Squid Labs
Encyclopedia
Squid Labs is an independent Research and development
company founded by a group of four MIT graduates. In 2004, Colin Bulthaup, Dan Goldwater, Saul Griffith
, and Eric Wilhelm moved from the East Coast to California to found the company known as Squid Labs. During its years of existence from 2004 to 2007, Squid Labs added three more members to its team: Geo Homsy, Corwin Hardham and Ryan McKinley. Working out of a warehouse in Emeryville, the group adopted the slogan "We're not a think tank, we're a do tank." and created a handful of patents and inventions including an electronically sensed rope, portable pull-cord generators, and a machine that could manufacture eyeglasses of any prescriptions at extremely low cost. Squid Labs was also the birth place for many companies still running today, such as Makani Power
and Howtoons. Although the company no longer exists, Squid Lab's co-founder, Saul Griffith
started a scaled-down version in San Francisco named Other Labs.
Howtoons- Howtoons is a book that turned into a website of cartoon comics. These comics show kids how to build their own toys and conduct experiments from household items. The purpose of Howtoons is to inspire kids to be creative and explore their world. Saul Griffith
is one of Howtoons inventors and primary contributors.
Instructables- Intructables is website where members collaborate with each other and share DIY projects. The format is similar to Youtube
, but focused more on projects that the average person could do. Eric Wilhelm of Squid Labs is now the CEO of Instructables.
Makani Power- Makani Power is a company that develops airborne wind turbines to harness high-altitude wind energy. Today, Makani Power is run by Squid Lab's Corwin Hardham.
MonkeyLectric '-MonkeyLectric was founded by Dan Goldwater in 2007 to develop and distribute innovative bicycle lighting products.
Optioptia- Founded by Saul Griffith
, Optiopia is company that produces affordable eye care and researches ways to improve the way we detect and correct visual loss.
Potenco-A company that designs and produces portable pull-cord generators (PCG) for third-world countries and natural disasters. These generators have the ability to produce hours of lighting by simply pulling on a small cord for a few minutes. Potenco was co-founded by Saul Griffith
.
Dan Goldwater- An engineer and architect in the industries of software, hardware
,chip and networking
. Dan graduated from Brown University
with Bachelors and Masters degrees in Electrical Engineering
. After Squid Labs, Dan went on to found and run MonkeyLectric, a company that designs and distributes new kinds of bike lighting products.
Saul Griffith-With degrees in materials science
and mechanical engineering
and PhD
in Programmable Assembly and Self Replicating machines at MIT, Saul has been received Collegiate Inventor's award, the Lemelson-MIT Student prize, National Inventors Hall of Fame
and many more. Saul is currently running his spin off of Squid Labs, Other lab, and Onya Cycles, his urban bicycle company developed through Other Labs.
Corwin Hardham- A mechanical engineer and scientist, Corwin received his PhD from Stanford University
for developing hydraulic platforms to improve gravitational wave detection. Corwin is currently acting as the CEO of the Squid Labs-born company Makani Power.
Geo Homsy- A computer scientist
and software architect
, Geo has a PhD in Electrical Engineering
and Computer Science
from MIT. Geo also specializes in physics
, robotics
and biology
. He is currently working as senior hardware and Software engineer for the Atair Aerospace Engineering team.
Ryan McKinley-A software Engineer graduated from San Diego state with Bachelor degrees in Visual Arts and Computer Science. Ryan earned his [Masters of Science] from the MIT Media Lab.
Eric Wilhelm- A graduate from MIT with Bachelor of Science degree, Masters degree, and PhD
. in mechanical engineering
. Eric Has received National Inventors Hall of Fame Collegiate Inventors Award and has been recognized as one of the top innovators under 35 years old by Technology Review. Eric is currently the CEO of Instructables.
Research and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
company founded by a group of four MIT graduates. In 2004, Colin Bulthaup, Dan Goldwater, Saul Griffith
Saul Griffith
Saul Griffith is an Australian American inventor. He is best known for his inexpensive technique for making prescription eyeglasses. This method uses two flexible surfaces and a pourable resin.-Early life and education:...
, and Eric Wilhelm moved from the East Coast to California to found the company known as Squid Labs. During its years of existence from 2004 to 2007, Squid Labs added three more members to its team: Geo Homsy, Corwin Hardham and Ryan McKinley. Working out of a warehouse in Emeryville, the group adopted the slogan "We're not a think tank, we're a do tank." and created a handful of patents and inventions including an electronically sensed rope, portable pull-cord generators, and a machine that could manufacture eyeglasses of any prescriptions at extremely low cost. Squid Labs was also the birth place for many companies still running today, such as Makani Power
Makani Power
Makani Power is an Alameda, California-based company that develops airborne wind turbines with the support of Google and the U.S. Department of Energy office of ARPA-E...
and Howtoons. Although the company no longer exists, Squid Lab's co-founder, Saul Griffith
Saul Griffith
Saul Griffith is an Australian American inventor. He is best known for his inexpensive technique for making prescription eyeglasses. This method uses two flexible surfaces and a pourable resin.-Early life and education:...
started a scaled-down version in San Francisco named Other Labs.
Projects
Squid Labs had many breakthrough and award winning projects that influenced their respective industries. These inventions include:- Electronically Sensed Rope-A high strength electronic cable that could read and display load data and rope condition.The rope is embedded with fibers that sense the rope's condition can send data to a receiver. This was one of Squid Lab's better known inventions and was featured in Time Magazine's most amazing inventions of 2005.
- Low Cost Eyeglasses-Squid Labs designed a machine that could cheaply mold lenses of any prescription under 20 minutes. This won the Harvard Business School Business Plan Competition and was the start of the company Optioptia.
- Printed electronicsPrinted electronicsPrinted electronics is a set of printing methods used to create electrical devices on various substrates. Printing typically uses common printing equipment or other low-cost equipment suitable for defining patterns on material, such as screen printing, flexography, gravure, offset lithography and...
- Squid Labs helped to start the field of printed electronics This is a low-end and low-cost way to create circuits and other electronics using common printing technology.
- Programmed Assembly- Squid Labs researched and created autonomous self-assembling robots and was featured in Nature (journal)Nature (journal)Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
in 2005 for their development of small self-replicating systems.
- Monkey Kites- Squid Labs is the researcher and developer for all of Monkey Kites high-performance kite surfing kites.
- Solar PowerSolar powerSolar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
Systems- Squid Labs helped test and design rugged solar panels that could be installed in driveways and on the road.
- Location and Guidance systemGuidance systemA guidance system is a device or group of devices used to navigate a ship, aircraft, missile, rocket, satellite, or other craft. Typically, this refers to a system that navigates without direct or continuous human control...
technology- Squid Labs developed custom electronic sensor technology for private and corporate clients. This technology has many uses including airborne systems and emergency responders.
Spin-off Companies
Products and designs started at Squid Labs evolved into companies that are run by former Squid Lab members and contributors. These companies include:Howtoons- Howtoons is a book that turned into a website of cartoon comics. These comics show kids how to build their own toys and conduct experiments from household items. The purpose of Howtoons is to inspire kids to be creative and explore their world. Saul Griffith
Saul Griffith
Saul Griffith is an Australian American inventor. He is best known for his inexpensive technique for making prescription eyeglasses. This method uses two flexible surfaces and a pourable resin.-Early life and education:...
is one of Howtoons inventors and primary contributors.
Instructables- Intructables is website where members collaborate with each other and share DIY projects. The format is similar to Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, but focused more on projects that the average person could do. Eric Wilhelm of Squid Labs is now the CEO of Instructables.
Makani Power- Makani Power is a company that develops airborne wind turbines to harness high-altitude wind energy. Today, Makani Power is run by Squid Lab's Corwin Hardham.
MonkeyLectric '-MonkeyLectric was founded by Dan Goldwater in 2007 to develop and distribute innovative bicycle lighting products.
Optioptia- Founded by Saul Griffith
Saul Griffith
Saul Griffith is an Australian American inventor. He is best known for his inexpensive technique for making prescription eyeglasses. This method uses two flexible surfaces and a pourable resin.-Early life and education:...
, Optiopia is company that produces affordable eye care and researches ways to improve the way we detect and correct visual loss.
Potenco-A company that designs and produces portable pull-cord generators (PCG) for third-world countries and natural disasters. These generators have the ability to produce hours of lighting by simply pulling on a small cord for a few minutes. Potenco was co-founded by Saul Griffith
Saul Griffith
Saul Griffith is an Australian American inventor. He is best known for his inexpensive technique for making prescription eyeglasses. This method uses two flexible surfaces and a pourable resin.-Early life and education:...
.
Members
Colin Bulthuap- An electrical engineer with a masters degree from MIT. Colin is founder of Kovio Inc., a company that prints low-cost integrated circuits, and in 2001 was recognized as one of the top 100 innovators under the age of 35 by Technology Review Magazine. Colin has also won many other awards including the International Design Competition held in Sao Paulo, Brazil.Dan Goldwater- An engineer and architect in the industries of software, hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
,chip and networking
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
. Dan graduated from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
with Bachelors and Masters degrees in Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
. After Squid Labs, Dan went on to found and run MonkeyLectric, a company that designs and distributes new kinds of bike lighting products.
Saul Griffith-With degrees in materials science
Materials science
Materials science is an interdisciplinary field applying the properties of matter to various areas of science and engineering. This scientific field investigates the relationship between the structure of materials at atomic or molecular scales and their macroscopic properties. It incorporates...
and mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
and PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Programmable Assembly and Self Replicating machines at MIT, Saul has been received Collegiate Inventor's award, the Lemelson-MIT Student prize, National Inventors Hall of Fame
National Inventors Hall of Fame
The National Inventors Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recognizing, honoring and encouraging invention and creativity through the administration of its programs. The Hall of Fame honors the men and women responsible for the great technological advances that make human,...
and many more. Saul is currently running his spin off of Squid Labs, Other lab, and Onya Cycles, his urban bicycle company developed through Other Labs.
Corwin Hardham- A mechanical engineer and scientist, Corwin received his PhD from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
for developing hydraulic platforms to improve gravitational wave detection. Corwin is currently acting as the CEO of the Squid Labs-born company Makani Power.
Geo Homsy- A computer scientist
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
and software architect
Software architect
Software architect is a general term with many accepted definitions, which refers to a broad range of roles. Generally accepted terminology and certifications began appearing in connection with this role near the beginning of the 21st century.-History:...
, Geo has a PhD in Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
and Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
from MIT. Geo also specializes in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, robotics
Robotics
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
and biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
. He is currently working as senior hardware and Software engineer for the Atair Aerospace Engineering team.
Ryan McKinley-A software Engineer graduated from San Diego state with Bachelor degrees in Visual Arts and Computer Science. Ryan earned his [Masters of Science] from the MIT Media Lab.
Eric Wilhelm- A graduate from MIT with Bachelor of Science degree, Masters degree, and PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
. in mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
. Eric Has received National Inventors Hall of Fame Collegiate Inventors Award and has been recognized as one of the top innovators under 35 years old by Technology Review. Eric is currently the CEO of Instructables.