Dexter (named after human dexterity) began in earnest in 2012.  The project started in the garage.  I sold a supercomputer company and used the proceeds to fund my research taking supercomputer technology and putting it into a robot.  I built a language to program FPGA chips and began using it to create a real time physics.  I used  a laser cutter to cut out pieces to put together the first robot and also used the laser cutter to cut the first optical encoders on paper.

This allowed me to test out all the signal processing I was doing in the FPGA.  There is video on Youtube of my first release of this system.

I started to realize this could be a much more touch sensitive and precise robot control system.

I spent the next three years in the garage working on the design and testing the control system.