Time to read: 2 min
Welcome to another edition of Hardware Roundup, a monthly curated hardware newsletter. Read on for stories on recent funding announcements, technology news, and manufacturing insights.
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Industry News
- In hardware funding news, Peloton and Formlabs secured another round of funding and secured “unicorn” status. Sonos debuted on the public markets, and Juul raised $650 million. SF self-driving car maker Zoox raised $500 million, and Root Ventures raised their second fund. + Mindtribe was acquired by Accenture.
- Unfortunately, Printrbot and Mayfield Robotics announced they are ceasing operations. + Markforged was cleared of IP Infringement claims by Desktop Metal and filed a countersuit.
- SpaceX relaunched the Falcon 5 rocket for the first time and is planning to launch more than 70 satellites this year. + An interview with Elon Musk’s longest-serving exec, Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX.
- Chinese authorities are beginning to use facial recognition technology at the Shenzhen-Hong Kong border checkpoints. In part due to a 25% additional tariff on imports of U.S.-made cars, Tesla is planning a $5 billion investment in a Chinese factory. + A visual of the Pearl River Delta and the blurred lines in the megalopolis that contains over 120 million people.
Hardware Knowledge
- Motherboard did a teardown of a $100 iPhone X. Unsurprisingly, under the microscope, many of the software and hardware features didn’t quite hold up to the original. Reminds us of the Fake Apple Watch teardown we did… + iFixit gave the Microsoft Surface Go a 1/10 score for repairability.
- Tedium took a look at the history of the paper straw and other alternatives such as Rye, Bamboo, and Corn. + The economics of e-waste mining.
- Orthodontic startups are using 3D printing to disrupt the teeth straightening industry, decreasing the price and production time of dental impressions and invisible teeth aligners. + Hax’s Hardware Report for H1 2018.
- The CEO of Instrumental on the reality of Industrial IoT. + The future of packaging and trends driving its disruption.
Events + Community
- Jobs: Quip is hiring a Lead Mechanical Engineer to help build their product portfolio, and MedicaSafe is looking for a Product Design Engineer.
- Events: August 15, Making It (in China): Workshop with the co-founder of Crave at Whipsaw (SF).
- Please vote for Dave Evans’ SXSW Panel Picker entry on How to Launch a Product During a Trade War—thanks! + PRG is seeking hardware startups to demo at their annual Silicon Valley Hardware Symposium in September. If interested, get in touch with Theresa Shafer.
- Community: Shout out to the CoolNews newsletter for its regular dose of curated hardware snippets.
For the Love of Engineering
Making a chess set free-handed on a CNC lathe. [Via SolidSmack]
Until next month!
Fin, Hardware Evangelist at Fictiv
