Devin talks with Carla Diana about the social connection between humans and robots. Carla is the author of My Robot Gets Me and serves as Designer in Residence at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. Carla explains why social robots don’t actually need to look human, what KITT taught us about chatty robots, and what it might mean if robots surpass us in emotional intelligence. Plus, Carla and Devin ask: as we make robots more human, are we becoming more like them?

[02:50] Simon the Robot

[06:36] Making our World More Robot Friendly

[10:21] Social versus Chatty Robots

[11:51] KITT

[16:31] Social Robotics in Everyday Objects

[21:49] Emotionally Intelligent Robots

[23:10] Speed Round

Links

Devin Liddell on LinkedIn

Carla Diana on LinkedIn

Teague

About the Host: Futurist Devin Liddell

Devin Liddell is the Principal Futurist at Teague. With over two decades of experience in innovation and design strategy, Devin has worked with industry giants like Boeing, Intel, and Nike, helping organizations anticipate changes across both near- and far-term horizons to create their preferred futures. Devin is a frequent contributor to Fast Company. 

Get in Touch 

Have a complex problem that needs solving? Have a great guest or topic idea? We want to hear from you. Visit us at teague.com or send us an email at [email protected]

Devin talks with Anthony D. Paul, director of Strategic Foresight at Amtrak, about the future of rail travel. Anthony explains why he’s not in favor of replacing human crews with AI robots, what co-working spaces and trains have in common, and the lessons train operators can learn from Airbnb and Barbie. The two futurists cover everything from the practical realities of repairing trains in motion to the idea that trains can one day become social spaces, not just modes of transport. 

[02:17] Why Rail?

[05:29] Bringing Back Third Places

[07:12] AI Conductors

[09:59] A Company’s Mission vs. Its Business

[13:35] Three Types of Travelers

[19:06] Robotic Cockroaches Circa 2055

[20:05] Speed Round

Links

Devin Liddell on LinkedIn

Anthony D. Paul on LinkedIn

Teague

About the Host: Futurist Devin Liddell

Devin Liddell is the Principal Futurist at Teague. With over two decades of experience in innovation and design strategy, Devin has worked with industry giants like Boeing, Intel, and Nike, helping organizations anticipate changes across both near- and far-term horizons to create their preferred futures. Devin is a frequent contributor to Fast Company. 

Get in Touch 

Have a complex problem that needs solving? Have a great guest or topic idea? We want to hear from you. Visit us at teague.com or send us an email at [email protected]

Paul Puopolo, Executive VP of Innovation at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, joins Devin to talk about what the airports of the future will look like. Paul shares how he evaluates emerging technologies, what it will take to integrate flying cars into the airport experience, and why autonomous lawn mowers might be the future of keeping the grass alongside miles-long runways at FAA-regulated height. Paul is a former Navy helicopter pilot and has nearly 20 years of experience spearheading innovation at large organizations.

[03:32] Sensors, sensors everywhere

[06:36] Autonomous technology at DFW

[07:40] Private versus public 5G networks

[09:21] Testing autonomous lawnmowers

[11:11] Getting ready for eVTOLs

[14:25] Balancing innovation with daily operations

[16:23] Digital twin: Your one-stop shop

[20:28] Speed round

Links

Teague

Devin Liddell on LinkedIn

Paul Puopolo on LinkedIn

About the Host: Futurist Devin Liddell

Devin Liddell is the Principal Futurist at Teague. With over two decades of experience in innovation and design strategy, Devin has worked with industry giants like Boeing, Intel, and Nike, helping organizations anticipate changes across both near- and far-term horizons to create their preferred futures. Devin is a frequent contributor to Fast Company. 

Get in Touch 

Have a complex problem that needs solving? Have a great guest or topic idea? We want to hear from you. Visit us at teague.com or send us an email at [email protected]

Jessica Speigel, VP of Product Design at Fanatics, joins Devin to talk about gamifying the fan experience, the downside of chasing parity features, and designing to maximize joy. Plus, Jessica explains why a futuristic idea from the ‘80s, called the “Knowledge Navigator,” still sticks with her today. Jessica previously led the design of innovative digital experiences at HBO and Amazon.

[02:12] Jessica’s First Impression of Sports Betting

[06:39] Betting on More Than Just Sports

[09:30] The Case for Responsible Gaming

[13:58] Chasing Parity

[14:55] How AR will Change the Game

[19:41] Don’t Underestimate Customers

[22:25] Speed Round

[23:30] Gamification and Innovation

Links

Teague

Devin Liddell on LinkedIn

Jessica Speigel on LinkedIn 

About the Host: Futurist Devin Liddell

Devin Liddell is the Principal Futurist at Teague. With over two decades of experience in innovation and design strategy, Devin has worked with industry giants like Boeing, Intel, and Nike, helping organizations anticipate changes across both near- and far-term horizons to create their preferred futures. Devin is a frequent contributor to Fast Company. 

Get in Touch 

Have a complex problem that needs solving? Have a great guest or topic idea? We want to hear from you. Visit us at teague.com or send us an email at [email protected]

John Conafay joins Devin to talk about the kind of attitude it takes to work in space, what outsiders could learn from the space industry, and whether a toaster could be considered an ambitious machine. John Conafay is the CEO and co-founder of Integrate. He served as a mission systems specialist in the Air Force before building a career in the space industry, where he has worked for over 12 years.

[2:02] John’s introduction to microgravity

[3:29] Space neighborhoods

[6:25] Ambitious machines

[8:42] GPS & Tinder

[11:58] Tolerance for risk

[14:45] What is Integrate?

[17:30] Working with the U.S. Space Force

[19:05] The “FIFI” approach

[21:35] Speed round

Links

Teague
Devin Liddell on Linkedin
John Conafay on Linkedin 

About the Host: Futurist Devin Liddell

Devin Liddell is the Principal Futurist at Teague. With over two decades of experience in innovation and design strategy, Devin has worked with industry giants like Boeing, Intel, and Nike, helping organizations anticipate changes across both near- and far-term horizons to create their preferred futures. Devin is a frequent contributor to Fast Company. 

Get in Touch 

Have a complex problem that needs solving? Have a great guest or topic idea? We want to hear from you. Visit us at teague.com or send us an email at [email protected]

What if the future isn’t something we wait for, but instead something we design today?

Welcome to Design This Day, a new podcast that shows you how the boldest innovators are shaping the world we’ll live in tomorrow.

Join us as futurist Devin Liddell sits down with visionary leaders from some of the biggest names in tech and innovation. Each episode will feature a brilliant mind who is building the opportunities of the future before most people even know they exist. What will space neighborhoods look like in the future? Can driverless vehicles go off-roading? What unexpected roles will robots play in our future workplaces and homes? 

Get ready to explore the big ideas and bold designs shaping the future. New episodes start dropping Monday, March 3, 2025. 
Subscribe now so you don’t miss it!

Design This Day is an original podcast brought to you by Teague.

About the Host: Futurist Devin Liddell

Devin Liddell is the Principal Futurist at Teague. With over two decades of experience in innovation and design strategy, Devin has worked with industry giants like Boeing, Intel, and Nike, helping organizations anticipate changes across both near and far-term horizons to create their preferred futures. Devin is a frequent contributor to Fast Company.