*The contents of this article are based on an interview conducted in March of 2016.
We always try to show how interesting robotics is to girls.
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At the university, I studied engineering and computer science. I wanted to establish my own company someday.
At the age of 19, I founded a student-run organization called Robogals, which operates various workshops introducing female students to the robotics industry. We have reached more than 50,000 girls at schools in Australia and other countries such as the UK, USA and Japan through this activity. In 2012, I received the Young Australian of the Year award for my dedication to engaging young women to become interested in a career in engineering.
The robotics industry hopes to hire more women since the more diverse the people involved are, the more ideas will emerge. Actually, there are various scholarships for female students who study mathematics and science. But still, there are not so many women who choose to work in the robotics industry.
At the workshops we always try to tell girls how interesting robotics is. I also make speeches so that they can feel, “If Marita, a girl in her 20s can work with companies like Apple, I can do it, too.” I think some girls realized that they can help people and be of use in the world. By listening to my speech, they were able to develop an interest in robotics.
I came to know that some boys who had dropped out of the university and had made a simple robot and started selling it. I thought, “If they can do it, I can do it.” You don’t have to have a PhD to make a robot. So I started my own robotics company to make and sell robots.
How does Marita overcome difficulties?
The importance of progressing at my pace
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While I have been successful in some projects, I have experienced hard times on many occasions. There were cases where we had to spend a huge amount of money and energy and, then, we had to start from the beginning again. In order to make myself motivated again, I try to list what went well and what did not, and write this all down. By doing so, I am able to come up with solutions and fresh ideas.
For example, after being named Young Australian of the Year, I felt a lot of pressure to do something big for the community. I started making a robot arm for people with disabilities, but it was very expensive and difficult to make, and after 18 months I realized that I didn’t have the necessary skills to realize that idea. So, I thought of making telepresence robots which require simpler skills and could be affordable for many people.
From this experience I learned the importance of progressing at my own pace with incremental steps. Even if you have a strong desire, you should not start a highly difficult project without sufficient experience. Now that I have learned this, when I’m asked, “What are you going to do to change the world?”, I just answer as follows: “Now I’m making this robot as a start. When I finish this, I’ll have enough skills to think of bigger ideas. Then, I will be able to participate on projects which could have a huge impact to the community in a few years.”
Marita’s message to children and parents
There are lots of opportunities in the world.
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I was selected as one of the 25 most influential young people in the world by an American organization, and have been invited to various countries to give speeches. It is true that getting attention and being admired by people comes with pressure, but it means that I can go to various places and meet new people. I feel I am very lucky because I can get new ideas on these occasions.
My short-term goals are to finish my current project and start slightly bigger projects. Through this, I will learn a lot more for future projects.
My ultimate goal in life is to create technology that helps people. I always think of doing something for other people, not for myself. Somehow, I think there’s no point otherwise.
If I were to give some advice to children, I would say, “Do whatever you are interested in. Have an interest and study it.” You will find that there are lots of opportunities in the world.
To parents who have young children, I would like to recommend that they encourage their children to read many books. By reading books children will learn what the world is like. It develops their imagination and language skills and it might lead each child to create his/her future. I’ve read a lot of books and believe in this myself.
In addition, I would recommend that children establish a strong foundation in their native language and in mathematics. I think these subjects are essential in whichever field children may work in in the future. If you are confident in math, you can work with people anywhere in the world. If you should have children in the future, I would have them do math at Kumon.
Related Links
2Mar Robotics
Aipoly
 | Part 1 －Her two companies, 2Mar Robotics and Aipoly |