| Grant Imahara | |
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 Imahara in 2007 |
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| Born | October 23, 1970 Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Other names | Grant Masaru Imahara (今原 真申 Imahara Masaru) (birth name) |
| Occupation | MythBusters (build team), Electronics and radio control expert |
| Website http://www.myspace.com/grantimahara |
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Grant Masaru Imahara (born October 23, 1970 in Los Angeles, California) is an American electronics and radio control buff, best known for his work on the American television show MythBusters.
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Education and early work
Imahara is a graduate of the University of Southern California, with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering. For a time, he seriously considered switching majors with the intention of becoming a screenwriter, although he decided to stay on the engineering track after assisting Tomlinson Holman[1], a professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and creator of the Lucasfilm THX sound system.
Imahara was hired after graduation as an engineer for Lucasfilm's Home THX division; he then moved to ILM where he was involved in films such as The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Galaxy Quest, AI: Artificial Intelligence, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Van Helsing and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
He is credited in many feature films as a model maker for the visual effects company Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), where he worked for nine years. In particular, he is credited for his work in updating the aging R2-D2 robots for the Star Wars prequel trilogy [2]. As an official Artoo Technician, he makes a cameo appearance in the mockumentary R2-D2: Beneath the Dome.
MythBusters
Imahara eventually joined MythBusters on the invitation of friend and occasional employer Jamie Hyneman[3] and former ILM colleague Linda Wolkovitch (now an Associate Producer on MythBusters). He joined as the third member of the Build Team, replacing former MythBusters welder Scottie Chapman. His colleagues often jokingly refer to him as the geek of the Build Team, and he often makes the robots that are needed on the show and otherwise specializes in operating the computers and electronics for the myths.
Other work
In addition to his role on MythBusters, he is known for his appearances on BattleBots, where he designed and competed with his robot Deadblow. Other well-known works include designing the circuit that creates the rhythmic oscillation of the arms of the modern Energizer Bunny,[4] leading Team ILM to victory in an appearance in Junkyard Mega-Wars, as well as authoring Kickin' Bot: An Illustrated Guide to Building Combat Robots (ISBN 0-7645-4113-7), considered to be a definitive reference in robot construction.[5]
Imahara was a cast member and a story writer for the short film Architects of Evil created for the 2004 Industrial Light and Magic Backyard Film Contest.[6] He mentors the Richmond High robotics team Biomechs #841 (Richmond Ca.) for the FIRST Robotics Competition lending his expert guidance on how to create the right robot for the right job.[7] Imahara was profiled in the magazine IEEE Spectrum in an issue focusing on engineering dream jobs. The article was titled "Grant Imahara: Debunker in The Box."[8] He is shown in a fire resistant suit on the cover.
References
- ^ "Have Soldering Gun, Will Travel". Joe-Mammy.com. http://joe-mammy.com/pages/features/grant-imahara/grant-imahara.htm. Retrieved 4 July 2009.
- ^ "Special Guest - Grant Imahara from Mythbusters on Discovery Channel". Kentucky First Lego League. http://www.kyfll.org/index.php?q=node/109. Retrieved 4 July 2009.
- ^ Thomas, Christian M. (March 29, 2008). "'Mythbuster' Grant Imahara gives Northeast State audience lowdown on popular show". timesnews.net. http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9005739. Retrieved 4 July 2009.
- ^ mythbustersfanclub.com - Grant Imahara
- ^ mythbustersfanclub.com - Grant Imahara
- ^ TheForce.Net - Fan Films - TFN FanFilms | Short Films | ILM - Agents of Evil
- ^ Richmond High School Robotics Team
- ^ IEEE Spectrum: Grant Imahara: Debunker in The Box
External links
- Architects of Evil Trailer on TheForce.Net Fan Films
- Grant Imahara's autobiography on MBFC
- Grant Imahara's biography from the Discovery Channel
- Grant Imahara: Debunker in The Box
- Grant Imahara at the Internet Movie Database
- Grant Imahara at MySpace
- AArisings A-Profiler Interview Published March 17, 2007
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