Hardware Podcasts

113: How Founders Develop Complex Hardware Products

Product Startup · 9 Feb 2022 · 20m

What this episode covers

Bob Christopher, founder of Pleo and former Director of Innovation at Panasonic, explains how to develop complex hardware by defining a strict 'experience envelope' or set of guiding principles. He details the development of the Pleo robot dinosaur, which required integrating 1,847 parts, 14 servos, and AI into a single autonomous unit. Christopher emphasizes the importance of cross-functional engineering, rapid prototyping cycles of 'build and break,' and listening to external stakeholders like media and game designers to refine the product before launch.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Panasonic, Ygobe, Lucas Films, Blizzard, Apple, Mako Design + Invent
Products
Pleo, Furby, Gibo
Also
Caleb Chung, MIT Media Lab, Cynthia Brazil, Steve Jobs, Walt Mossberg

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