The Third Angle PTC

“FarmBot will be the best farmer for any crop and any location at any time of year”
Welcome to the world of FarmBot where technology meets agriculture. Have you ever imagined what it would be like gardening without getting your boots stuck in the mud? Introducing…FarmBot! This robotic tech can plant, water and nurture your crops until harvest - all through the use of a savvy app - with just one click.
In this episode, we’re in California to meet Rory Aronson, founder of FarmBot - who shares how this innovative device is reshaping the farming landscape. We get a demo of FarmBot, learn how open source tech is empowering users to create their own tools and hear how Rory wants the FarmBot to be the next must have home appliance.
We also hear from Jon Hirschtick, who heads up PTC’s Onshape division and he explains the importance of Onshape and how Farmbot have benefitted from this software.
Find out more about FarmBot here.
Find out more about Onshape here.
Your host is Paul Haimes from industrial software company PTC. 
Episodes are released bi-weekly. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter for updates.
This is an 18Sixty production for PTC. Executive producer is Jacqui Cook. Sound design and editing by Rema Mukena. Location recording by Victoria Shifflett. And music by Rowan Bishop.

“You may wonder what kind of vehicle is next for Club Car, but the answer is that the future is here, the future is now.”

Known for its brand of gold carts, Club Car is at the forefront of electric vehicle innovation, reinventing utility vehicles that work just about anywhere you can think of. They're all about designing vehicles that are fun, practical and of course eco-friendly, and you can spot their rides zooming around golf courses, resorts, farms and even college campuses.

In this episode, we meet Dan Dykstra, who takes us on an immersive tour with the CRU, allowing us to experience first-hand the thrill of cruising around in this innovative vehicle. We delve into the versatility of the CRU, from leisurely backyard adventures to practical urban roaming. And we learn about Club Car’s dedication to electric vehicles for sustainability.

We also hear from Brian Thompson, who heads up PTC’s CAD division - he explains the importance of Simulation Live and how important it is for Club Car.

Find out more about Club Car here.

Find out more about Simulation Live here.

Your host is Paul Haimes from industrial software company PTC.

Episodes are released bi-weekly. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter for updates.

This is an 18Sixty production for PTC. Executive producer is Jacqui Cook. Sound design and editing by Rema Mukena and Clarissa Maycock. Location recording by Tristan Mcneil. And music by Rowan Bishop.

“Her favourite show used to be Friends, and growing up she could hear it and she could read the captions, and it was so exciting for her that she could get that moment back.”

In the modern world, we have an abundance of technology that helps us with our communication, information gathering, and entertainment needs. But most of this is inaccessible for DeafBlind individuals whose primary language is tactile sign. It can be difficult for them to access news headlines, or to even find out what the weather will be like later on in the day. 

Tatum Robotics is advancing accessibility by developing a robot hand that can communicate with DeafBlind people through tactile sign and allow them to access the internet. Designed to allow for as much movement as possible, the T1 Fingerspelling Hand features 18 degrees of freedom whilst still feeling as much as possible like holding a real human hand. DeafBlind people’s main source of communication is usually through human interpreters, who can’t be with them all of the time, so this technology will open up a world of interaction for them. 

Our producer Curt Nickish went to meet Samantha Johnson, the founder of Tatum Robotics, in their headquarters in Boston. She demonstrates how one of the robot hands works and emphasises the importance of testing with members of the deafblind community to capture all of the complexities of tactile sign language.

Find out more about Tatum Robotics here.

Find out more about OnShape here.

Your host is Paul Haimes from industrial software company PTC.

Episodes are released bi-weekly. Follow us on LinkedIn and X for updates.

This is an 18Sixty production for PTC. Executive producer is Jacqui Cook. Sound design and editing by Clarissa Maycock. Location recording by Curt Nickish. Music by Rowan Bishop.

“What the water rig is at its core is a mobile water treatment technology, and it dramatically changed the lives of the people living on that site.”

Having clean, drinkable water is essential for everyone, no matter where they are. For some on-site workers on remote oil and gas drilling sites, this means transporting in large amounts of bottled water. The result is a large amount of plastic waste from the bottles and air pollution from the extra traffic.

WaterFleet provides an alternative solution. Their water treatment technology means that a mobile rig can be hooked up to an existing well or water storage source on site and provide people with clean potable water on tap. As the rig processes the water, it automatically and continually monitors the quality to ensure it’s safe. WateFleet also uses this technology to provide temporary water solutions to areas that have been affected by natural disasters.

Our producer Eva Ruth went to the WaterFleet headquarters in San Antonio, Texas to meet the Director of Business Intelligence, David Meyers. He explains WaterFleet’s mission statement and takes us inside one of the water rigs.

Find out more about the WaterFleet here.

Find out more about ServiceMax here.

Your host is Paul Haimes from industrial software company PTC.

Episodes are released bi-weekly. Follow us on LinkedIn and X for updates.

This is an 18Sixty production for PTC. Executive producer is Jacqui Cook. Sound design and editing by Clarissa Maycock. Location recording by Eva Ruth. Music by Rowan Bishop.

“We try to test new things… our solar cells that we used 5 years ago are now the solar cells on your roof.”

In 2004, a group of Belgian engineering students built a solar car to compete in the World Solar Challenge, a 3021km endurance race through the Australian Outback. Twenty years later, the Innoptus Solar team is still going strong, with new students coming together to build new solar racing cars. They are sponsored by PTC Partner Innoptus (part of the 4ITEGO Group) and take part in races all over the world.

For the team, success is all about collaboration and innovation, constantly refining the design of their car to make it faster and more efficient. They are currently double World Champions with their tenth solar car, the Infinite. Clever features like the fin at the back of the car improve aerodynamics and give them an extra bit of help from the wind, and a motor which has been optimised to 98% efficiency helps them to go faster. It is also a fantastic development opportunity for the students involved, with them being able to gain the equivalent of 5 years of development experience in 1 year, as well as have the opportunity to work on a World Champion racing car.

Our producer Wederik De Backer went to the Innoptus Solar Team HQ in Leuven to meet two students who are part of the current team, Head of Engineering Jonas Vlamijnck and Mechanical Engineer Jasper Gutschoven. As well as explaining how they became involved and the level of dedication needed to win races, they give us a tour of their workspace and latest car.

Find out more about the Innoptus Solar Team here.

Find out more about Creo+ here.

Your host is Paul Haimes from industrial software company PTC.

Episodes are released bi-weekly. Follow us on LinkedIn and X for updates.

This is an 18Sixty production for PTC. Executive producer is Jacqui Cook. Sound design and editing by Clarissa Maycock. Location recording by Wederik De Backer. Music by Rowan Bishop.

“The technology challenges we are facing as an industry are not so much how do we grow the size of turbines, but how do we increase their efficiency at their current size.”

Wind power is playing a huge role in the global renewable energy landscape. In the United States, electricity generation from wind power is on course to potentially surpass coal-fired electricity generation by 2026. Across Europe, this is already the case, with electricity generation from wind exceeding coal for the first time in the region in Q4 2023. Vestas Wind Systems, based in Denmark, are world leaders in wind turbines, they’ve installed more than any other company in the world. They have more than 40 years of experience in wind energy and were the first company to reach the 100 GW landmarks for both the installation and service of wind turbines.

With higher than ever demand for wind energy, wind turbines are getting larger. However, that creates its own challenges, not least ensuring the whole supply chain stays sustainable. In this episode, we find out how Vestas is taking on that challenge through initiatives such as ensuring crucial components like blades are recyclable, or that wind turbine towers can be made using low-emission steel.

Our producer Peter Nørgaard Mathiasen went to the Vestas headquarters in Aarhus, Denmark, to meet Pedro Pastilha, the Head of Onshore Product Management. He tells us more about the wind industry and the future of wind production.

Find out more about Vestas here.

Find out more about Windchill here.

Your host is Paul Haimes from industrial software company PTC.

Episodes are released bi-weekly. Follow us on LinkedIn and X for updates.

This is an 18Sixty production for PTC. Executive producer is Jacqui Cook. Sound design and editing by Clarissa Maycock. Location recording by Peter Nørgaard Mathiasen. Music by Rowan Bishop.