Hardware Podcasts

An Interview with Joe Grand - Pancyclopaedic Prototyping Polymath

The Amp Hour · 13 Sept 2011 · 1h 04m · Episode 60

What this episode covers

Electrical engineer and inventor Joe Grand discusses his experience co-hosting the Discovery Channel show Prototype This, where he and his team built complex prototypes like a water slide simulator and a six-legged vehicle, ultimately leading to the show's cancellation due to high production costs. He details his career in security consulting with the group 'The Loft', his preference for 8-bit microcontrollers, and his recent work on a low-cost laser rangefinder licensed to Parallax. Grand also shares insights on manufacturing strategies, contrasting local Bay Area production for complex items with offshore manufacturing for high-volume, low-cost goods like DEF CON badges, while warning against the risks of unmanaged factory substitutions.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Discovery Channel, Parallax, e-teknet, MakerBot
Products
Prototype This
Also
DEF CON, Jack Kilby

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