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.

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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.

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All Episodes (29)

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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.

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“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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Hacking the Anthropocene with survivalist robots

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

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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?

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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.

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The robot solving America’s trash crisis

This robot sorts trash with 99% accuracy.

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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.

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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.”

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Megafires: Fixing 100 years of mistakes in 10 years

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

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This slime is 10x more fireproof than water

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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‘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?

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We’re using our streets all wrong

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

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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.

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Inside the lab growing leather from mushrooms

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

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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.

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The underdog challenging McDonald’s and Wall Street

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Vertical farms could take over the world

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