to all ages and skill level how to make robots. His patience, enthusiasm, deep voice and hearty laugh made him an ideal teacher.
Just a few months after making his first robot, on the day of his Insectbot workshop, Lutz wrote to one of the enthusiastic parent of a young participant:
"I am very happy that we can encourage kids to do activities like this since they are our future. And what's better as to guide them on their way to become little creators, engineers or artists [...] Everybody can make this little "machine" walk and I am more than happy that we also got some girls interested."
Lutz's robots showed his attention to details. Beetleduino, BugBot, Chopstick Junior, ALF the Analog Line Follower and his work on the Swarm Robots showed sophisticated and fancy design twists. But Lutz went beyond making: he also shared his passion far and wide. His encouragements and support of other people from around the world were part of creating a big family of global makers.
He was 50 years old, but his heart was still the heart of a 10 years old.
Today is 5/20, the Chinese Valentine day, because the numbers 5-2-0 sounds like 我爱你. What better way to spend this evening than to express our love for a man that was a role model to us all.
Lets take a minute of silence to remember him.
中文版本
今天晚上我们一起在这里沉痛的追思新车间元老级的创客Lutz Michaelis。
本周一，2015年5月18日，我们收到Lutz突然过世的消息，当时他在三藩市参加Makerfaire，一直在倒下前还捣腾着他的热爱的机器人。Lutz 热爱机器人也热衷于和世界分享他的创作。
Lutz出生于1964年5月30日在德国萨克森州的茨文考 (Zwenkau)，再过几天就是他51岁生日。他是一个摄影爱好者，创客，父亲，丈夫，朋友和新车间社群的重要成员。
Lutz的一生过得丰富多彩的充实生活：他曾经是仪表和控制技术员，音响技术员，渔民，卡车司机，建筑工程工头，计算机科学家。他也曾经是一个企业家。最近几年，他从技术翻译员成功转型去了一家计算机公司，当一个周游世界的机器人工程师，分享他创作的机器人。
2011年，Lutz发现自己对于创作机器人有越来越多的激情。他在制作机器人当中找回他10岁时他的父亲教他电子和焊接的美好记忆：结合机械，电子，软件和艺术来创造物理机器的激情。
还记得几年前收到来自Lutz的一封电子邮件，是他第一次创作的机器人项目，一个虫虫机器人(Insectbot) 。虫虫机器人在那之后便成了在新车间最受大人小孩欢迎的工作坊之一。在Lutz的电子邮件中他提到他对机器人的热情 “哈啊，我已深受感染...... ^ _ ^”。Lutz确实是得了爱好创作机器人的病，这是一种美丽而且附有极度传染性的病，他将他的热情爱好传递给身边的每一个人。
从那时起，Lutz把业余的时间用在组织和举办机器人工作坊，创作和分享他的项目，在新车间无私的贡献，招募新成员，并用他的摄影才华来拍出美丽的创作和热情的创客们。在他教授的机器人工作坊，他会耐心详细的解释让不同年龄和技能水平的人都能学习如何制作机器人。他的耐心，热情，富有磁性的声音和爽朗的笑声使他成为深受大人小孩欢迎的老师。
在他的第一个虫虫机器人工作坊举办过后的某一天，Lutz给一个来参加的热情学员的家长写了一封邮件：
“我很高兴我们可以鼓励孩子做这样的活动，因为他们是我们的未来。能引导他们成为小创造者，工程师和艺术家是很开心的事[...]每个人都可以让这个小”机器“动起来，我很开心来参加的学员里有几个小女生对机器人充满兴趣，因为并不是只有男生才能玩机器人。”
从Lutz的机器人中看见了他对于细节的关注： Beetleduino，BugBot，筷子机器人，ALF模拟线路小车，还有他对群体机器人的研究和花哨的设计。Lutz远远超出了创作，他时刻分享散播着他对物理机器的激情。他不断的鼓励和支持着来自世界各地的创客， 是全球创客大家族的重要成员。
他50岁了，但他的内心仍然是一个10岁的热情少年。
今天是5/20，一个表达爱的日子，因为数字5-2-0听起来像我爱你。今晚我们要对Lutz表达我们对他的爱，他是我们所有人的榜样。
让我们默哀一分钟，以纪念他。
See also
- Lutz Michaelis - Main Page for Lutz Michaelis
