Tim Huntzinger, founder of XOTO (pronounced ex-OH-toe), has always been passionate about riding motorcycles. However, as anyone who has ridden on two wheels can testify, cornering on wet, sandy or unstable roads can be very challenging. Three wheeled trikes may be more stable but they are slow and stiff through corners and let’s face it, it’s way more fun when you can tear through a corner at speed! Tim decided to put his BFA and MS in Industrial Design to work. The result is a vehicle with two back wheels that lean and adjust as you turn, giving you the stability of a 3-wheeler with the performance and responsiveness of a 2-wheeler. Package this in a “front-wheel” drive electric scooter with a 45-mile range (charged via a standard 110 volt receptacle) and what do you have? XOTO! … Oh and did I mention that this thing is fast!?

There are more than 10 million street vendors in India. Many rely on a bicycle or push cart to transport their goods to market. New Born to Design podcast with Abhijit Bansod, founder of Studio ABD, a design studio dedicated to creating goods based on the concept of “Indian” design, including a Tigoona for Indian market vendors.

Interview with Ali Sabti, founder of Oto Lawn, a developer of environmentally sustainable irrigation systems. Ali’s “journey” began at a very young age. While still in grade school, the insatiably curious and clever young Ali learned to code and built his school’s first website. His entrepreneurial drive continued through high school where developed several e-commerce sites. The idea for Oto Lawn came several years later after Ali, (now a full-fledged mechanical engineer), had purchased his first home. Environmentally friendly solutions for lawn care and in particular, lawn irrigation systems were not readily accessible. Never one to back away from a challenge, Ali put his problem solving skills to work.

While we seek to forge our own paths in life, our families and upbringing, whether we are aware or not, often play a major role in the choices we make and the directions we take. Today I’m speaking with Vamsi Kotla who began his journey in pursuit of a master’s degree in Computer Science at the University of Southern California. The dot.com bust, however, presented too many challenges for him to justify continuing his studies. Vamsi left USC to become an entrepreneur and ultimately to pursue building construction, the same career as his father. This proved to be expensive, difficult and time-consuming and he was beginning to question his decisions. His defining moment came when attempting to purchase a larger home for his growing family. Significantly outbid in a highly competitive real estate market, he came to realize that his experience was one example of a much larger problem. Affordable housing.

Philipp Glonner began his education as an economics major but soon realized that his destiny was not with the study of production, distribution or the consumption of goods and services. His true calling, nurtured by time spent working on performance vehicles with his late father, was engineering. The greatest hurdle toward achieving this goal, however, was math. The courses were incredibly difficult. Despite some early setbacks and the onset of COVID, he persevered. His strong will, determination and love of all things mechanical led him to where he is today

Interview with Heath Tims, an Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies and a Professor for Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering and Science at Louisiana Tech University. Heath believes in a hands-on AND in-class approach to teaching engineering students. He is also involved in a very successful Eco-Car team, which is an interdisciplinary group of students and faculty working together to design competitive, fuel-efficient cars. The team competes against national and international teams and also helps other Eco-Car teams at area schools. Heath shares stories from his 17 years teaching at LA Tech, and his philosophy for preparing these students for success.

Interview with Jose Saldana, an engineering manager by day, but in his free time he serves as a SWUGN group leader on the U.S. West coast, as well Central and South America. Jose has a passion for expanding design and innovation to South America, and helping out organizations there. Jose shares stories of the great outreach work he is doing.

We know that engineers are hands-on learners, and it’s great to see that some engineers, such as Heather Dawe-Rose, spending time teaching those future engineers. Heather works for SOLIDWORKS Reseller TriMech, but she is best known for her work with student outreach programs, teaching future engineers though hands-on projects, not classroom environments. Heather comes up with many of the teaching methods herself, which she shares during our discussion. She is an outstanding advisor and mentor for our youth. I believe you will enjoy listening to her stories and clever teaching tactics.

Joe Lance is a very well-known and integral figure in the SOLIDWORKS community, so I was overdue to interview him, and found the opportunity to sit down with him at 3DEXPERIENCE World. Joe is the leader of the Houston SOLIDWORKS User Group, a SOLIDWORKS Champion, and has been a mentor to engineers for decades. He is also an avid Marathon runner. In addition to his experiences as a mentor and SOLIDWORKS User, Joe also shares some personal struggles that he has been able to turn into his strengths, and his insights into some key principles to becoming an effective mentor. I believe you will enjoy listening to this very authentic episode…

Jonathan Tippet didn’t just ask the question, “What would it feel like to be a giant?” he decided to answer the question and build a full-scale Exoskeleton, which he named Exosapien, and he is not done. He has already started building the second version. Jonathan explains where his inspiration came from, and the hurdles he had to overcome in building his giant-suit. If you ever wanted to know what it took to design something completely new, or how to fulfill your design dreams, listen into this interview with Jonathan and I promise you’ll be inspired.

Jens (Yens) Dyvik is an industrial designer and Fab Lab founder who has traveled the world for the past two years, visiting Fab Labs all over the globe. Jens has designed a CNC machine that can build another CNC machine. Yes, you read that right. Doing so enables Fab Labs to get up and running faster. Jens shares his adventures and many stories of inventors and Makers around the world in this latest Born to Design podcast.