Lexicon by Interesting Engineering

Our guest this episode is Ben DeLand, the director of electrical hardware engineering at GKN Automotive.GKN Automotive is a global leader in automotive technology, known for pioneering electric drive systems for over 20 years. With a rich history dating back to 1759, the company specializes in driveline systems and advanced powertrain technologies. We asked Ben about GKN Automotive's role as a major supplier for 90 percent of the world's automotive OEMs, focusing on their powertrains and electric drive systems.We also discussed the challenges related to charging infrastructure and explored GKN's strategies for sustainability and future innovations in the automotive industry, including the integration of AI and the evolving landscape of electric vehicles.

We have two guests this episode – Thomas Neubauer, the Co-founder and CEO of Dimetor, also the VP of Innovations at TEOCO, and Matthias Fiegl – the Chief Commercial Officer of Smart Digital Group.We asked them about the role of AI in drone technologies, how drones gather data, and the technology's impact during COVID-19, the pandemic in emergency response and aiding frontline workers. We also asked them about the ethics of flying drones in certain areas, privacy, and safety, and discussed the importance of communication infrastructure in the digital airspace.

Our guest this episode is Mihai Gruieti, the CEO of Digital Gate AMG.Digital Gate is a software and hardware development company based in Romania that works with clients in the Automotive, Medical, Industrial, and Robotics sectors. They are emerging experts in the field of embedded systems software and hardware solutions.Mihai works with clients all over the world, especially in North America, Europe, and Asia.We asked Mihai about the career paths that led him to where he is today, how he keeps up with the rapid pace of change in the tech world, and his test-driven approach to development.We also asked him specifically about the emergence of AI and its ethical implications affecting the industry.

Our guest this episode is Devin Liddell, principal futurist at Teague. Devin works with clients like Boeing, Ford, Intel, Nike and Toyota - to design preferred futures in sectors like aviation, automotive, smart cities, personal mobility, space travel and more. We asked him specifically about commercial aviation and why the passenger experience seems to have got worse over the years. We also asked him about the perils of predicting the future.

Alice Min Soo Chun is the Founder and CEO of Solight Design, and the inventor of the Solarpuff - the world’s only self-inflatable, portable, solar light. Alice studied architecture at Penn State before going on to earn her Masters in Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. While teaching at Columbia University, she learnt that her son Quinn had been diagnosed with asthma, which heightened her interest in clean energy and led her to experiment origami-inspired solar light designs and prototypes. Since then, she hasn’t looked back. This is her story. 

While we’ve all heard of the existence of supercomputers, quantum computing seemed like a distant dream even a decade ago. Now it is fast becoming a reality. In this episode, our guest Lawrence Gasman has been working in the tech industry for nearly forty years and compares this new era to when computers were just hitting Radio Shack, and new standards were emerging for a rapidly-growing sector.Lawrence is a renowned technology expert and entrepreneur who is the co-founder of multiple analyst firms since 1979. He has been known to work in a wide variety of fields including additive manufacturing, telecommunications, and quantum technology. He has produced over 300 research reports in all three fields. In his many years of experience, Lawrence has written four books in the area of quantum technologies. Additionally, he has authored industry analysis reports on quantum key distribution, quantum computing, quantum networks, and quantum sensors as well as numerous studies on high-speed interfaces for high-performance computers.

Many of us struggle with the concept of quantum computing: what it is, what it does, and how it works. So who better to explain it in plain language that our guest this week, Dr Shohini Ghose?Shohini is a theoretical physicist and Professor of Physics and Computer Science at Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada. She is a pioneer and trailblazer for woman in science, founding the Laurier Centre for Women in Science in 2012.She talked us through the differences between binary computing (or computing in black and white) and quantum computing (computing in greyscale), the challenges of engineering and technology being so far behind the theory, and she explained that quantum information processing (QIP) is about so much more than just faster computing. 

The concept of 3D printing was born in the 1940s and 1950s, but it did not become a commercial reality until the 1980s. Back then, a 3D printer would set you back a few hundred thousand dollars, even at 1980s prices. In more recent years, the growth of the Additive Manufacturing sector has led to more affordable and reliable 3D printing technology, with applications in healthcare, manufacturing and construction. So why don’t we 3D print more?In this week’s Lexicon, we speak to 3D printing consultant, investor and executive editor of 3DPrint.com, Joris Peels, about how far the technology has come, and where it might be going.

When it comes to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), sometimes light years from Earth, how do you even know where to start? Our guest this week is Jason Wright, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State, and an expert in SETI. If there is intelligent life out there, he and his colleagues are best-placed to be able to find it. We asked him about where it all started, and the signals and signatures he looks for in his searches. 

As the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) continues to observe the universe in unprecedented detail, its findings are challenging the models we have used to understand how galaxies are formed. Our guest this week is Mike Boylan-Kolchin, an associate professor of astronomy at The University of Texas, Austin. Mike’s research focuses on theoretical astrophysics and cosmology, including galaxy formation and the nature of dark matter, so part of his research has been to follow JWST’s observations closely.In this episode, we asked Mike about how he got into astrophysics, what recent JWST observations mean for our understanding of galaxy formation, and which future projects and developments in astronomy he is most excited about.