Send us a text

This episode is a re-run from season 1

Russ Aldridge shares his entrepreneurial journey of founding Sisu, a mechanical engineering company that designs innovative robotic solutions. From creating a revolutionary knife-sharpening robot to developing a game-changing cinematography robot arm and rapidly producing ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic, Russ demonstrates the power of creative problem-solving and team collaboration.

Main Topics:

• Origin of Sisu and its unique name
• Innovative robotic solutions for industrial and creative industries
• Developing a robot arm for cinematography
• Rapid ventilator production during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Building a collaborative and flat organizational culture

About the guest: Russ Aldridge and cofounder Marc Christenson started Sisu in 2010 as an integrator for their former employer NI (National Instruments). They have expanded the company far beyond just NI and now serve a wide variety of industries, developing highly sophisticated robotic & automated applications. Their team’s skill and ingenuity are matched by their incredible dedication to serving the customer—case in point: team Sisu went from concept to 100 fully functioning ventilators in just 2 weeks to meet the massive need brought on by COVID. 

Links:

Russ Aldridge - LinkedIn

Marc Christenson - LinkedIn

SISU Website

 

🚀 Join Us at PDX 2025! 🚀

PDX 2025 is the  Product Development Expo designed for engineers who want hands-on training from industry experts. PDX focuses on practical skill-building, cutting-edge tools, and real-world solutions.

📅 October 21-22, 2025
 📍 Mesa Convention Center, AZ
 🔗 https://reg.eventmobi.com/product-development-expo-2025

About Being An Engineer

The Being An Engineer podcast is a repository for industry knowledge and a tool through which engineers learn about and connect with relevant companies, technologies, people resources, and opportunities. We feature successful mechanical engineers and interview engineers who are passionate about their work and who made a great impact on the engineering community.

The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment such as cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us on the web at www.teampipeline.us