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"[iRobot Chairman Helen] Greiner believes the movie may influence a new generation to become interested in robotics much like the Star Wars movies influenced her. She said the R2D2 robot's humanlike characteristics in Star Wars had an impact on her when she saw the movie as a schoolgirl on Long Island. She went on to MIT where she earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science. 'It takes all three (disciplines) and they must all come together in robotics,' she said...." DARPA Tech Chief Envisions the Future --Sci-fi Inspires Brachman to Use Computers in Creative Ways. "Ron Brachman's curiosity about robots programmed to think on their own dates back to his childhood in New Jersey.