Grant Imahara
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Grant Imahara (born October 23, 1970 in Los Angeles, California) is a Japanese-American electronics and radio control expert who is well-known for his work as a Build Team member on the American television show MythBusters. He is also credited in many special effects works done by Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), where he worked for nine years - in particular, he is mainly credited for his work in operating and updating the fleet of aging R2-D2 robots for the Star Wars prequel trilogy. As an official Artoo Technician, he also makes a cameo in the mockumentary R2-D2: Beneath the Dome.
He is also famous for his appearance on Battlebots, where he designed and competed with his robot, Deadblow. Other famous works include: operating and designing the rhythmic oscillation of the arms of the modern Energizer Bunny fleet, leading Team ILM 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.[1]
Grant 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 eventually stayed on the engineering track after much urging. Grant was hired after graduation at THX Labs, then made the jump to ILM where he was involved with 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 and Revolutions, Van Helsing and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
Grant was also 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.[2]
Grant also mentors the Richmond High robotics team Biomechs #841 (Richmond Ca.) for the US FIRST competitions lending his expert guidance on how to create the right robot for the right job. [3]
Grant eventually joined MythBusters, upon the urging of former ILM colleague and fellow Build Team member Tory Belleci, as a reaction to the increased use of computer animation over model-making. As the third member of the Build Team, he replaced welder Scottie Chapman.
Grant 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 (See external links). He is shown in a fire resistant suit on the cover.
[edit] 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
| MythBusters | ||
|---|---|---|
| Main crew | ||
| Jamie Hyneman - Adam Savage | ||
| Build Team | ||
| Kari Byron - Tory Belleci - Grant Imahara | ||
| Related articles | ||
| Season 1 - Season 2 - Season 3 - Season 4 - Pilots, Specials and Mini-myths | ||
| Additional cast - M5 Industries | ||
