It’s shopping season. When we buy electronics and other products, we expect them to be reliable and safe. Our guest today is a product assurance expert who subjects consumer products and other equipment to a range of adverse conditions. Before you buy and use them, products in her lab have been exposed to extreme drops, peak temperatures and corrosive environments to make sure they hold up. In this episode, we discuss why extreme testing is critical. Plus, our expert shares some valuable consumer tips.

In today’s Breakthroughs, an ancient woodworking technique leads to a new discovery. And in Ask us Anything, we call in a robotics expert to answer a curious listener’s question.

Listen now.