Build The Future

By Cameron Wiese

Build The Future shares the compelling visions of the future and the stories of those building it. We explore frontier technologies, innovative research, and ambitious projects from around the worl

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FAQs about Build The Future:

How many episodes does Build The Future have?

The podcast currently has 78 episodes available.

Build The Future episodes:

May 11, 2021Nick Donahue of Atmos — The Future of Homes, Building, and Community Living
In this conversation, we talk with Nick Donahue, the CEO of Atmos. At Atmos they help people design, buy, and build custom homes online. In doing so, they are literally helping build the future where building a home you love is as simple as buying one.
We cover the future of home building (and buying!), Miami (kinda), community living, and how we build.
Chapters
00:00 Introducing Nick Donahue and Atmos
01:31 Bringing home design online
02:22 The gap in custom home building
04:06 Design templates and personalization
05:54 What a home means to its owner
07:15 Housing incentives and changing cities
08:54 Shared ownership and networked living
11:55 Taking bigger swings in the physical world
13:55 Capital, ambition and a time to build
16:53 Sharing resources across a community
18:33 EPCOT and imagining new cities
20:44 Walking through the first Atmos home
22:02 Earning early customer trust
22:51 How customers customize their homes
24:04 Private spaces and common ground
25:50 Finding Nick and closing thoughts
Links
Atmos — historical company profile on Y Combinator
Nick Donahue
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.
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28min
May 04, 2021Zach Dwiel of Terran Robotics — AI, Drones and Construction
In this conversation, we talk with Zach Dwiel, the CEO of Terran Robotics. At Terran Robotics, they're developing drones and artificial intelligence to 3D print homes. We talk about the future of construction, teaching drones to learn, and building new cities.
Chapters
00:00 Introducing Zach Dwiel and Terran Robotics
01:29 Rethinking construction around material costs
03:31 Clay, thermal mass and building traditions
05:09 Moving beyond human construction constraints
06:31 Building walls with high-lift drones
07:34 Why choose drones over gantries?
09:30 Tethers, power and energy use
11:12 Design models and adaptive construction
13:33 Learning to control a particular machine
16:27 Why construction needs different flight control
18:40 Precision and industrial drone applications
20:00 Shaping clay with vibration and tamping
21:34 Prototype plans and building codes
22:57 Adoption, price goals and design freedom
25:46 What more affordable housing could unlock
27:03 Funding early work through an NSF grant
29:17 Different paths to research funding
30:26 Finding Terran and closing thoughts
Links
Terran Robotics
Zach Dwiel
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.
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33min
April 27, 2021Adam Keating of CoLab — The Future of Engineering, Collaboration, and Work
In this conversation, we talk with Adam Keating, the CEO & Co-founder of CoLab. At CoLab they’re building software to simplify design reviews for engineering teams building complex products. In doing so, they're enabling the engineers who are building our future to build faster and more collaboratively.
We talk about CoLab, the future of work, Hyperloops, and how bright our future is looking.
Chapters
00:00 Introducing Adam Keating and CoLab
01:31 A milestone for engineering collaboration
03:05 PLM and the missing communication layer
05:27 What CoLab helps engineering teams do
07:27 Remote design reviews during COVID
09:39 From Hyperloop teamwork to company-building
10:40 The human work software should support
12:32 Reducing administrative work and costly mistakes
13:30 Better tools and new ways to collaborate
16:06 A student Hyperloop competition changes everything
17:36 Belief and the commercial challenge for Hyperloop
21:07 Seeing what is possible
22:29 What ambitious student projects can lead to
23:58 What better collaboration could help build
27:41 Making 3D design and building more accessible
29:31 Scrappier paths into hardware
32:30 Long-term goals and wider access to technology
35:43 Advice for students and aspiring builders
Links
CoLab
Adam Keating
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.
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39min
April 20, 2021Dr. Celeste Holz-Schietinger of Impossible Foods — The Future of Food, Sustainability, and Meat
In this conversation, we talk with Dr. Celeste Holz-Schietinger, the VP of Product Innovation at Impossible Foods. At Impossible Foods they’re recreating foods at a molecular level to give people the taste and nutritional benefits of meat with the aim of reducing the health and environmental impact of traditional meat products.
We talk about the future of food, sustainability, engineering protein, and more!
Chapters
00:00 Introducing Celeste and Impossible Foods
01:39 The mission behind meat from plants
03:41 Going directly to plant ingredients
04:26 Land, water and biodiversity
07:58 What makes meat taste and feel like meat?
09:38 Heme and the chemistry of flavor
12:03 Proteins, fats and texture
13:08 From analytical instruments to tasting panels
15:40 Prototypes, consumer tests and iteration
17:26 Beyond replicating existing flavors
19:02 Meeting consumers where they eat
20:37 The breakthrough from version 1.0 to 2.0
22:59 The challenge of whole cuts
24:54 Plant-based and cultivated-meat approaches
26:56 Celeste’s path into food science
28:47 Nutrition and the meaning of processed food
32:19 Restoring land and reconnecting with nature
35:10 Food choices and ways to contribute
Links
Impossible Foods
Dr. Celeste Holz-Schietinger
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.
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39min
April 13, 2021Noor Siddiqui of Orchid Health — The Future of Families, Conception, and Genetics
In this conversation, we talk with Noor Siddiqui, the CEO of Orchid Health. At Orchid Health they’re developing advanced preconception screening to help families understand genetic predispositions. In doing so, they're building a future where couples can make more informed reproductive decisions.
We talk about Orchid, in-vitro fertilization, the future of conception, and more!
Chapters
00:00 Introducing Noor Siddiqui and Orchid
01:30 The vision for preconception and embryo screening
03:02 Carrier screening and complex genetic risk
05:16 Prevention, gene therapy and new sequencing tools
08:00 IVF and embryo reports
09:57 How embryo morphology is assessed
12:11 Genetic testing alongside visual assessment
13:19 Reproductive timing and access to care
15:36 The family experience behind Orchid
16:34 Choice and different paths to starting a family
18:47 Fertility misconceptions
20:43 Noor’s response to ethical objections
23:34 Examples from reproductive technology
26:12 Access, automation and IVF laboratories
27:59 The prospect of lab-derived eggs and sperm
29:40 Other futures Noor wants to see
32:17 Finding Orchid and closing thoughts
Links
Orchid Health
Noor Siddiqui
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.
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34min
April 06, 2021Doug Petkanics of Livepeer — Decentralized Video Infrastructure
In this conversation, we talk with Doug Petkanics, the CEO of Livepeer. At Livepeer they're building a decentralized video streaming network built on the Ethereum blockchain. In this conversation, we cover the technical side of Livepeer, the implications of decentralized video, Web 3.0, and more!
Chapters
00:00 Introducing Doug Petkanics and Livepeer
01:33 A vision for open video infrastructure
03:45 Infrastructure for streaming applications
06:06 The rest of the video stack
06:57 Applications for different kinds of creators
09:32 Autoscaling and practical adoption
12:03 Nodes, staking and protocol incentives
14:02 Delegation and network participation
14:48 Using spare GPU video-encoding capacity
16:14 The economics of video processing
18:43 What switching infrastructure could involve
20:45 Building directly on the open network
21:42 The path to founding Livepeer
24:56 Why decentralization matters to Doug
27:20 Web3 and an online financial system
30:09 Connecting digital and physical lives
31:10 What Doug is most optimistic about
32:22 Finding Livepeer and closing thoughts
Links
Livepeer
Doug Petkanics
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.
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35min
March 30, 2021Roman Teslyuk of Earth AI — The Future of Mining, Energy, and Materials
In this conversation, we talk with Roman Teslyuk the founder and CEO of Earth AI. Earth AI is a vertically integrated metals exploration company that finds and develops metal ore deposits required to manufacture technologically advanced products. In this pursuit, they're helping ensure sustainable energy production and clean mining practices.
We cover the definition of value, tribal signaling, sustainable energy, and more!
Chapters
00:00 Introducing Roman Teslyuk and Earth AI
01:29 Value, vision and supporting ambitious projects
05:25 Digital assets and the meaning of value
07:27 Community identity and ways to contribute
10:45 The physical world and the pandemic economy
15:12 Metals for sustainable energy
18:10 Why new deposits are harder to find
20:22 Learning from geological archives
22:08 From predictions to evidence in the field
24:30 An exploration funnel and mobile fieldwork
26:37 Drone surveys and remote logistics
27:43 Rethinking the drilling operation
29:16 A closed-loop drilling-fluid system
30:58 Mobility, water and site disturbance
32:23 Exploration today and future mining ambitions
34:02 Cuttings, contamination and waste handling
35:42 Critical materials and planetary exploration
37:53 Finding Earth AI and closing thoughts
Links
Earth AI
Roman Teslyuk
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.
...more
40min
March 23, 2021Phnam Bagley of Nonfiction — The Future of Design, Experience, and Space Architecture
In this conversation, we talk with Phnam Bagley, Co-Founder of Nonfiction - a creative studio specializing in industrial design, engineering, strategy, branding, user experience design, and space architecture. Nonfiction turns science fiction into reality for a better future.
We cover the future of space architecture, design, the self, and more!
Chapters
00:00 Introducing Phnam Bagley and Nonfiction
01:30 Curiosity and connecting disciplines
03:32 Finding a purpose for life and work
06:01 Turning science fiction into something attainable
08:06 Science, technology, design and art
09:22 A different process for each project
10:52 Rethinking education from human experience
13:03 Designing for different ways of learning
15:51 Self-awareness, difference and hierarchy
20:14 Hope, agency and finding help
23:28 Honesty and the conditions for hope
24:27 What space architecture includes
26:19 From surviving in space to thriving
29:29 Starting with the human experience
31:09 Adaptability and multisensory environments
32:02 What designing for space could teach us on Earth
34:34 VR, presence and staying connected to ourselves
36:55 Having a part in the future
38:53 Finding Nonfiction and Future Future
Links
Nonfiction
Phnam Bagley
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.
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41min
March 16, 2021Dr. Anton Howes of The Royal Society of Arts — Innovation, Invention, and Great Exhibitions
In this conversation, we talk with Dr. Anton Howes the author of Arts & Minds and the historian-in-residence at the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce.
In this conversation, Dr. Howes & I discuss his research, how institutions help drive progress, the history of invention, and of course, the Great Exhibitions.
Chapters
00:00 Introducing Anton Howes
01:36 Writing and sharing research
03:21 Arts and Minds and the RSA
06:16 How an improving mentality spreads
08:14 Learning from the history of invention
09:54 Polymaths, outsiders and self-education
12:30 Inventors inspiring other inventors
14:50 Subcultures and public-spirited invention
18:11 Thinking about growth and stagnation
21:46 Useful narratives and progress studies
24:52 The myth of effortless genius
26:26 Resources and small improvements
28:53 Progress and a diversifying economy
30:43 A new Great Exhibition?
31:21 Industry, media and a focal point
33:07 Competition and the original Great Exhibition
36:10 Mass appeal and specialist exhibitions
37:36 Possibilities in medicine and research
39:17 Making invention feel accessible
Links
Anton Howes
Arts and Minds — Princeton University Press
Royal Society of Arts
Arts & Minds
Dr. Howes
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.
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42min
March 09, 2021Ro Gupta — Maps, Autonomous Transportation and Urban Mobility
In this conversation, we talk with Ro Gupta the CEO of Carmera. At Carmera, they maintain the maps that move the world — from HD maps for autonomous cars to consumer maps for human navigation.
We cover the future of maps, autonomous vs. human driving, autopilot, and more!
Chapters
00:00 Welcome and introducing Ro Gupta
03:00 Why autonomous vehicles need current maps
10:04 Mapping the middle and last mile
11:58 The autonomous-vehicle hype cycle
15:09 Barriers to deployment
18:12 The next revolution in the physical world
24:26 Implications for cities and other industries
30:43 Tesla, driver assistance and public trust
34:20 The future Ro wants for his children
36:11 Finding Carmera and closing
Links
Ro Gupta — Woven by Toyota
Ro Gupta
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.
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39min

FAQs about Build The Future:

How many episodes does Build The Future have?

The podcast currently has 78 episodes available.