Robotics

***Join us for an evening in an electronics lab where we will attempt to run clean scans of gold samples, and then clean up that data with post processing.*** This is a high sensitivity experiment, and we do not plan on being successful so early. But we've had promising results lately - so we will be putting in the time. We are NOT meeting at our usual location, but rather at Steve's house/lab. If you RSVP, you will get a DM with the address but it's located in Silver Spring. We will attempt full, clean lab - clean tip repeated scanning tests to see what we can learn and improve. We will experiment with online attendees, but if all possible showing up in person is strongly encouraged. Online join link is: - [https://meet.jit.si/mocomakers](https://meet.jit.si/mocomakers) Our community is building (and documenting for other teams) how to build a scanning tunneling microscope using a mix of common and 3D printed parts. This will allow us to scan and visualize a single atom - an ambitious we are doing over the course of a few months. The MoCo Makers community is one of the most innovative and competent groups in Maryland, and we've done everything from [publishing cancer research](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38136356/), to [launching products](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gotim/cozy-curvy-multi-contour-pillow), [winning grants](https://covidinfocommons.datascience.columbia.edu/awards/2014255), and inspiring thousands. Now our biggest challenge yet has appeared. We are building a Scanning Tunneling Microscope, that will allow us to scan and visualize single atoms. To get a better idea of what we are doing, see our reference project here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N3OqTEq08g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N3OqTEq08g) All starting CAD, code, and reference files should exist. However, let's be the first Maker community to document the build process and share it with learners around the world. We will be publishing our work here -[ https://hackaday.io/project/202816-qt-panda](https://hackaday.io/project/202816-qt-panda) If you need a ride, let us know.

Want to mess with some electronics? Or perhaps contribute to HacDC's main group project? HacDC's latest event brings hardware projects to the community. We will focus primarily on the main project (Space Blimp!) but please feel free to bring some of your own projects to show off and work on!

**Important:** Register on the [event website ](https://www.aicamp.ai/event/eventdetails/W2026031207)is required for admission.(RSVP is turned off on meetup) **Description:** Join Google Cloud for the 2-days agentic AI bootcamp to learn how to build production-ready AI and multimodal agents. **Day 1: The ‘Now’ – Solving for Scale** Start building tools. Day 1 is dedicated to bridging the "Proof-of-Concept Gap"—the difficult space between a successful demo and a live, enterprise-grade application. We are moving beyond the novelty of "cool prompts" to focus on the engineering rigor required for the real world. **Day 1: What to Expect:** * \- Architecture for Scale: Learn how to design robust AI systems that don't just work once\, but work every time\. * \- Data\-Driven Evaluation: Replace subjective "vibe checks" with rigorous\, programmatic assessment\. Implement adaptive rubrics and tool\-use metrics to ensure reliability\. * \- Security: Deep dive into enterprise\-grade protection for AI workloads\. * **Day 2: The ‘Next’ – Capturing Innovation** The era of the text-only chatbot is evolving. Focus on the bleeding edge of AI: Multimodality. We’ll explore how to build intelligent agents that can see, hear, and respond to the world in real-time, creating immersive experiences that feel more human than ever before. **Day 2: What to Expect:** * \- Multimodal Gemini Agents: Coordinate agents to analyze video and audio while maintaining character consistency across multi\-turn image generation\. * \- Intelligence Beyond RAG: Move past simple retrieval with hybrid search\, context engineering\, and multi\-agent pipelines\. * \- Real\-Time Live Interaction: Build low\-latency\, interruptible agents that "see" and "hear" using the Gemini Live API and bidirectional streaming\. **Who Should Attend?** This hands-on workshop is designed for software developers, data scientists, and AI practitioners who have some experience building applications or working with models, and are looking to productionize them. To get the most out of the labs, you should have foundational knowledge of a programming language like Python and be comfortable using the command-line interface. While expertise is not required, a basic understanding of Cloud computing concepts, web APIs, and containerization technology like Docker will be highly beneficial. To participate, you must bring your own laptop and power cable. The activities are intended for laptops and cannot be completed on a tablet or phone.

**Pre-Registration is REQUIRED. RSVP here - [https://luma.com/6twkovvg](https://luma.com/6twkovvg)** ## ODSC AI x Snowflake Present: AI Innovation in the Capital **Our premier Washington D.C. AI Meetup of March 2026!** Skip the usual AI hype and join us in the District for an evening of technical deep dives and high-level networking. We’re bringing together **D.C. builders, data scientists, and engineers** to discuss how to bridge the gap between AI experimentation and enterprise-grade deployment. Come for the networking, stay for the expert insights from the Snowflake team, and leave with a sharper strategy for scaling AI in 2026. ## The Session **Topic: Engineering the Future of Enterprise AI (Title TBA)** *Official topic and abstract coming soon!* While the specific title is under wraps, **Matt Harris** typically explores the intersection of high-performance data architecture and generative AI. Expect a session focused on how organizations can leverage Snowflake’s evolving ecosystem to build secure, scalable, and governed AI applications that go beyond the chat box and into core business logic. **Speaker:** Matt Harris, Principal AI Strategy Architect (FSI at Snowflake [https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-d-harris/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-d-harris/) Matt is a veteran in the data space, serving as a Principal Solutions Engineer at Snowflake. He specializes in helping complex organizations transform their data architecture into a competitive advantage. With deep expertise in the Snowflake Data Cloud, Matt focuses on making advanced data science and AI accessible, governed, and ready for production environments. ## Why Attend? * **Network with the Best:** Connect with AI practitioners and data leaders in the D.C. tech and public sector ecosystem. * **High-End Experience:** Enjoy bites and refreshments in a professional, collaborative environment. * **Exclusive Insights:** Get a direct line to Snowflake’s technical leadership on where enterprise AI is headed next. ## Agenda * **6:00 PM – 6:30 PM:** Networking & Bites/Drinks * **6:30 PM – 7:15 PM:** Presentation by Matt Harris, Principal Solutions Engineer at Snowflake * **7:15 PM – 7:30 PM:** Interactive Q&A * **7:30 PM – 8:00 PM:** Networking & Closing **Venue:** Mindspace, 1301 K Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20005 **RSVP now to secure your spot!** ## Useful Links * **Free access to more talks/trainings:** [Ai+ Training platform](https://aiplus.training/) * **ODSC Blog:** [https://opendatascience.com/](https://opendatascience.com/) * **Join the Community:** [Slack Channel](https://www.google.com/search?q=https://odsc.ai/slack) * **Code of Conduct:** [https://odsc.ai/code-of-conduct/](https://odsc.ai/code-of-conduct/)

**✅ First class is FREE – only 10 spots available!** Learn real self-defense skills in a small-group setting. No experience needed, open to all adults. 📲 RSVP now and text Jim at **301-326-9146** to confirm—once spots are gone, they’re gone. *** ## **Free Intro Self-Defense Class – Maryland Systema** Want to learn how to protect yourself while also improving your health, focus, and confidence? Join us for a free first class at **Maryland Systema**, a unique approach to self-defense that blends both physical and mental training. *** ### **Why This Class is Different** Unlike most programs that only teach physical moves, Systema trains your body **and** your mind. You’ll explore: * **Structure** – staying balanced under pressure * **Breathing** – keeping calm and controlling fear * **Relaxation** – avoiding panic and wasted energy * **Movement** – adapting naturally to any situation You’ll also learn to read an attacker’s intentions and respond proportionately—aligned with Maryland’s self-defense laws. *** ### **What You’ll Gain** ✔ Practical skills you can use right away ✔ Better stress control and awareness ✔ Improved strength, mobility, and coordination ✔ Confidence in handling real-world situations *** ### **Class Info** 📍 **Location:** Dance Exchange, Takoma Park (free parking) 🕒 **Length:** 1.5 hours 👥 **Small Group:** Max 10 students for personalized guidance 👖 **What to Wear:** Comfortable long pants and clothes you can move in 💵 **Cost:** Free for first-time students *** ### **How to Join** RSVP here on Meetup to save your spot, then text Jim at **301-326-9146** to confirm. Spots are limited—once the group fills, we close registration. *** **Maryland Systema** Real-world self-defense training for adults—helping you stay ready, stay calm, and stay safe.

In March of 2026, the long-time staple of Kubernetes ingress controllers, ingress-nginx, will stop receiving security patches and regular updates. For many Kubernetes operators, this is a forcing function for us to migrate to a new solution that supports the newer Gateway API. The ecosystem of solutions in this space is large and complex, and operators find themselves weighing a myriad of options. In this talk, I hope to answer many questions that we have had to answer in this space, such as: * What are the advantages of Gateway API over the Ingress API? * Which Gateway API Solution should you use for different scenarios * Why not simply migrate to another ingress controller? * Where does the AWS Load Balancer Controller fit in this new ecosystem? * What does support for WAF, ALB, NLB, etc. look like going forward? **Timeline:** **6:00 PM** \- Doors Open\. Please be prepared to show ID that matches your registration\. **6:30 PM - 7:30 PM** \- Speaker **7:30 PM - 8:00 PM** \- Networking **8:00 PM** \- Event ends\. Conversation continues at Highline for anyone interested\.

Every year MoCo Makers is proud to partner with the DMV Petri Dish to celebrate Pi Day, 3/14, which is a celebration of the mathematical "transcendental number" pi - 3.14159.... Pi day is also a great excuse to be social and eat Pie! This event is open to all backgrounds, even if this is your first event! We are meeting at the 7 Locks Brewery, and they kindly let us bring our own food. No worries if you don't drink alcoholic drinks, all are welcome. Bringing your own food is encouraged but not required. If you are planning to bring something, please enter your name, item name, and quantity in the spreadsheet below: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ldQxYBECyxwTeX_woLhbQZlj0EkAyB5qrc-Q16hBOn0/edit?usp=drivesdk There will be a countdown leading up to 1:59 pm, complete with disco ball drop. 🪩 Dr. Cheryl Lohman is sponsoring an assortment of chef-crafted savory-style pies, and they come well reviewed (just ask past attendees). Join us for some good times, and tasty eats!

**###PLEASE NOTE: Even if you RSVP on Meetup, you will need to grab a ticket here https://www.skipthesmalltalk.com/store/skip-the-small-talk-night-at-metrobar-dc-friday-march-13-2026 in order to attend###** This event is cross-posted so Meetup RSVPs won't accurately reflect the actual number of attendees; typically there are around 30-40 people in attendance. **What's It Like?** Do you wish you could have more of the kinds of conversations you have late at night where for some reason, you feel safe talking about the things you actually care about? Bring your friends (or come by yourself- most people do!) and spend your Friday night at an event where you know everyone else is there for the same reason. We'll be offering 'big talk' conversational prompts on them to get you started, and we'll have lots of structure to make sure that you actually talk to people and that it's not awkward. There will be drinks and snacks available for sale! **There is a 1 drink/food item minimum purchase for this event,** so please keep that in mind. **Check-in** for this event will begin around **6:45 pm**. Please do your best to arrive before 7:00 pm so we can begin as close to on time as possible. Skip the Small Talk is dedicated to providing an inclusive, welcoming environment for everyone. Check out our safety policy here: tinyurl.com/ststSafety Please see our event [page](https://www.skipthesmalltalk.com/store/skip-the-small-talk-night-at-metrobar-dc-friday-march-13-2026) for more accessibility info. **Ready to Skip the Small Talk With Us?** **[Grab a ticket](https://www.skipthesmalltalk.com/store/skip-the-small-talk-night-at-metrobar-dc-friday-march-13-2026)** since entry is on a first come first serve basis and we tend to sell out in advance for these-- once we are out of tickets, we will NOT be able to accommodate folks at the door. metrobar has lots of other fun events going on, too. Feel free to check them out **[here](https://metrobardc.com)**! If you want to be the first to hear about our events before we sell out, feel free to join our mailing list at [Skip the Small Talk Mailing List Sign-Up](https://sendfox.com/skipthesmalltalk) **###PLEASE NOTE: Even if you RSVP on Meetup, you will need to grab a ticket here https://www.skipthesmalltalk.com/store/skip-the-small-talk-night-at-metrobar-dc-friday-march-13-2026 in order to attend###** This event is cross-posted so Meetup RSVPs won't accurately reflect the actual number of attendees; typically there are around 30-40 people in attendance.

🗓️ **Date:** Saturday, March 14th ⏰ **Time:** Noon 📍 **Location:** 100 Maryland Ave SW, Washington, DC 20001 Celebrate the start of spring with a relaxed Saturday walk at the United States Botanic Garden. The highlight will be the **Orchid Exhibit: The More Than Meets the Eye: The Flower’s Connective Power**, featuring vibrant and intricate orchid displays. It’s a perfect way to soak up the season, appreciate nature, and enjoy some casual conversation along the way. The meeting point will be shared with confirmed attendees! Your RSVP helps us plan a smooth and enjoyable day! This event is public, so feel free to bring a friend (20s and 30s only). If they are not a member yet, no worries! We’ll share how to join Strawberry Matcha when you arrive. **Deadline to RSVP:** March 12th Follow us on IG: **@strawberrymatcha_sm**

Come join us for informal discussions about AI, and meet others who are passionate about the subject!

Discover Kiro, AWS’s innovative development environment that adapts to your workflow. Whether you prefer specification-driven development or a more intuitive, vibe-based approach, Kiro empowers you to build applications your way. In this session, speakers will explore Kiro’s core functionality and its evolution through re:Invent 2025, along with demonstrations of prompts used to create APIs, hooks, and steering documents. In the latter part of the session, watch as we build a complete example from scratch, showcasing Kiro’s agentic AI workflow in action for spec-driven development and vibe coding. What You'll Learn - Core Kiro concepts and development philosophy Feature evolution: pre and post re:Invent 2025 Practical examples: API creation, hooks, and steering docs Live coding demonstration with real-time problem solving Who Should Attend - Developers, solutions architects, and technical leaders interested in modern AWS development tools and AI-assisted coding workflows. **Speakers Bio:** Matthew Jorat: Matthew Jorat is a Customer Solutions Manager at AWS with nearly three decades of expertise in AI, cloud transformation, migration, modernization, IT, technology, and business. His career spans infrastructure engineer, solutions architect, security auditor, customer success director, support and services director, and operations officer. He was an early adopter of AWS services as a customer, and his current role at AWS uniquely blends his technical and business skills as he partners with executive teams to translate strategic priorities into measurable business outcomes through cloud adoption, AI implementation, and operational excellence. Matt leads end-to-end AI initiatives for enterprise customers, identifying high-impact use cases and maintaining relentless focus on measurable ROI. He holds eight AWS certifications and serves as Adjunct Professor at Franklin University teaching cloud computing and AWS architecture. His expertise encompasses GenAI, agentic AI systems, migration, modernization, and optimization strategies that drive transformation at scale. [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattjorat/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattjorat/) Girish Bhatia: Girish Bhatia is a seasoned technology delivery leader with deep expertise in cross-domain program management. He holds multiple AWS certifications, including AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate, AWS Certified Developer – Associate, and AWS Generative AI Practitioner, and is also an AWS Community Builder. Girish brings over two decades of experience in the information technology industry. Throughout his career, Girish has led major technology-driven business transformation from modernizing on-premises applications to driving large-scale cloud migrations. His work includes API-based integration platforms, data-center and mainframe modernization, and enterprise cloud adoption initiatives. Based in Columbus, Ohio, Girish works at a tech-forward fintech company. He is passionate about AWS serverless architectures, Generative AI and emerging cloud technologies. An avid learner and builder, he continues to explore and apply the latest innovations in AWS to help organizations accelerate their digital transformation. https://www.linkedin.com/in/girishbhatia/[https://www.linkedin.com/in/girishbhatia/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/girishbhatia/) **THANK YOU** *Franklin University* for hosting our meetup! To learn more about *Franklin University*, please visit their website: https://www.franklin.edu/ **DIRECTIONS** Franklin University Fisher Hall 300 E. Main St, Columbus, OH 43215 Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jxjBA2hUmS5qrvhq8 Parking is FREE! Please park in Lot C in front of Fisher Hall. See attached map. NOTE: Map the address only. When mapping with Google Maps it may use the Fisher Hall at OSU, which is NOT correct. **Want to sponsor the pizza and/or bar tab?** Please contact me if you would like to sponsor this meetup's pizza and/or bar tab: angelo@mandato.com

Drake Lundstrom is presenting: Code Anywhere by Talking to your Phone Abstract: Have you heard the trend of people deploying code anywhere from checkout lines to doctors' offices? In this talk, you will learn how to talk to your phone and have an app on Azure to show your friend 5 minutes later. The basic DevOps tools you already know, plus a little bit of AI magic, are all you need! If you want to follow along, the demo will be in Azure with GitHub Actions and GitHub Copilot, and you can have it set up on your phone by the end of the session. Just come in with an Azure account and a GitHub repo. Join us for pizza, drinks, and networking @ Improving's office. Doors open at 5:45.

**Important time note:** Please plan on arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 as the elevators lock after 6 and you'll need to message us and we'll need to come get you. The building address is 4450 Bridge Park The entrance is 6620 Mooney St, Suite 400 **Abstract** TBD **YouTube Link** TBA

NFT's are here to stay folks! This is a group for like minded people interested in understanding, leveraging, using, creating for, profiting from, trading too i suppose, NFT's.. everything around them, complexity, fear and exploits, best practices and more. **PLUS** This group will talk AI ART tools, techniques, artists, video, audio, prototypes and more in the AI assisted production space- ART specifically, but we can get into any aspect of some of the cooler things happening in AI in general.

This month, we are in-person at GameArena!!! We will also be joined by students and their games from [Shawnee State](https://www.shawnee.edu/game-design-programs)! \-\-\- Join us for our our monthly COGG Prototype and Play event @GameArena! Come to play and showcase your games. We're back in the upper levels of the catwalk mezzanine area. It'll be packed with lots of camaraderie playing your game(s) and other's games on the 2nd floor as well as the 1st floor in the gaming room below the mezzanine. Light snacks and water provided but you can buy food and drinks at the bar (alcoholic drink ID required). [https://www.game-arena.co/menu](https://www.game-arena.co/menu) **Attendees:** Don't have a game to show? Not a problem! All are welcomed and invited from all ages and backgrounds. The more we can have to play test our games the better! **Developers:** Do you have a game that you would like to get critical feedback on? Would you like an excuse to work on a game with other talented artists, programmers, musicians, designers, and writers? Digital, table-top, non-experienced developers, and the like are welcomed! We'll provide signage for your game to help others learn more about your work. Wifi, outlets, tables, and seats (though standing tables also) are available. Come to the Prototype and Play workshop to collaborate and meet local game developers for an evening of epic and raw game play fun! Play works-in-progress, show off your own game, work with others to add polish to a game, or even lend your talents to other fellow developers. Can use South Garage at the Gateway with a $5 voucher on your way out. 75 E 11th Ave, Columbus, OH 43201 [https://maps.app.goo.gl/UwgveUYG37Jy7RtS9](https://maps.app.goo.gl/UwgveUYG37Jy7RtS9) If you have any questions or comments, as always, feel free to reach out to us at [info@thecogg.com!](http://info@thecogg.com!/)

**New Dojo Location!** **Draft Day Columbus** 1130 Dublin Road Columbus, OH 43215 We're going to try a new dojo location for a few weeks and see how it works Dojos are informal Python group study sessions where everyone interested in Python gathers to learn about Python, help others with Python, or just hang out. Everyone is welcome from Python beginners to experts. Bringing a laptop is encouraged (we'll have extension cords and power strips). If there's something you want to learn leave a comment on this invite so we can plan ahead. We're looking for topic suggestions and people interested in presenting at our monthly meetings. To this end we've set up a survey form at [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15eBKF1nQQ2XS5gzD4rvhVRHMBEj7lJtHuA9wXupS3Uc](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15eBKF1nQQ2XS5gzD4rvhVRHMBEj7lJtHuA9wXupS3Uc)

This is a relaxed, community-driven Unity GameDev meetup. There’s no strict agenda this time — just developers getting together to talk shop, share projects, and exchange ideas. **Some topics that may come up (based on attendee interest):** • Frame Debugger & performance tooling • Addressables & additive scene workflows • Input System, localization, responsive UI • AI integration approaches • DevOps & LiveOps experiences • Full lifecycle: idea → cross-platform publishing • Favorite Asset Store tools and hidden gems • Weird Unity quirks we’ve all run into *Nothing is locked in.* Bring a project if you’d like. Bring a question. Bring a lesson learned. Or just come hang out and meet other developers. All skill levels welcome!