The Techne Connect

Recorded onsite at the Williams Technology Campus, this episode takes you inside Williams Grand Prix Technologies, where Formula One engineering culture is being applied to real-world industrial challenges.You hear from Selin Tur, Managing Director and CTO, as she shares her journey from F1 engineering to executive leadership. She explains the mission behind the business, the focus on digital engineering, predictive maintenance, and battery technology, and how Formula One speed, accountability, and systems thinking shape the way the team operates.

In this episode of Behind The Orbit, we speak with Lucy Edge, a Space Industry Executive with experience across UK Defence, ESA, Surrey Satellite Technology, Avanti Communications, and the UK space innovation ecosystem.Lucy shares her journey from elite sport into astrophysics and spacecraft engineering, then into senior leadership roles spanning corporates, scale ups, and startups. She discusses how teams scale, why communication matters more as organisations grow, and the differences between working in large institutions and fast moving companies.The conversation also covers the future of space, including in orbit manufacturing, recycling, sustainability, and debris management. Lucy closes with reflections on women in space, the gender pay gap, and a high risk launch decision that shaped her leadership approach.

In this episode of The Techne Connect, we spoke with Lesya Hendrix, CEO of Spacer Robotics, about building autonomous construction robots designed for harsh, repetitive work on Earth and future deployment in space.Lesya shares her path from KTH and Scania to Tesla, including factory ramp-ups and product launches. She explains why modern robotics needs autonomy, vision, and AI, why hardware engineering is rising again, and how young engineers should bridge the gap between core coding and AI skills.She also challenges the humanoid hype, using Star Wars as a lens for practical robot design, and breaks down Spacer’s roadmap from working prototype to pilots, funding, and scaling production.

In this episode of Behind The Robot, we speak with Hossein Dehghani, CTO at Human In Motion Robotics Inc. in British Columbia, Canada. Hossein breaks down what the CTO role looks like in a robotics start-up, spanning product roadmap, system architecture, R and D, stakeholder alignment, and building the right technical culture across a multidisciplinary team.Hossein shares how his early exposure to university robotics groups shaped his approach to systems thinking and end to end problem solving. He also outlines his career path through mechatronics, product development, and innovation in advanced power wheelchairs, before joining Human In Motion Robotics and progressing into leadership.A key focus is the real world impact of self balancing exoskeleton technology, including moments from clinical deployment that show how mobility independence changes lives for people living with neurological conditions. The conversation also explores what will shape robotics over the next decade, including human centric design, trust and perceived safety, digital twins, simulation driven development, human robot interfaces, and sensor fusion.

In this episode of Behind The Robot, we speak with Fabien Expert, hardware CTO at Wandercraft. Fabien explains how Wandercraft started with one clear mission, helping people who cannot walk to stand and walk again through exoskeleton technology.He shares how the company evolved from rehabilitation exoskeletons used in clinics to a personal exoskeleton designed for daily life, aimed as a complement to a wheelchair. Fabien also discusses Wandercraft’s expansion into humanoid robots for logistics and manufacturing, following investment and partnership activity, including work with Renault.The conversation covers what it takes to build robots in real life, the scale of engineering effort required, and why progress takes time. Fabien highlights lessons learned across a decade of development, including the importance of soft skills, teamwork, safety, and data driven engineering.

In this episode of The Techne Connect, we speak with KC Kroll, Director of Civil Programmes at EarthDaily. KC explains how Earth observation, spectral analytics and AI-ready satellite data are shaping new solutions across food security, agriculture, climate resilience and national security.He shares his career journey from psychology student to remote sensing specialist and senior leader in the space sector. KC discusses the evolution of the geospatial industry, the shift toward multi-source analytics and the challenge of translating complex science into products people can use. He also highlights the growing link between food supply, global stability and real time Earth monitoring.KC reflects on the future of satellite constellations, the impact of lower launch costs and the new demand for AI-driven geoanalytics. This episode offers clear insight into Earth observation, data-driven problem solving and the skills needed for the next generation of geospatial professionals.

In this episode of The Techne Connect, we speak with Armin Shahsavari, COO and co-founder of KELO Robotics. Armin explains how KELO is building mobile robots that support true human-robot collaboration through omnidirectional movement, modular design and intuitive control systems.He shares the story behind KELO’s growth, the development of their industrial “Lego-like” mobile platform and how their patented drive system enables safe, precise motion around people. Armin also talks about his journey from Iran to Germany, the lessons learned from building products during chip shortages and why systematic problem solving is essential in robotics.He gives direct advice for young engineers on learning, interdisciplinary thinking and staying curious as technology evolves. This episode offers a grounded look at the future of mobile robots, safety, HRI and the skills needed to thrive in automation.

Recorded with Ocado Technology, this episode takes you inside one of the most advanced grocery automation operations in the world.You hear from Steve Payling, VP of Product at Ocado Technology, as he shares how Ocado evolved from an online grocer into a global automation platform. He covers the Hive and bot-led fulfilment system, what product success looks like across software, hardware and control, and the lessons he’s learned on testing, scepticism, and staying focused on real-world problems.