The Jetsons promised viewers from the 1960s and beyond that the future would see robots that could cook, clean, and basically run the household. However, developing those sorts of multi-capable robots for real households has been a challenge. Writer Kayt Sukel discusses the promise and future direction of this field.

In the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, European nations declared their intention to find alternatives to Russian natural gas. One nation that could become a strategically important supplier of gas to Europe is the United States, which has more gas than it can use thanks to the exploitation of its shale gas reserves. Energy economist Morgan Bazilian, director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy and professor of public policy at the Colorado School of Mines explains the implications and limitations of U.S. gas exports. 

Battelle’s Neeraj Gupta talks about the state of carbon capture and sequestration.

The International Space Station has been the main site of human exploration in orbit for the past 20 years. Crews have been shuttling back and forth for missions as short as a couple of weeks or as long as a year. But the ISS can't last forever. Matt Ondler, chief technology officer and director of spacecraft development at Axiom Space, a space hardware and services company in Houston, discusses the challenges and opportunities in developing a one of a number of commercial projects vying to become humanity’s next outpost in orbit.

 Doug Gudenburr, COO of DMI Companies, talks about the manufacturer's digital transformation.

In North America, wind power has been developed almost entirely on land, often 1,000 miles or more from the power-hungry Atlantic coast. But it turns out that there’s an even better, even windier place that’s much closer to the New York City–the waters off of Long Island. Listen as Georges Sassine, vice president for large-scale renewables at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, discusses the state’s plans for harnessing offshore wind.

NREL’s Greg Stark talks about hydropower’s impact on the evolving electric grid.

With electric vehicles receiving so much popular culture love and governmental support, could the days of the internal combustion engine be numbered? Kelly Senecal, co-author of the book, Racing Toward Zero, contends that despite the rush to mandating EVs, there are many use cases where ICE- and hybrid-powered vehicles make the most sense. In this episode, learn about how we power cars and trucks in the past, present, and future.

Self-driving cars are some of the fastest and smartest computers today. They are equipped with advanced cameras, lidar, smart sensors, machine learning, and AI-voice recognition software. However, an autonomous vehicle cannot operate alone. Secure and smart infrastructure is needed to support these robots on wheels. Kevin Vincent, director of the Center of Connected and Autonomous Automotive Research at Coventry University, highlights how cities can create an ecosystem for self-driving vehicles and how it may impact our society.

Women in mechanical engineering are poorly represented. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only eight percent of working mechanical engineers are women. Low retention numbers are caused by multiple factors, including a lack of support among institutions and a lack of role models. Sonya Smith is a professor at Howard University and president of the Women in Engineering ProActive Network. She was the first African American woman to gain a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in mechanical and aerospace engineering, and in this episode, she highlights her journey in mechanical engineering, how it compares to the struggle of today’s women mechanical engineers, and what can be done to increase the retention of women in engineering.