18th San Jose Hardware Meetup @ AuSIM Garage | Entrepreneurial Paths, Informal Spaces, and AuSIM Garage
We're back for the 18th San Jose Hardware Meetup! This time, we're at AuSim Garage at Mountain View.
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🤖 Bring hardware demos for open mic.
We have a great lineup of speakers:
Peggy Xia, gNucleus AI, adopting AI in the engineering sector and how AI solutions help in manufacturing space.
Bill Chapin, AuSim Garage, veteran technologist, rapid prototyper, and an early pioneer of virtual reality and immersive interfaces. As the CEO and founder of AuSIM Inc., Bill has spent decades working at the intersection of human perception, real-time sensor systems, and 3D spatial acoustics.
His roots in Silicon Valley innovation run deep. During his time as a researcher at Stanford University’s Center for Design Research in the early 1990s, Bill developed some of the very first VR and immersive collaborative design environments ever published on the World Wide Web.
Beyond his legacy in spatial audio and simulation, Bill is a recognized subject matter expert in surgical robotics and medical devices. He has driven advanced R&D for companies like Auris Health (now part of Johnson & Johnson MedTech) and Vytronus, specializing in real-time position tracking, automated test equipment, and electromagnetic sensor systems for flexible robotic surgery.
Agenda
6:30–7:00 – Arrival, mingle, grab refreshments
7:00–7:05 – Welcome and introduction
7:05–8:30 – Guest talks and audience Q&A
8:30–9:00 – Community open mic — Anyone will have the chance for a 2min pitch to demo a prototype or talk about what they're working on.
9:00–9:30 – Mix + mingle
Thank you to our host
AuSim Garage, Informal Space
Located in Mountain View, the AuSIM Garage serves as Bill’s prototyping laboratory and creative headquarters. Far from a standard corporate office, it is a true builder's space where diverse engineering disciplines collide.
Inside the garage, Bill tackles everything from acoustic signal processing to automated robotic test rigs. It operates as a hands-on incubator where complex design challenges, sensor integration, and human-machine interactions are actively bridged into physical, real-world solutions.
Thank you to our community partners
informal is a freelance collective for the most talented independent professionals in hardware. Whether you're looking for a single contractor, a full-time employee, or an entire team of professionals to work on everything from product development to go-to-market strategy, the informal collective has the perfect collection of people for the job. Learn more.
If you want to support future meetups, reach out to [email protected]. Hardware Meetup is a volunteer organization and relies on sponsorships to cover the costs of putting on these events.
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See you soon!