HP Innovation Journal Issue 01: Winter 2015 | Page 5
MAKER SPOTLIGHT
CHRIS MORGAN,
R&D ENGINEERING
MANAGER, HP ROBOTICS
LAB, BOISE
3D printed chain link can lift up to 10,000 pounds.
given the ethos of the new HP and the
course ahead.
That course is built on an in-depth analysis
of the most important social, economic, and
ecological megatrends expected to impact
the global population over the next 10
years. In light of these megatrends—which
include rapid urbanization, changing
demographics, hyper globalization, and
technology acceleration—we are working
to understand the future needs and
technologies most relevant to HP and our
customers.
Resource constraints, for example, are
driving the world to reduce the energy used
across the lifetime of a product. Lifetime
energy accounts for energy used in the
extraction of raw materials, manufacturing,
waste-mitigation, transportation, use, and
reclamation. This need to reduce “cradle
to cradle” lifetime energy will fuel the
acceleration of 3D printing. Engineers will
envisage and build high strength-to-weight
ratio parts to vastly reduce the lifetime
energy in physical objects (See photo
above). Learn more by visiting HP’s Graphic
Arts YouTube page.
Building such objects based on the need will
further reduce parts proliferation and waste.
For example, it is estimated that roughly
17% of the populace will eventually require a
hearing aid. The majority of hearing aids are
now produced using 3D print technology. But
why stop there? The next step, 4D printing,
HP CONFIDENTIAL: FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
can allow parts to be printed that change in
response to a particular stimulus. What if HP
used the attributes of its Multi Jet Fusion tm
system to engineer a universal, one-size
hearing aid that, in the field, could be shaped
precisely to give individual users a custom-
fitted hearing aid?
The need to conserve resources and
address the quality of life of current and
future generations will require the
integration of cyber (information) systems
and physical systems. Thus, the 21st century
will be the cyber-physical age, and
innovation will require fundamental,
multidisciplinary knowledge of both cyber
and physical systems.
This is good news for HP. Our foundational,
multi-disciplinary prowess makes us
uniquely positioned to deliver value at
the intersection of people, profit, and the
planet. We are good at asking questions;
we are even better at answering them.
There’s an exciting future awaiting the new
HP and those of us dedicated to asking and
answering questions that will change lives
for the better.
Chandrakant Patel is a
distinguished Senior Fellow
and Chief Engineer at HP.
In 2014, he was inducted into
the Silicon Valley Engineering
Hall of Fame.
HP’s pretty, tree-dotted campus in Boise,
Idaho, began operations in 1973. Until now,
it’s been best known for developing HP’s
blockbuster LaserJet printer in 1984. The
Boise campus has always been home to the
maker spirit. These days that spirit shines
most brightly at the HP Robotics Lab, where
Chris Morgan leads an amazing team of
specialists devoted to innovation.
What does innovation mean to you and
your team? To us, innovation is that
magic moment when we come together
and see what we’ve worked so diligently
on come to life. The icing on the cake is
watching others getting excited about our
innovations and then creating their own.
What’s the coolest project you are working
on right now? Sid, our autonomous robot.
He’s able to perform tasks by himself like
move and avoid objects without human
control. We’re learning a lot and discovering
what we’re doing is highly useful and
practical. Robots will enhance our
experiences and give us back more time.
When you’re not innovative in the robotics
lab, what are you doing? I’m always
building. I have my own tinkering center at
home. I also love to play and write music.
What inspires you to innovate? I don’t come
to work, I come to my playground. I get to
work with some of the smartest people in
the world. And as the world’s population
continues to grow, there’s always going
to be a need for quality engineering. As
long as that’s the case, my mind is always
wandering and looking for the next best
thing. Robotics is limitless!
Go to HP CTO’s YouTube page to see Sid in
action and learn more about the Robotics
Lab.
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