#66 – Jack McCauley | Innovation, Electrified Vehicles, Virtual Reality, & More

Jack McCauley was co-founder and chief engineer at Oculus VR, and is Jack McCauley is Innovator-in-Residence, Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation at the UC Berkeley College of Engineering, an American Engineer, Car Expert, Inventor, Hardware Designer, Gaming & Gaming-Interface Developer and Philanthropist.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • Encouraging innovation
  • The biggest opportunities for significant improvements to the latest electric vehicles
  • What Jack and his students have learned while building and improving their own electric and hybrid vehicles
  • The two most valuable pieces of career advice that Jack gives his students
  • The current state of Virtual Reality technology, and most promising applications for the transportation sector

Listen here:

Apple Podcasts: link
Google Podcasts: link
Spotify: link

Links

Jack custom built this Lola T70 ICE supercar. He created it entirely via CAD and includes parts he made via his Stratasys 3D printer such as his wireless steering wheel, throttle plate, suspension buffer, and door catch. Three computers run this orange supercar: one for the ECU which runs the ignition and fuel injection; one for the display, one for the steering. The car incorporates a computerized display.
Electric vehicle that Jack built

Jack’s Bio:

Jack McCauley is Innovator-in-Residence, Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation at the UC Berkeley College of Engineering, an American Engineer, Car Expert, Inventor, Hardware Designer, Gaming & Gaming-Interface Developer and Philanthropist. He is best known as a co-founder and former chief engineer at Oculus VR, a pioneering company in the field of Virtual Reality, which was acquired by Facebook for $2.3 Billion in 2014.  Jack is also known for his work in designing the guitar-and-drum interface for the 2005 cultural phenomenon, the Guitar Hero video game series, and is also credited for inventing the first scrolling feature for the computer mouse. Aside from being one of the originators of the USB port standard, Jack also holds numerous U.S. patents for inventions in software, audio effects, virtual reality, motion control, computer peripherals, and video game hardware and controllers.

Jack currently sits as a Board Trustee at his alma mater, UC Berkeley College of Engineering. He is also an avid philanthropist in the areas of education and science, where his efforts and contributions led to the recent establishment of the McCauley Chair in Drug Policy Innovation at the RAND Corporation, aimed at supporting fact-based drug policy research to improve the health and well-being of communities around the world.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, and equitable mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

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