Hard Reset

Change is hard - people have been trying and failing to reform society for generations. But what if we had to? This is a show about rebuilding the world from scratch and reimagining everything from first principles. How should we design cities? What about schools? Power grids? Prisons? Money? Or the Internet? If we were starting over, what would we do differently? Because in the aftermath of 2020, we are. This is HARD RESET.

Subscribe to our Substack

Get more episodes in your inbox.

Watch on YouTube

Share Hard Reset on Twitter (X)
Share Hard Reset on Facebook

Should war robots have “license to kill?”

War is changing. As drones replace snipers, we must consider the ethics of machines making life or death decisions.

Go to Episode

All Episodes (53)

Now Playing

How durable, inexpensive robotic hands are made

We met the team at PSYONIC, the minds developing one of the world’s most advanced robotic hands.

A black robotic hand holding a small red object against a blue and beige gradient background.

Now Playing

24 hours in an illegal, car-free community

What happens when you ban cars? Step inside the first walkable neighborhood of its kind in the US.

A person rides a bicycle between two modern white buildings under a clear blue sky, with large text reading "RESET THE CITY" above.

Now Playing

Moon landings are back, baby! Feat. Firefly Aerospace

"These investments we make in exploring our universe have always paid dividends. That drive to explore these frontiers is what forces us to be creative and inventive."

Gold lunar lander model with NASA and flag decals on a blue gradient background.

Now Playing

Inside the insane lab making fuel from thin air

Come with us to visit Terraform Industries, the start-up harnessing artificial photosynthesis to make fossil-free fuel.

Now Playing

Why use pristine drinking water for toilets?

A man with glasses pours liquid from a plastic bag into a toilet against a blue background.

Now Playing

Can reality be expanded? This tech says yes.

A person wearing a gray shirt is extending their hand with rings on each finger against a dark background with a green glow.

Now Playing

This tiny pill spies on your stomach

A close-up of a person's fingers holding a small, transparent electronic component with a green background.

Now Playing

3x faster air travel at a fraction of the price: this jet engine could change everything

“This is a system that will enable the sub-thousand dollar ticket from San Francisco to Tokyo in 3.5 hours.”

A jet engine undergoing a test, emitting a blue flame, with various wires and components attached.

Now Playing

The most secure wireless connection ever: Your body

What if your body could become a USB cable? Ixana, a cutting-edge wearable hardware company, is revolutionizing how we connect our devices by using our bodies as conductors.

A man with headphones looks at his smartphone while holding a black water bottle, with a graphic overlay of connected points. The background is a gradient of green and yellow.

Now Playing

How the DIY engineering boom will change the world

$20,000, 100 days, no job, 1 garage. This family built a self-driving car during the pandemic. Now, they’re starting a company.

Now Playing

Disrupting one of the world’s dirtiest industries: Meet the 3D loom

Fast-fashion is over. “Automated Apparel” is here to reduce waste, fit everyone better, and save human time and labor.

Now Playing

This company is winning the race to create the first factory in space

The race to build the first space factory is on — and this team is beating everyone to the finish line.

Now Playing

See the robots turning a $250B industry into a one-button click

It takes years to fix a complex fighter jet. Machina Labs' robo-factory could do it at the click of a button.

Now Playing

Can underground tunnels make instant delivery possible?

McNuggets delivered in < 10 min for just $1? This underground “Amazon Prime”-like delivery service is the closest thing humans have to teleportation.

A train with bright headlights approaching through a large, dark, cylindrical tunnel.

Now Playing

Getting to Mars isn’t enough: Why staying alive will be the biggest challenge

Meet Kelly and Zach Weinersmith, the self-proclaimed space bastards who are urging us to rethink space colonization.

A person in an astronaut suit against an orange-hued cityscape background.

Now Playing

The tech of tomorrow: Haptics, Desktop CNC, Hyundai E-Corner

Would you use a desktop CNC? What about no-snow skis? Could a car with 90º wheels make parking easier? We went to the biggest tech event in the world to try out viral tech for ourselves.

Now Playing

Bryan Johnson lives by one rule: “Don’t die”

“We are losing when we create a lesser version of ourselves.” Bryan Johnson has created a blueprint to reverse-aging, and a vision for the future of humanity.

Man performing pull-ups under red lighting.

Now Playing

Large-scale, lab-grown meat: Step inside a cultivated meat factory

Have your buffalo wings, save the chicken. Step inside a lab-grown meat factory with us to see the future of food.

An image of a red meat in a stainless steel tube.

Now Playing

Meet Apollo, the real-life robot who wants to give you more free time

Will robots replace us? Apptronik, creator of the general purpose robot Apollo, has crafted a product that would only take the undesirable tasks away from humans.

A white and black robot standing in a warehouse.

Now Playing

Animating in real time? This suit is changing cinema forever

This suit is changing the future of video game development, streaming, and motion graphics.

Two men with glasses and a beard in front of a purple background.

Now Playing

Does Bryan Johnson’s $2m biohacking routine actually work? We tested it to see

18-hour fast, 100 pills, bizarre tech - we tried Bryan Johnson’s age-reversal routine for 1 month.

Two men holding broccoli in their hands.

Now Playing

What is Generative AI? It’s going to alter everything about how we use the internet

Artificial intelligence is bigger than image prompts and idea generation. Much bigger. This veteran technologist says Generative AI will bring about “The New Internet.”

3d rendering of a broken computer with mountains in the background illustrating how Generative AI will impact the internet.

Now Playing

Starlink’s newest competitor is using next-gen satellites to create internet for everyone

Four billion people are not connected to the internet. This company wants to change that, using satellites in geostationary orbit.

An image of a planet with arrows pointing in different directions.

Now Playing

This device is 1,000 times more efficient than your computer

This model of computing would use 1/1000th of the energy today’s computers do. So why aren’t we using it?

An image of a colorful square in the sky.

Now Playing

How can a water bottle cost negative 10 cents?

27 million likes on TikTok. A $0.00 product. How does the "FreeWater" company work?

Free yoghurt packaging - free yoghurt packaging - free yoghurt packaging - free yoghurt packaging.

Now Playing

“Metamaterials” will put sci-fi tech into your phone

This company is building a new kind of “metamaterial” that can change the way we see reality.

A 3d rendering of a colorful triangular shape.

Now Playing

Here’s why you won’t starve from overpopulation

How will we feed 8 billion people? New tech is making it possible.

two men standing in a field with a tractor.

Now Playing

Laser “death ray” kills weeds 80x faster than humans

This farming robot kills 200,000 weeds per hour with lasers.

a tractor with a green light in the middle of a field.

Now Playing

We went to MIT to see the first test of a new electric thruster system

These tiny electrospray thrusters cut spacecraft payload so that we can explore the asteroid belt, outer planets, and beyond.

Now Playing

The farming robots that will feed the world

Food waste is a ridiculous problem. Enter the robots.

a robot is holding a strawberry on a blue background.

Now Playing

The bionic 3rd thumb anyone can add to their hand

We flew to the UK to learn more about the designer 3D-printing third thumbs.

Now Playing

Hacking the Anthropocene with survivalist robots

80% of our ocean floors have never been studied. This robot sailboat is unlocking the most treacherous parts.

Now Playing

Inside a “Zome”: A DIY tiny home made of carbon-negative cement

Could bringing back ancient pyramid-building techniques make carbon-negative housing a reality?

Now Playing

The future of high energy density batteries

Picture an entire city charged by batteries. This new battery design may unlock a new era of energy.

Now Playing

The robot solving America’s trash crisis

This robot sorts trash with 99% accuracy.

Now Playing

The future of energy starts with rebuilding the battery

Millions of tons of batteries are headed to landfills. Here’s the plan to save them.

Now Playing

Engineering oleophilic sponges to save the oceans

“A new wave of material sciences could help us start cleaning the environment instead of just, well, using it as a trash can.”

Now Playing

Megafires: Fixing 100 years of mistakes in 10 years

Most forests in the world may become fireproof in just ten years with this technology.

Now Playing

This slime is 10x more fireproof than water

A one-armed surfer invented this fireproof slime when a disaster tried to take his town.

Now Playing

How to build neighborhoods we actually like

Where you live has more of an impact on your physical, emotional, and mental health than you think.

Now Playing

Tiny satellites and a new view of humanity

These tiny satellites uncover daily images of climate change, Chinese labor camps, and hidden government areas - and make them publicly available.

Now Playing

Should war robots have “license to kill?”

War is changing. As drones replace snipers, we must consider the ethics of machines making life or death decisions.

Now Playing

‘Canceling’ carnivores won’t save the planet. Flexitarianism might, though

The average American eats 200 pounds of meat per year. What would happen if we took it out of one meal a week?

Now Playing

We’re using our streets all wrong

COVID-19 turned city streets into pop-up restaurants. What if we didn’t go back?

Now Playing

Inside Zoox: The robot vehicle totally changing transportation

Take an exclusive ride in the vehicle with no steering wheel that’s aiming to make car ownership a thing of the past.

Now Playing

Inside the lab growing leather from mushrooms

Even Hermès is using this ‘shroom leather. Are biomaterials going mainstream?

Now Playing

What if we restarted civilization from scratch in 2022?

If we could redesign the world from scratch, what should we do differently? Find out in all-new episodes of Freethink’s Hard Reset coming in January 2022.

Now Playing

The underdog challenging McDonald’s and Wall Street

Everytable is scaling access to wealth through a healthy fast food revolution.

Now Playing

What will the Disneyland of the future look like?

VR theme park experiences are adding a new dimension to an industry that’s long relied on 20th-century technology.

Now Playing

Murder-free chicken nuggets: Real meat grown in a lab

Would you eat lab-grown chicken meat? This Singapore restaurant is the first to serve cell-cultured meat to diners.

Now Playing

How mirrors could power the planet… and prevent wars

If adopted globally, concentrated solar power could make major waves in manufacturing, not to mention prevent wars over oil and mitigate climate change.

Now Playing

Do buildings have to be permanent?

Modular construction involves transporting prefabricated buildings and connecting them on-site. It’s like LEGOs on steroids, and it could transform our cities.

Now Playing

Vertical farms could take over the world

Vertical farming saves water, land, and energy — and it could be how we grow food on Mars.