Hard Reset Podcast

What if we had more control over how we store energy? This simple question could open up a whole world of green possibilities and allow us to divest from higher pollutant energy sources like fossil fuels. Argonne National Laboratory is reworking the battery from the ground up, to try to find a new way to store energy by using a particle accelerator to hack batteries with AI.  Creating a device for...

It seems like our world is constantly on fire. If you live in California, Oregon, Washington, Canada, Australia, or anywhere else on the globe that’s regularly choked by wildfires, you’re all-too-aware of the importance of effective firefighting strategies. Dry brush, unattended campfires, and even gender reveal fireworks gone awry are enough to set a forest ablaze. 90% of all wildfires are caused...

An estimated 32% of the recycling we send off to sorting centers actually gets recycled. Why is this? The nature of sorting recycling by hand is time consuming, messy, and dangerous, and the human error involved in this process is enormous. Enter AMP Robotics, a Denver-based company training neural networks to speed through sorting plastic and paper with 99% accuracy by recognizing materials on a...

Wildfires have been growing in severity and intensity since the 1980’s. As climate change encourages hotter, drier seasons, fire is able to catch and spread rapidly, destroying the homes and ecosystems in its path.  To fight these megafires, fire scientists, machine learning experts, and data science researchers have come together at San Diego’s WIFIRE Lab in an effort to reduce these natural disa...

Following an oil spill, in-situ burning is commonly used to burn oil from the surface of ocean water. But could a tiny magnetic sponge be a cheaper, more environmentally friendly solution to clean the millions of gallons of oil spilled into the ocean yearly? Scientists have created a special material by modifying polyurethane foam that can suck oil out of water to be reused.  So, how far could thi...

What if we had real-time access to everything that’s happening across the globe? Planet Labs is launching tiny satellites into space en masse to photograph our Earth at all angles, multiple times each day.  This tech could lead to a shift in the way we monitor the health of the planet and the activities of the global population. Whereas we have previously had to wait weeks or months for photograph...

If it feels like you need a car to get around the U.S., it's because our streets seem to prioritize the flow of traffic over people. With pedestrian deaths at a 40-year high in 2023, it’s past time to reevaluate how we structure our sidewalks.  So, how can we make our streets less dangerous, more accessible, and reclaim the hours we would’ve been sitting in traffic? The Hard Reset Podcast hosts di...

Could this robot completely change the way the world gets around? Zoox wants to build a future where its autonomous vehicles (ahem, NOT cars) are ubiquitous.  For all of the recent advancements in autonomous tech and the hype surrounding brands like TESLA and its self-driving cars, many are still skeptical of vehicles with no human pilot.  So, is it safe? Is it really the future of transportation?...

What if we swapped PVC for a leather substitute that’s actually sustainable and long-lasting?  That’s the idea behind MycoWorks, a company producing an innovative leather alternative from an unlikely source: Mushrooms. More specifically, mycelium, the spindly network of fungal threads that reside underneath the soil.  So, is this new textile a truly viable alternative to cow leather, or is it just...

There’s not much that’s radical about a fast food meal, unless it’s healthy, affordable, accessible, and can lead to generational wealth.  That’s the idea behind Everytable, a social equity franchise program born out of Southern California. Everytable’s model keeps costs low, making it easier to expand and reach more customers who live in food deserts.  Everytable also has also lowered barriers fo...

Virtual reality technology is presenting new opportunities to create unique, immersive attractions while pushing the boundaries of theme park experiences. This tech will elevate the quality of in-park experiences while simultaneously allowing people to experience attractions remotely, opening park accessibility to a broader audience. With ongoing advancements in VR, AR, and 5G connectivity, theme...

What if we could produce clean, cruelty-free protein without the enormous carbon footprint associated with traditional animal agriculture?  Cell-based chicken has just received FDA clearance in the U.S., and while this food technology is seemingly a solution for many current limitations within the food system, there are just as many skeptics as there are evangelists.  Nick Tucker and the Hard Rese...

What if renewable energy were more efficient and accessible? A company called Heliogen is hacking solar power to make climate-friendly energy more ubiquitous and drive fossil fuels out.  The scalability of Heliogen’s tech offers opportunities for powering industrial processes, such as desalination plants and vertical farming, which require substantial energy inputs.  This technology has the capaci...

What if the building blocks of our future cities were modular, shipping container-like units, akin to oversized LEGO pieces? Although modular construction has existed for more than a century, only recent techniques have made it possible to efficiently assemble and disassemble a modular building without jeopardizing its structural integrity. It also has the potential to speed up recovery in disaste...

What's the future of vertical farming? Can it become economically competitive with conventional farming? And, perhaps most importantly, does vertically farmed produce actually taste good? These are just a handful of the questions explored in this episode of the "Hard Reset" podcast.  Vertical farming involves growing crops in stacked layers in controlled indoor environments. While it offers soluti...