What's Your Problem?
iHeartPodcasts and Pushkin Industries
Every week on What's Your Problem?, former Planet Money host Jacob Goldstein talks with entrepreneurs and engineers tackling the biggest challenges at the forefront of technology. How do you make a trip to space as routine as a plane flight? How do you turn solar energy into clean fuel? How do you use AI to stop deadly infections before they spread? We hear a lot these days about how the world is getting worse. What's Your Problem? learns from the thinkers and doers trying to make our future better.
iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.
iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 11, 2024 • 35min
Building Boundary-Breaking Balloons
Kai Marshland, co-founder of WindBorne Systems, discusses building weather balloons for extended flights to improve weather forecasting using AI. The podcast delves into challenges in creating altitude-controlling balloons, data analysis for hurricane forecasts, advancements in AI weather modeling, and the company's mission to revolutionize weather forecasting and climate change mitigation.
Apr 4, 2024 • 39min
Building a Robot That Can Walk the Walk
Jonathan Hurst, a professor at Oregon State University and co-founder of Agility Robotics, discusses designing robots that mimic animal movements for practical use. They explore the challenges of creating robots that can walk like birds and run like animals, testing them in real-world scenarios like warehouses. The podcast highlights the evolution of robot design from academic research to mass production, emphasizing the importance of specialized functionalities in robotics.
Mar 14, 2024 • 36min
Can Your Phone Tell When You're Getting Sick?
The podcast explores how voice patterns can detect health conditions, using AI to analyze acoustic biomarkers. It discusses the potential of smartphones in health detection, the importance of individual nuances in tracking health, and the challenges of balancing privacy with data integrity in AI development.
Mar 7, 2024 • 33min
The High-Stakes Quest to Reinvent Cement
This podcast delves into the challenge of producing carbon-free cement at scale, highlighting the innovative use of electrochemistry to revolutionize the construction industry. It explores the journey of developing a new kind of cement, the environmental impact of traditional cement production, and the drive for technological advancement in reducing carbon emissions.
Feb 29, 2024 • 35min
How a Battery-Powered Stove Could Electrify America
Learn how a battery-powered stove could revolutionize home cooking with high-power demands, induction technology, and grid electricity sales. Dive into challenges of transitioning away from gas stoves and integrating power storage solutions for efficient energy consumption. Explore past projects, failures, and ambitious innovations in this intriguing podcast episode.
Feb 22, 2024 • 36min
3D Printing a Better Rocket
A unique approach to manufacturing rockets using 3D printing, with a vision of sending a rocket and printer to Mars. The podcast explores the challenges and successes of launching rockets, optimizing rocket design, and envisioning a self-sustaining civilization on Mars. Features insights on revolutionizing rocket production, navigating rocket launch challenges, and exploring writing, rocket systems, and Jeff Bezos' patience.
7 snips
Feb 15, 2024 • 40min
Using AI to Help Doctors Save Lives
Suchi Saria, founder and CEO of Bayesian Health, and a professor at Johns Hopkins, discusses using AI to detect hospital patients at risk of complications. Challenges of integrating AI in healthcare, building trust in real-time information, and potential impact on healthcare market. Building an AI model for sepsis detection and the importance of detailed data. Potential impact of software in detecting sepsis and bed sores. Exploring AI applications and user experience. The need for AI to solve people problems.
Feb 8, 2024 • 26min
Making Dam Good Hydropower
Gia Schneider, co-founder and CEO of Natel Energy, discusses the challenges of generating hydroelectric power without damaging the ecosystem. She explores the negative impact of dams and turbines on rivers and aquatic life, and the importance of fish-friendly turbines. Schneider also talks about current projects, the concept of restoration hydro, and the future of clean energy.
4 snips
Feb 1, 2024 • 35min
Using AI to Build Better Robots
Peter Chen, Co-founder and CEO of Covariant, discusses the integration of AI in robotics and the challenges it faces. They explore the limitations of traditional robots and the role of AI in solving complex problems. The podcast also touches on building robot arms for business, the significance of ImageNet, robots in warehouse operations, AI models for robot arms, optimizing kitchens, GPT's impact, and transitioning from academia to industry.
Jan 25, 2024 • 29min
Teaching Computers to See
Fei Fei Li, a Stanford computer scientist and former chief scientist of AI/ML at Google Cloud, discusses how she built the ImageNet database, the challenges of downloading internet images, and her ambition to create machines that can collaborate with humans.
