Design This Day

Ed Doran has had a storied career as the “translation layer” - bringing products from the messy research stage to the market. He shares with Devin the lessons he’s learned in launching a variety of high profile products, including his work at Microsoft where he co-founded Cortana, their first voice AI assistant. Today he’s working as the VP of Strategy at Edge AI Foundation, an organization supporting the mission to bring AI into devices rather than gigantic cloud servers, so AI can analyze data and work offline. This would be a critical advancement in settings like hospitals, mines, or submarines, letting anyone, anywhere, use AI to compute quickly and securely.Time Stamps:01:25 The hurdles in a product launch04:37 Bridging researchers and productization06:25 Neapolitan Ice Cream Innovation12:48 Cortana Origins15:28 Trust and “Vegas Mode”17:34 The Tone for Voice Assistants20:28 AI as Coworker26:30 Edge AI Explained32:23 Challenges Moving AI to the “Edge”34:06 Lightning Round35:54 Wrap Up and ThanksLinksDevin Liddell on LinkedInEd DoranTeagueAbout the Host: Futurist Devin LiddellDevin 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]

In this special live episode, Devin is joined by Matt Ondler, Chief Strategy Officer at Axiom Space. Matt previously worked at NASA for 25 years where he led some of the agency's most ambitious projects in robotics, autonomy, and spacecraft systems. Now he's at Axiom, building the world's first commercial space station. Devin and Matt discuss how space might become an important manufacturing hub, the lengths Matt has gone to test something before launching it into orbit, and why squishy humans pose such a design challenge in space.[02:11] Matt’s Origin Story[03:23] Inspiring the Next Generation of Space Enthusiasts[05:40] Everyday Tech With Roots in Space[07:10] Building the First Commercial Space Station[10:35] Human-Centric Design in Space[13:39] Challenges of Space Environment and Testing[19:21] Robots vs. Humans in Space[21:22] Addressing Kessler Syndrome[23:59] Multiple Space StationsLinksDevin Liddell on LinkedInMatt Ondler on LinkedInTeagueAbout the Host: Futurist Devin LiddellDevin 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 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 RoundLinksDevin Liddell on LinkedInCarla Diana on LinkedInTeagueAbout the Host: Futurist Devin LiddellDevin 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 roundLinksTeagueDevin Liddell on LinkedInPaul Puopolo on LinkedInAbout the Host: Futurist Devin LiddellDevin 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 roundLinksTeagueDevin Liddell on LinkedinJohn Conafay on Linkedin About the Host: Futurist Devin LiddellDevin 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]