Hi there, I'm Michael Weaker.

I'm a product designer, engineer, innovator, and entrepreneur.

I have developed (and helped secure funding through US Gov contracts and grants) robots like this one for the Office of Naval Research and this one for NASA Goddard, irrigation systems for USDA, and hydroelectric generators for DOE.  I also helped develop a wide range of commercial products like technical textiles, coatings for General Motors, furniture like this Knoll chair, this Kickstarter-funded toy, and this Kohler shower.  I manage large research project and product development teams composed of scientists, engineers, fabricators, and designers - and I have also worked for small firms and started two companies of my own which meant spending a lot of my time on the business management and strategy surrounding the products and technologies that I make.

I enjoy wearing the hat of a generalist problem-solver, operating at the intersection of tech R&D, human-centered design, and business.  With a broad understanding of these three parts of product development - and a sensitivity to the needs of each - I bring value to innovation environments as a liaison/interpreter between technology developers (who "speak" science and engineering) and end users and vendors (who "speak" practicality and cost), troubleshoot development hurdles, guide new technologies toward commercial viability, manage intellectual property, and balance the needs of all stakeholders in the product development pipeline.