February 25, 2015 - Mouser Electronics, Inc., the global authorized distributor with the newest semiconductors and electronic components, is partnering with celebrity engineer Grant Imahara to call on engineers of all levels to join them on a journey to Empower Innovation Together™.  Engineers worldwide can engage with Grant Imahara through a variety of topics and series of challenges that question and defy innovation in the pursuit of new ideas.

The exciting Empowering Innovation Togetherprogram consists of Innovation Spotlight™, Empowering Innovation Challenge™ and the Innovation Hub™. The Innovation Spotlight is a series of webisodes covering many topics, led by Grant Imahara as he visits with engineers who are at the forefront of new innovation and technology. The first webisode topic is about Robotics as Grant talks with professors and aspiring engineers at Carnegie Mellon University. To view the video, visitwww.mouser.com/empoweringinnovation.

The Robotics Empowering Innovation Challenge is the first of a series of different challenges on a variety of engineering topics. The Robotics Challenge launches today and is co-sponsored by Platinum Program Partner Texas Instruments. Also joining in the Robotics Challenge sponsorship are Molex andPanasonic as Diamond-Level partners.

Mouser and Grant are asking the engineering community to submit a picture or video and share their robotic creations. It allows engineers worldwide to share and discover the newest and most innovative ideas. Additionally, the engineering community will help Grant decide who has the top engineering concept based on which ideas receive the most votes. Each challenge provides an opportunity for engineers to prove their genius and earn bragging rights, plus the chance to win some cool swag and prizes along the way.

“This is one more way that Mouser is connecting to engineers through innovation and creativity that defines engineering design,” said Glenn Smith, Mouser President and CEO. “We are thrilled to be working with Grant. It’s a great partnership because we provide the newest products and technologies, and Grant provides the inspiration and engineering expertise.”

“Basically, we are inviting engineers to submit their creative ideas,” Grant Imahara added. “It’s pretty simple. They go online and share an idea and invite their friends to do the same. My passion is in robotics and I’ve been working in robotics for over 20 years. I’ve got some awesome ideas and I’m sure others do, too. So, let’s kick off a challenge. What robots have others built? Share your ideas and let your genius prevail.”

The Robotics Challenge includes engaging activities for engineers to share ideas, including a social media contest and Twitter party. The first 200 entrants will receive a Letting My Genius Prevail™ T-shirt. Grant, familiar to many through the Mythbusters television series, will select the Grand Prize winner. The top three entries will receive STEAM cards and Mouser swag bags. The Grand Prize winner will also receive signed Grant memorabilia.

Engineers who seek to go deeper into the topic of Robotics, will find great value in the Innovation Hub™. This feature of the program truly dives into technical engineering through articles, video and content that is specifically designed to inform and inspire the engineer. Stay tuned for future challenge topics to be added to the Innovation Hub as the series progresses.

Books and e-Books by Institute NCB

Well known in the engineering community, Grant Imahara has paired his engineering expertise with a Hollywood TV and film career. In addition to his roles on Mythbusters and Battlebots, Grant has worked on many famous robotic characters - including R2-D2 in the Star Wars pre-quels, The Late Late Show’sCraig Ferguson robot skeleton sidekick - Geoff Peterson, and the Energizer Bunny. He joins the Mouser team as a collaborator and spokesperson who shares Mouser’s passion to positively influence and support innovative design. To learn more about Grant Imahara, the Empowering Innovation Together campaign and Mouser partnership, visit www.mouser.com/empoweringinnovation.

With its broad product line and unsurpassed customer service, Mouser caters to design engineers and buyers by delivering What’s Next in advanced technologies. Mouser offers customers 20 global support locations and stocks the world’s widest selection of the latest semiconductors and electronic components for the newest design projects. Mouser Electronics’ website is updated many times per day and searches more than 10 million products to locate over 4 million orderable part numbers available for easy online purchase. Mouser.com also houses an industry-first interactive catalog, data sheets, supplier-specific reference designs, application notes, technical design information, and engineering tools.