Accelerating early stage X prototypes With The Design Kitchen

Working with a world class team of designers and engineers, as a prototyper in the Design Kitchen at X (formerly Google [x]) I supported hardware development for early stage X projects aiming to have dramatic impact on real world problems. These included Loon, an effort to extend internet connectivity to rural areas; Wing, an autonomous drone delivery service aiming to increase access to goods and reduce CO2 emissions attributed to the transport; Verily’s smart contact lens designed to sense blood glucose levels; and the Self Driving Car project, an effort to transform mobility for millions of people. I also worked to establish the viability of early stage ideas at X by supporting investigations into airships and vertical farming.

My role was to give engineers, UX designers, and anyone else with an idea they were eager to turn into something tangible, the tools to solve problems quickly, in house. To that end, I trained dozens of shop users, managed a rapid turn-around 3D print lab, and designed and fabricated custom test fixtures. I moved between machining, mold making & casting, electronics prototyping, and woodworking as dictated by a project’s needs.

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