Sam Green, Via Verde Ventures Inventor / Consultant (USA)

It’s quite interesting how one person can have so many interests around a specific skill set – Sam is an inventor and mechanical engineer based out of sunny California and works to solve many of the world’s problems. He jumped from working as a lifeguard to the Navy and now for for Via Verde Ventures as an inventor. Key takeaways from this interview

• The world is full of opportunities, look at where your skills are most needed to solve them.
• Have confidence in yourself that, even as one person, no problem is insurmountable.
• Education isn’t free, especially when it’s paid by your employer, the US government.

You can find him online at http://www.linkedin.com/in/samgreentheinventor.

It seems you had a career path that was very straight forward with the US Navy. Why did you change mid-stream and get into industrial design away from the military?

Well actually my sudden career change was not voluntary. I was overweight prior to completion of the Navy ROTC officer training program, as a result I was dis-enrolled for not being within the prescribed height and weight standards.

I also now owe the US government about $140,000 USD (+1% interest), I had initially earned a full scholarship but now have to repay the tuition. I’ve since lost the extra weight, something about not having money makes it easier to lose weight.

What is it about mechanical engineering that inspires you? Where does your passion come from?

Being able to know how things work, make them better, and create new technology that will improve the world. I wish I knew where my passion came from, I’d say its more about acknowledging that time does not stand still and we are only limited by what we can imagine.

What is life like being an engineering intern? What did you learn from this experience and how did it change your perspective on the field?

It was rather frustrating at times. I learned that many people who are in well paid positions are grossly incompetent. I also gained a better insight into the pervasive waste and corruption associated with the worldwide military industrial complex.

Can you describe what it’s like working at Via Verde Ventures? What kind of solutions to existing problems are you most keen on resolving?

It is not a conventional job, I work out of the garage most of the time. I am constantly learning more about new developments in science and technology, reading research papers, formulating new concepts, and working on prototypes.

I’m most interested in resolving our problems regarding water, food, energy, and transportation. Some concepts I’m working on involve: environmentally powered rain making systems, thermoelectric energy devices, food growing systems, solar energy harvesting, converting large swaths of desert/ arid land into more hospitable terrain for food production.

I live in California, which like Australia has a drought problem- I’m interested in figuring out ways to increase ground soil moisture using fungi, and also seeding rainstorms through a variety of ground, sea, and airborne methods.

You have a very cool Greenbox prototype, can you describe this project in more detail, how you got the idea and if you plan on seeking a patent for it?

My idea behind the Greenbox was to allow the user to create electric power from an external source of thermal energy at a close proximity, like adjacent to a hot campfire.

The system relies upon the Seebeck effect to produce power from a temperature differential. There is an internal cooling system made up of fans and an Aluminum heat sink, the cooling system is powered by an onboard battery that recharges whenever power is produced from an external heat source.

Unfortunately the project was not as successful as I had hoped, I spent way too much on the prototype and haven’t been able to finish the project yet. I don’t plan on seeking a patent for the Greenbox, there is much improvement that could be made to the prototype. I’d be happy to collaborate with others who are interested in similar concepts.

An Engineer who studied Arabic – I find this interesting as it’s thanks to the Middle East (the Islamic Empire’s Al-Hassan Ibn al-Haytham) that we have the Scientific Method, engineering and a host of other technologies that are the foundation of our modern civilization today! In the West, just about everybody knows Darwin, Einstein and so forth but few know of Al-Hassan Ibn al-Haytham who’s so revered in the Middle East when they were ahead of the rest of their world technologically. I was wondering if during your studies, you ever heard of him either in University or while studying in Amman, Jordan?

I actually have not heard of Al-Hassan Ibn al-Haytham until now, I will have to do some reading. While I was studying in Jordan, I was amazed at the feats of engineering that were accomplished hundreds or thousands of years ago without tools that we now take for granted. I was fortunate enough to visit Petra, the carvings in the side of that mountain face are truly astounding.

I was wondering what your views are on how much mechanical engineering will change as we create devices that are continually getting smaller and more powerful. People think of mechanics as big and bulky things but if you look at your smartphone, that’s where things are headed!

I agree that things will become smaller and more powerful. I also believe that there will be a more direct role played by the brain in coming innovations, devices like ThinkerThing are allowing people to use their imagination directly as a design tool. I’m also excited about augmented reality devices like Google Glass, OpenBCI, Meta-SpaceGlasses, Skully Helmets, Infinity AR, SixthSense, OculusRift, etc. They will greatly enhance our abilities to bring about positive change and live more effectively.

I know rapid prototyping and manufacturing technologies like 3d printing, CNC machining, etc. will also be even more widely implemented in everyday use as the years go by, not just for the novelty but also for the immense utility that they offer as tools. I’d like to utilize these technologies on a daily basis, but right now I’m using basic tools like drills, hand saws, files, drivers, etc. It is not ideal, but I can usually make it work.

I would also like to mention a couple other cool projects that others have in the works. One of them involves sending a camera contained in a submersible down to the bottom of the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean as the result of a challenge by Sir Richard Branson of Virgin, the brains behind the solution to this challenge belong to Josh Taylor of http://www.joshingtalk.com – plan on hearing more exciting developments from him in the future.

Another awesome project that I have had the fortune of riding in is an electric Baja racing buggy called the SRI EV1. It is made by Strategic Racing Designs of Vista, California. The buggy is part of an ongoing project to help those suffering from addiction, homelessness, etc. by the Strategic Recovery Institute, also of Vista, Ca. The Strategic Recovery Institute was started by Jeffrey Smith who is a Psychotherapist.

Another interesting technology that I believe has much potential involves converting carbon waste material into a liquid fuel mixture called Higher Mixed Alcohol Fuel. The company behind this fuel is called Bioroot Energy, of Montana, USA. Jay Toups is the CEO/Managing Partner of Bioroot Energy. I think this company will greatly change how we deal with waste, and how we get our fuel.

In the realm of medical science, I believe a company called SK3 Group (ticker:skto) is at the cutting edge of treatments derived from cannabis. They have developed a product called Dharmanol that could potentially greatly benefit people who take it, regardless of illness status. Products like these continuously prove that there is medicinal value to cannabis as a treatment for many ailments, diseases, and illnesses. I look forward to a future in which options like these are available to everybody who needs them.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Thanks for the chance to be interviewed. I hope that I can be of service to people who are reading this. I look forward to collaboration in the future. My LinkedIn profile address is: http://www.linkedin.com/in/samgreentheinventor