Hardware Podcasts

Why Software is the Key to IoT Hardware Success | Geisel Software’s Brian Geisel | Internet of Things Podcast

IoT For All Podcast · 12 Jan 2023 · 21m

What this episode covers

Brian Geisel, CEO of Geisel Software, explains how software enables scalable IoT hardware through over-the-air (OTA) updates, allowing products to evolve post-launch. He highlights the critical need for early hardware-software integration to avoid costly redesigns and discusses using emulation systems to mitigate supply chain delays for expensive or unavailable components. Geisel also addresses the challenge of translating innovative customer ideas into technical realities, emphasizing that founders must understand technology constraints to succeed.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Geisel Software, NASA, Tesla
Products
Nitrium, Google Home, Alexa

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast · 50m

    Agile at Growing Hardware Startups with Matt Cole

    Matt Cole, Director of Embedded Systems at Rise Robotics and formerly of Super Pedestrian, explains how he applied agile principles to embedded software development at a growing hardware startup. He details the challenges of integrating firmware updates for e-scooters, managing parallel hardware and software teams, and navigating supply chain crises that forced reactive engineering. Cole emphasizes the importance of treating the engineering team as a customer to improve tooling and process efficiency while maintaining safety and quality.

    Embedded firmwareScaling production
    7 chapters

  • Coredump Sessions · 55m

    #019: END-OF-YEAR CELEBRATION: Moments You Loved, Stories You Missed, and 2026 Predictions You Need

    François Baldassari and Chris Coleman, co-founders of Memfault, reflect on the 20th episode of Coredump Sessions, highlighting lessons from guests like Nick Sinas of Oval, Dan Mangum of Golioth, and Chad from Gabb. They discuss the critical importance of Over-the-Air (OTA) updates, the rise of AI-assisted firmware development using tools like Claude and Cursor, and the evolving security landscape for devices from Pebble to modern smart rings. The hosts predict that 2026 will see OTA become a regulatory requirement and AI offload processing to the edge, while emphasizing the need for engineers to adapt to higher-level abstractions.

    Connected products & IoTAI & machine learning
    11 chapters

  • Product Startup · 20m

    128: Creating an App for Your Hardware Device

    Piotr Zajac, CEO of Untitled Kingdom, a 55-person app development firm specializing in IoT, MedTech, and FemTech, explains how to build successful apps for hardware devices. He argues that developers must focus on one or two core features and prioritize user feedback to avoid over-engineering, citing a failed project where a client spent millions on unnecessary features. Zajac emphasizes that onboarding is crucial for creating user habits and that high-quality, secure software aligned with FDA and ISO standards is far cheaper in the long run than cheap, buggy code. He illustrates these points with the Irgo hearing aid and its Soundmatch app, which uses ultrasound to personalize hearing profiles.

    Connected products & IoTPrototyping & iteration
    6 chapters

  • Coredump Sessions · 57m

    #002: The secrets to building secure & scalable OTA infrastructure with Nick Sinas

    Nick Sinas, CTO at Oval, and Chris Coleman, CTO at Memfault, discuss the critical importance of Over-the-Air (OTA) updates for connected devices, emphasizing that OTA must be designed into the hardware architecture from day one. They detail the technical requirements for secure, scalable OTA systems, including bootloader design, memory management, and cloud-side cohort rollouts to mitigate fleet-wide risks. The conversation highlights real-world failures, such as breaking future update capabilities due to stack overflow fixes, and stresses the need for rigorous testing, security best practices like signing keys, and fallback mechanisms like dual-bank architectures.

    Embedded firmwareSecurity & privacy
    10 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 02m

    451: From Concept to Launch

    Elecia White, founder of Logical Elegance, and panelists Phillip Johnston of Embedded Artistry and Tyler Hoffman of Memfault discuss the software tasks often overlooked during the transition from concept to manufacturing launch. They emphasize the necessity of robust bootloaders, OTA update mechanisms, and dedicated manufacturing firmware that operates offline. The group highlights specific failures such as bricked inventory due to faulty OTA, network congestion in factories, and the high cost of testing security features like self-bricking. They also cover the importance of per-device key management, deterministic testing environments, and integrating manufacturing validation into CI pipelines.

    Embedded firmwareSecurity & privacy
    8 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by IoT For All Podcast. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.