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Grant Imahara, Engineer Who Co-Hosted ‘MythBusters,’ Dies at 49 | Grant Imahara, Engineer Who Co-Hosted ‘MythBusters,’ Dies at 49 |
(about 7 hours later) | |
Grant Imahara, an electrical engineer who co-hosted the pop science show “MythBusters” on the Discovery Channel and operated robots in the “Star Wars” prequels and other major Hollywood films, has died. He was 49. | Grant Imahara, an electrical engineer who co-hosted the pop science show “MythBusters” on the Discovery Channel and operated robots in the “Star Wars” prequels and other major Hollywood films, has died. He was 49. |
His death was confirmed on Monday night by Discovery Communications. A company spokeswoman said that the cause was believed to be a brain aneurysm and that Mr. Imahara, who lived in Los Angeles, was thought to have died hours earlier. No other details were immediately available. | His death was confirmed on Monday night by Discovery Communications. A company spokeswoman said that the cause was believed to be a brain aneurysm and that Mr. Imahara, who lived in Los Angeles, was thought to have died hours earlier. No other details were immediately available. |
Mr. Imahara was born in Los Angeles on Oct. 23, 1970, and graduated in 1993 with a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California, according to his Facebook page and a brief biography on the Discovery website. | Mr. Imahara was born in Los Angeles on Oct. 23, 1970, and graduated in 1993 with a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California, according to his Facebook page and a brief biography on the Discovery website. |
He later worked as an animatronics engineer and model maker for Industrial Light & Magic, a designer of movie special effects that was founded by George Lucas in 1975. In a brief biography on the Internet Movie Database, Mr. Imahara is described as an “electronics wizard” who worked “behind the scenes of many top Hollywood films for years.” | He later worked as an animatronics engineer and model maker for Industrial Light & Magic, a designer of movie special effects that was founded by George Lucas in 1975. In a brief biography on the Internet Movie Database, Mr. Imahara is described as an “electronics wizard” who worked “behind the scenes of many top Hollywood films for years.” |
Mr. Imahara operated R2-D2 in the “Star Wars” prequels. He worked on “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,” Steven Spielberg’s “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” and the “Matrix” sequels, among other films, and developed a custom circuit for the Energizer Bunny’s arms and ears. | Mr. Imahara operated R2-D2 in the “Star Wars” prequels. He worked on “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,” Steven Spielberg’s “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” and the “Matrix” sequels, among other films, and developed a custom circuit for the Energizer Bunny’s arms and ears. |
He also built a machine that became a champion on “BattleBots,” the robot fighting show that ran on Comedy Central from 2000 to 2002. A year after the show ended, he published a book, “Kickin’ Bot: An Illustrated Guide to Building Combat Robots.” | He also built a machine that became a champion on “BattleBots,” the robot fighting show that ran on Comedy Central from 2000 to 2002. A year after the show ended, he published a book, “Kickin’ Bot: An Illustrated Guide to Building Combat Robots.” |
Mr. Imahara worked on “MythBusters” from 2005 to 2014, initially as a member of its “build team.” | Mr. Imahara worked on “MythBusters” from 2005 to 2014, initially as a member of its “build team.” |
The premise of the program is to test myths, hypotheses and urban legends taken from folklore, history, movies and even the internet and either confirm or shatter them. | |
Asked in a 2008 interview with the website MachineDesign what a typical day on the show looked like, Mr. Imahara replied that there was no such thing. | Asked in a 2008 interview with the website MachineDesign what a typical day on the show looked like, Mr. Imahara replied that there was no such thing. |
“We could be jumping out of planes, learning to swing on a trapeze, swimming with sharks, and the list goes on and on,” he said. “We usually find out what we’re doing for the week on Monday morning.” | “We could be jumping out of planes, learning to swing on a trapeze, swimming with sharks, and the list goes on and on,” he said. “We usually find out what we’re doing for the week on Monday morning.” |
In a 2006 article about “MythBusters,” the New York Times science writer John Schwartz wrote that the show’s cast specialized in “banging stuff together” and “setting stuff on fire.” | In a 2006 article about “MythBusters,” the New York Times science writer John Schwartz wrote that the show’s cast specialized in “banging stuff together” and “setting stuff on fire.” |
“Their delight in discovery for its own sake is familiar to most scientists, who welcome any result because it either confirms or debunks a hypothesis,” he wrote. “That sense of things can be corrupted when grants or licensing deals are on the line. But the MythBusters get paid whether their experiments succeed or fail.” | “Their delight in discovery for its own sake is familiar to most scientists, who welcome any result because it either confirms or debunks a hypothesis,” he wrote. “That sense of things can be corrupted when grants or licensing deals are on the line. But the MythBusters get paid whether their experiments succeed or fail.” |
Along with his former “MythBusters” co-hosts Kari Byron and Tory Belleci, Mr. Imahara later co-hosted “White Rabbit Project,” a show on Netflix that looked back on history’s greatest inventions and heists. It ran for one season in 2016. | Along with his former “MythBusters” co-hosts Kari Byron and Tory Belleci, Mr. Imahara later co-hosted “White Rabbit Project,” a show on Netflix that looked back on history’s greatest inventions and heists. It ran for one season in 2016. |
In 2018, he wrote on Twitter that he had spent the previous year working on a Walt Disney Imagineering project to create autonomous robot stunt doubles. On Monday, his Facebook page said he was still working as a Disney consultant. The page said he had also been working as a mechanical designer for Spectral Motion, a California-based company that specializes in animatronics, action props and prosthetic makeup effects. | In 2018, he wrote on Twitter that he had spent the previous year working on a Walt Disney Imagineering project to create autonomous robot stunt doubles. On Monday, his Facebook page said he was still working as a Disney consultant. The page said he had also been working as a mechanical designer for Spectral Motion, a California-based company that specializes in animatronics, action props and prosthetic makeup effects. |
Information on survivors was not immediately available. | Information on survivors was not immediately available. |
In March, as the coronavirus began to rip through the United States, Mr. Imahara posted a picture on Twitter of a table in his home that was littered with papers, a magnifying glass, a laptop and a jumble of other electronics gear. | In March, as the coronavirus began to rip through the United States, Mr. Imahara posted a picture on Twitter of a table in his home that was littered with papers, a magnifying glass, a laptop and a jumble of other electronics gear. |
“Show me your WFH space!” he wrote in a post that ended with a smiley face emoji. “Here’s mine: a bunch of electronics equipment on a foldout table.” | “Show me your WFH space!” he wrote in a post that ended with a smiley face emoji. “Here’s mine: a bunch of electronics equipment on a foldout table.” |