Greg Roberts (Designer)
Encyclopedia
Greg Roberts is an American
artist
and entrepreneur
who is best known as a pioneering designer
of interactive experiences, and for creating some of the first interface designs for broadband internet services.
In 1986, while attending Walter Johnson High School
, Roberts worked under the direction of Dr. Gary Wind at the National Naval Medical Center
in Bethesda, Maryland
, where he led the design of novel pre-surgical visualization methods through custom software co-developed with Vojin Dvorak. The techniques they developed utilized sequential 2d CAT scans to construct three dimensional models of internal human anatomy
, which were then used to plan surgical approaches; these methods are now standard practice throughout Western medicine.
Moving to Jacksonville, Florida
in 1988, Roberts launched his first company, RamWorks, at the age of 18. In 1995 he was named Web Architect of Record for the first mass deployment of consumer broadband services in North America
; in this role he designed high speed web applications for the NFL, CSX and Mercedes-Benz
, among others.
Roberts sold RamWorks in 1998 and moved to San Francisco, California
where he and Scott Wills co-founded BrightStreet.com, one of the first web based CRM
companies.
Roberts relocated to Atlanta, Georgia
in 2001, where he embarked upon a sabbatical as an anarchist photojournalist. In 2003, while attending the DICE Summit in Las Vegas
, he met The Fat Man, who inspired him to found his third company, PlayMotion
. In his work there, Roberts was one of the first humans to clearly articulate a strategy for imbuing silicon-based life
, specifically robot
s, with a basic level of metacommunicative competence
.
Roberts is the son of Dr. Anita Roberts
, noted for her pioneering work with the TGF beta
protein, and Dr. Bob Roberts.
Roberts is divorced and has two biological children.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
who is best known as a pioneering designer
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
of interactive experiences, and for creating some of the first interface designs for broadband internet services.
In 1986, while attending Walter Johnson High School
Walter Johnson High School
Walter Johnson High School is located at 6400 Rock Spring Drive in Bethesda, an unincorporated region of Montgomery County, Maryland.WJHS serves areas in Bethesda and Rockville, as well as the towns of Garrett Park and Kensington.-History:...
, Roberts worked under the direction of Dr. Gary Wind at the National Naval Medical Center
National Naval Medical Center
The National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, USA — commonly known as the Bethesda Naval Hospital — was for decades the flagship of the United States Navy's system of medical centers. A federal institution, it conducted medical and dental research as well as providing health care for...
in Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
, where he led the design of novel pre-surgical visualization methods through custom software co-developed with Vojin Dvorak. The techniques they developed utilized sequential 2d CAT scans to construct three dimensional models of internal human anatomy
Human anatomy
Human anatomy is primarily the scientific study of the morphology of the human body. Anatomy is subdivided into gross anatomy and microscopic anatomy. Gross anatomy is the study of anatomical structures that can be seen by the naked eye...
, which were then used to plan surgical approaches; these methods are now standard practice throughout Western medicine.
Moving to Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
in 1988, Roberts launched his first company, RamWorks, at the age of 18. In 1995 he was named Web Architect of Record for the first mass deployment of consumer broadband services in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
; in this role he designed high speed web applications for the NFL, CSX and Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
, among others.
Roberts sold RamWorks in 1998 and moved to San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
where he and Scott Wills co-founded BrightStreet.com, one of the first web based CRM
Customer relationship management
Customer relationship management is a widely implemented strategy for managing a company’s interactions with customers, clients and sales prospects. It involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processes—principally sales activities, but also those for marketing,...
companies.
Roberts relocated to Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
in 2001, where he embarked upon a sabbatical as an anarchist photojournalist. In 2003, while attending the DICE Summit in Las Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
, he met The Fat Man, who inspired him to found his third company, PlayMotion
PlayMotion
PlayMotion! is a company that produces a next generation videogame technology of the same name. Their product applies practical Computer Vision algorithms to the problem of gesture recognition in a wide array of environments, including Education and exergaming....
. In his work there, Roberts was one of the first humans to clearly articulate a strategy for imbuing silicon-based life
Life
Life is a characteristic that distinguishes objects that have signaling and self-sustaining processes from those that do not, either because such functions have ceased , or else because they lack such functions and are classified as inanimate...
, specifically robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s, with a basic level of metacommunicative competence
Metacommunicative competence
Metacommunicative competence is the ability to intervene within difficult conversations and to correct communication problems by utilizing the different ways of practical communication:...
.
Roberts is the son of Dr. Anita Roberts
Anita Roberts
Anita B. Roberts was a molecular biologist who made pioneering observations of a protein, TGF-β, that is critical in healing wounds and bone fractures and that has a dual role in blocking or stimulating cancers...
, noted for her pioneering work with the TGF beta
TGF beta
Transforming growth factor beta is a protein that controls proliferation, cellular differentiation, and other functions in most cells. It plays a role in immunity, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Marfan syndrome, and Loeys–Dietz syndrome....
protein, and Dr. Bob Roberts.
Roberts is divorced and has two biological children.