In this episode, I’m joined by my longtime friend and frequent collaborator, Timmy Ghiurau—a creative technologist, futurist, systems thinker, and musician—calling in from rainy Gothenburg, Sweden.

Timmy’s story is anything but conventional. From building eye-tracking tech that helped launch the modern VR revolution, to leading cross-industry innovation initiatives at Volvo Cars, to founding Point Labs—a creative hub for intersecting disciplines—Timmy brings a rare mix of deep technical knowledge, radical creativity, and soulful storytelling.

We talk about everything from the inspiration of Bauhaus to building open-source car simulators, and from emotional AI to how biblical stories and his grandmother shaped his approach to human-centered design.

In this episode, we cover:

• How Timmy blends engineering, music, systems thinking, and storytelling

• The role of trust in innovation—and how it’s a “currency” in design

• Lessons from working in open source and intellectual property

• Scaling ideas through partnerships and public space collaboration

• The difference between working in the system vs. on the system

• Why innovation requires understanding the box before you think outside of itTimmy’s creative process, rooted in seasonal cycles and Bauhaus philosophy

A few of my favorite quotes from this episode:

“Trust is a currency between humans and machines.” “If you want to go wide, you need to anchor deep.” “You can't innovate a system you don’t understand.”

Mentioned in this episode:

• Unity Technologies

• Oculus, Meta & eye-tracking patents

• Volvo Cars Innovation Arena

• The Bauhaus Movement

• The MIT Media Lab (and Neri Oxman’s four-quadrant model)

• Storytelling, abstraction, and future-forward design

Connect with Timmy: 🌐 LinkedIn – Timmy Ghiurau 📸 Instagram: @timmyghiurau 🧠 Point Labs: Point Labs

🎵 Theme music by Damon Smile – check them out wherever you get your music.

If this conversation resonated with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts or reflections. And if you enjoyed the episode, leaving a quick review helps more folks find the show and join in on these interdisciplinary conversations.

Thanks for tuning in to Field Notes from Abroad. More soon!

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How to Connect with Laura:

Website: www.lauralaraliz.com 

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fieldnotesfromabroad 

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Email me: [email protected]

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