Hardware Podcasts

S1E41 How To Communicate Between Development Groups | Lisa Somogyi

Being an Engineer · 3 Oct 2020 · 48m · Episode 41

What this episode covers

Lisa Somogyi, Director of Business Development at Cooper Perkins, discusses her career trajectory from designing building mechanical systems to working on robotic automation at companies like ME Engineers and Picaro. She details specific projects, including high-precision sample positioning at Oak Ridge National Labs using Staubli robots and the development of mobility aids by Real Mobility. Somogyi emphasizes the importance of cross-functional communication, explaining how implementing Agile methodologies and tools like Arena and SolidWorks helped align hardware and software teams at Picaro, while highlighting the challenges of managing vendor lead times and overseas manufacturing tolerances.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies and companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Cooper Perkins, ME Engineers, Oak Ridge National Labs, Real Mobility, Picaro
Tools
Arena, SolidWorks
Also
Staubli, McMaster

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Robot Report Podcast · 1h 36m

    Jon Hirschtick from Onshape/PTC; Favorite robotics startups of 2021

    Jon Hirschtick, executive vice president at PTC and founder of SolidWorks and Onshape, discusses the evolution of product development, emphasizing the shift to cloud-based CAD and the increasing multidisciplinary nature of engineering. He highlights specific challenges for robotics developers, such as managing complex cabling, supply chain constraints, and ensuring safety in human-robot collaboration. The episode also features a segment on favorite robotics startups of 2021, including Gaddic, Skythe Robotics, and Wear Robotics.

    EDA & CAD toolsRobotics & autonomy
    7 chapters

  • The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast · 49m

    Paul Barbu Gheorge on Geographically Distributed Tems

    Paul Barbu Gheorge, Head of Software at Wenglor, discusses the challenges of managing geographically distributed teams across Germany, Romania, Serbia, and Russia while developing machine vision cameras. He explains how the company structures its software and hardware development to handle multiple product lines, highlighting the latency and communication barriers inherent in this setup. Gheorge details specific strategies for improving alignment, such as establishing a clear hardware abstraction layer and shifting API design responsibility to the software consumer to better reflect use cases. The conversation also covers the importance of detailed interface specifications, such as sequence diagrams, to prevent integration issues during implementation.

    Leadership, teams & cultureEmbedded firmware
    7 chapters

  • EMS@C-LEVEL · 7m

    BONUS - Cogiscan CEO Vincent Dubois on Collaboration at APEX 2023 - EMSNOW & SCOOP On Location

    Cogiscan CEO Vincent Dubois discusses how recent supply chain disruptions have forced a cultural shift toward open collaboration between EMS providers, OEMs, and technology partners. He highlights the transition from transactional vendor relationships to long-term partnerships focused on solving specific manufacturing issues, such as reducing false calls on AOI machines. Dubois emphasizes that successful AI implementation in electronics manufacturing requires combining software capabilities with deep domain knowledge of SMT factory floors.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringAI & machine learning
    8 chapters

  • The Hardware Entrepreneur · 12m

    #064 - To transform or not to transform your hardware company to an all agile one next year, with Balint Horvath, Switzerland

    Host Balint Horvath discusses the necessity of agile transformation in hardware companies, citing examples like Tesla, Bosch, and Mercedes-Benz to illustrate the risks of rigid waterfall development. He details a Swiss high-tech company's shift from functional silos to cross-functional teams to improve synchronization and accountability. Horvath highlights specific Scrum tactics for hardware, such as modular design with defined interfaces and T-shaped skill development, while referencing Paulo Samicelli's book 'Scrum for Hardware'.

    Scaling productionLeadership, teams & culture
    1 chapters

  • Product Startup · 35m

    082: Smooth Product Flow from Visual Design to Engineering

    Robert Irwin, former Lead Industrial Designer at Amazon for the Amazon Dash Cart, explains how industrial design and mechanical engineering teams can collaborate effectively to avoid costly rework. He advocates for an early, iterative 'ping pong' process where engineers and designers brainstorm constraints and user needs simultaneously, rather than passing work linearly 'over the fence.' Irwin emphasizes that dedicated project management and frequent stakeholder communication are essential to aligning technical feasibility with customer value before tooling begins.

    Industrial & consumer product designMechanical engineering
    6 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Being an Engineer. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.