Grant Imahara

Infobox_Person
name = Grant Imahara
other_names = Nihongo|Grant Masaru Imahara|今原 真申|Imahara Masaru (birth name)

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imagesize = 250px
caption =
birth_date = birth date and age|1970|10|23
birth_place = Los Angeles, California, United States
occupation = MythBusters (build team), Electronics and radio control expert
spouse =
children =
relations =
website = http://www.myspace.com/grantimahara

Grant Masaru Imahara (born October 23, 1970 in Los Angeles, California) is an American electronics and radio control expert, best known for his work as a Build Team member on the American television show "MythBusters".

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 HolmanFact|date=March 2008, a professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and creator of the Lucasfilm THX sound system.

Imahara was hired after graduation as a Licensing Engineer for Lucasfilm's Home THX division, he then moved to ILM where he was involved in films such as ', ', "Galaxy Quest", ', ', ', "The Matrix Reloaded", "The Matrix Revolutions", "Van Helsing" and '.

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 fleet of aging R2-D2 robots for the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy. As an official Artoo Technician, he makes a cameo appearance in the mockumentary "".

"Mythbusters"

Imahara eventually joined "MythBusters", upon the insistence of friend and occasional employer Jamie Hyneman 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.

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 [ [http://www.mythbustersfanclub.com/mb2/content/view/101/46/ mythbustersfanclub.com - Grant Imahara ] ] , 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. [ [http://www.mythbustersfanclub.com/mb2/content/view/101/29/ mythbustersfanclub.com - Grant Imahara ] ]

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. [ [http://www.theforce.net/fanfilms/shortfilms/ilm-agents/index.asp TheForce.Net - Fan Films - TFN FanFilms | Short Films | ILM - Agents of Evil ] ] 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. [ [http://www.wccusd.k12.ca.us/rhs/robotics/index.htm Richmond High School Robotics Team ] ] 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" [ [http://spectrum.ieee.org/feb06/2828 IEEE Spectrum: Grant Imahara: Debunker in The Box ] ] . He is shown in a fire resistant suit on the cover.

Imahara currently resides in Oakland, California.Fact|date=March 2008

References

External links

* [http://www.theforce.net/fanfilms/shortfilms/ilm-agents/index.asp Architects of Evil Trailer on TheForce.Net Fan Films]
* [http://www.mythbustersfanclub.com/mb2/content/view/101/29/ Grant Imahara's autobiography on MBFC]
* [http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/meet/meet_04.html Grant Imahara's biography from the Discovery Channel]
* [http://spectrum.ieee.org/feb06/2828 Grant Imahara: Debunker in The Box]
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* [http://www.aarising.com/aprofiler/grantimahara.htm AArisings A-Profiler Interview Published March 17, 2007]

Persondata
NAME=Imahara, Grant
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=MythBusters (build team member), Electronics and radio control expert
DATE OF BIRTH=October 23, 1970
PLACE OF BIRTH=Los Angeles, California, United States
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=