25 episodes

Cool Products, the People Who Develop Them, and How They Do It. Host Jon Hirschtick chats with innovators in product development and explores what it takes to turn ideas into reality.

The Masters of Engineering Podcast Jon Hirschtick

    • Technology
    • 5.0 • 10 Ratings

Cool Products, the People Who Develop Them, and How They Do It. Host Jon Hirschtick chats with innovators in product development and explores what it takes to turn ideas into reality.

    Advancing Casting and Manufacturing Technologies - Jeff Burek | Masters of Engineering

    Advancing Casting and Manufacturing Technologies - Jeff Burek | Masters of Engineering

    Founded in 1902, Massachusetts-based DW Clark has been a leader in casting manufacturing for well over a century. Working with customers from the prototype stage to production runs to meeting emergency shortages, the company continues to evolve with the exploration of new technologies, advanced materials and new processes. DW Clark plays a critical role in the defense, aerospace, turbine engine, energy, processing equipment and shipbuilding industries.
    In this episode, Jon chats with Jeff Burak, Vice President at DW Clark, about his company’s approach to sustainability in casting practices, with an emphasis on reducing waste and environmental impact. They also explore the increasing role of automation and smart technologies in enhancing efficiency and precision in the casting process, shedding light on the crucial skills engineers need for the future.

    • 31 min
    Revolutionizing Restaurant Automation – Daniel Fukuba, Co-founder & CTO of Hyphen

    Revolutionizing Restaurant Automation – Daniel Fukuba, Co-founder & CTO of Hyphen

    The fast-food and restaurant industries have worker turnover rates as high as 150%. Daniel Fukuba, co-founder & CTO of California-based Hyphen, is reimagining food service automation – allowing skilled employees to spend less time doing the grunt work. Hyphen is now making automation accessible and cost-effective for restaurants of all sizes.
    In this episode, Jon chats with Daniel about his vision for the future of kitchen technology, Hyphen's partnership with Chipotle, and how this technology isn't about job replacement but rather redefining roles. Automation, he says, can deliver higher wages and improved customer experiences. Daniel also shares insights into Hyphen’s agile hardware development process, and how their technology will be the “hyphen” connector of innovation to the food service industry.

    • 35 min
    Sera Evcimen: Coaching Hardware Startups to Success | Masters of Engineering Podcast

    Sera Evcimen: Coaching Hardware Startups to Success | Masters of Engineering Podcast

    In the world of hardware startups, building cutting-edge products comes with a unique set of challenges. Founders sometimes lose sight of their goals by falling in love with their first solution, and not fully focusing on the problem itself. Enter Sera Evcimen, mechanical engineer and founder of Pratik https://www.pratikdev.com, a product development consulting firm devoted to keeping startups away from the “Valley of Death.”
     
    In this episode, Jon chats with Sera about her approach to engaging with startups – whether it's optimizing their operations, aiding in manufacturing processes, or nurturing innovation. Sera also shares insights on how large companies can adopt startup-like agile processes and walks through how external strategic guidance and engineering expertise are often the keys to success.

    • 24 min
    Product Launch Lessons from Sneakers to Electric Vehicles – Braden Ball, Founder of Threaded

    Product Launch Lessons from Sneakers to Electric Vehicles – Braden Ball, Founder of Threaded

    After years of launching products for behemoth brands like Amazon, Caterpillar, Tesla, Carbon and Rivian, Braden Ball discovered that design and manufacturing teams experienced similar bottlenecks for collaboration. He’s now the founder of Threaded, a stealth software startup devoted to making version control and communication easier between multiple product development teams.
    In this episode, Jon explores Braden's fascinating career journey – from spending nights sleeping in the factory during Tesla’s Model X product launch to 3D printing custom Adidas shoes at Carbon. Braden shares invaluable insights into the importance and acceptance of failure, the collaborative nature of engineering, and the tools redefining tomorrow's product development landscape.

    • 29 min
    A Deep Dive into Sustainable Fish Farms – Tony White, Director of Innovation at Forever Oceans

    A Deep Dive into Sustainable Fish Farms – Tony White, Director of Innovation at Forever Oceans

    Forever Oceans is a sustainable fish farming company using innovative technology to generate less waste and impact on the environment while producing tasty and healthier fish in a shorter amount of time. Their approach to restorative aquaculture is revolutionizing the industry, and includes habitats that plunge deeper into the ocean to protect fish during hurricanes. 
     
    In this episode, Jon chats with Tony White, Director of Innovation at Forever Oceans, who shares how machine learning and AI are transforming the future of food. He also reveals why his company’s fish farms have 1/14th the carbon footprint of raising cattle.

    • 32 min
    Robotic Sign Language Interpreters – Samantha Johnson, Founder and CEO of Tatum Robotics

    Robotic Sign Language Interpreters – Samantha Johnson, Founder and CEO of Tatum Robotics

    In the DeafBlind community (people who cannot hear or see), only 10 percent are able to communicate through traditional braille, which first requires knowledge of a primary spoken language like English. Most DeafBlind people depend on tactile sign language – holding onto the hand of their communication partner – to talk with others, leaving them totally isolated when interpreters are unavailable.  Boston startup Tatum Robotics is developing a humanoid robotic hand (the “Tatum T1”) that is able to translate speech or text into tactile sign language.
    In this episode, Jon chats with Tatum Robotics founder Samantha Johnson, who explains her company’s mission to provide tabletop robotic hand interpreters for DeafBlind people, delivering the first technology supporting their communication independence. Samantha shares both the hardware and software challenges of creating a tactile signing robot – and reveals she’s been “getting more hugs than she’s ever received” for helping improve people’s quality of life.

    • 33 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
10 Ratings

10 Ratings

codewizstw ,

Inspiring and informative

Great job with the Tatum Robotics interview! I love how you find out about the backstory and motivations of your inspiring guests. Your podcast is valuable to help your listeners imagine how life and product development can be through these exemplars. Hearing about a small company being successful with 1 week agile sprints within a hardware team is so inspiring! The constraints she was under with market/funding/technology are very illuminating and that comes through in the other episodes as well. Your interviewing craft is spot on with the Tatum Robotics episode. Please keep making these. 😊

Jbrennecke ,

Access to Intelligence and Experience

Amazing that we have this kind of access and insight from someone with vast experiences.

The ability to take concepts, stories and see how they can be applied in other, non-intuitive areas is exciting.

Keep up the great work!

Top Podcasts In Technology

Lex Fridman Podcast
Lex Fridman
All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg
All-In Podcast, LLC
No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Machine Learning | Technology | Startups
Conviction | Pod People
Hard Fork
The New York Times
Acquired
Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal
TED Radio Hour
NPR

You Might Also Like