What’s Your Problem?
Justin Lopas is the COO and co-founder of Base Power, a battery and power company based in Texas.
Justin’s problem is this: How can you deliver more energy to more people without having to build so much more grid?
On today’s show, Justin explains why the grid needs a major upgrade, and how putting batteries next to homes could help. Also: what Texas’ embrace of renewable energy could mean for the future of power in the U.S.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Could Home Batteries Save the Grid?
Justin Lopas is the COO and co-founder of Base Power, a battery and power company based in Texas. Justin’s problem is this: How can you deliver more energy to more people without having to build…
Building a Better Public Bathroom
Fletcher Wilson is the CEO and co-founder of Throne Labs. Fletcher’s problem is this: How can you create public toilets that people actually want to use? On today’s show, Fletcher explains how his company is…
Could Autonomous Diggers Unleash a Building Boom?
Boris Sofman is the co-founder and CEO of Bedrock Robotics. Boris’ problem is this: How do you teach machines not just to drive, but also to work: to grade roads, move heavy objects and dig…
Growing Meat from Cells
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The Ordinary Stuff Behind Technological Breakthroughs
Ed Conway is an economics journalist and author of the book “Material World: The Six Raw Materials that Shape Modern Civilization.” On today’s show, Ed reveals how three of those often-overlooked materials—iron, copper, and sand—shaped…
Carbon Capture at Rock-Bottom Prices
Shashank Samala is the CEO and co-founder of Heirloom, a carbon capture start-up. His problem is this: Can you use crushed up rocks to permanently suck carbon out of the atmosphere? And can you do…
Ferrari Fandom, Supercharged by AI from Smart Talks with IBM
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Why Amazon Built a Spatula-Wielding Robot
Aaron Parness is a director of applied science at Amazon Robotics. His problem is this: How do you build a robot that can put stuff on shelves. Today on the show, Aaron explains why this…
Drilling Smarter Wells to Unleash Geothermal Energy
In many places on Earth, there’s steam just below the surface. We don’t know where those places are — but if we could figure it out, we could unlock a lot of clean energy. Carl…
Inventing a Better Pain Pill
Dr. Stephen Waxman is a professor of neurology, neuroscience and pharmacology at Yale. His research on pain helped pave the way for a newly approved, non-addictive pain drug called suzetrigine. On today’s show, he explains…