Applied Minds
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Technology design, engineering, research and development, consulting |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Founder | Bran Ferren, Danny Hillis, Doug Carlston |
| Headquarters | Burbank , United States |
Area served | Government and commercial sectors |
| Products | Technology design, rapid prototyping, engineering, R&D, consulting services |
Applied Minds, LLC is a U.S.-based technology studio established in 2000 by Bran Ferren, Danny Hillis, and Doug Carlston. The firm specializes in technology design, rapid prototyping, engineering, research and development, and consulting services catering to both government and commercial sectors. Its headquarters are located in Burbank, California, with additional offices in New York City and Washington, D.C..
History and culture
Bran Ferren and Danny Hillis, who previously held leadership roles at Walt Disney Imagineering, created Applied Minds to extend their expertise beyond the entertainment industry. The company’s early operations were based out of a warehouse leased from Disney.
Applied Minds rapidly established itself as a center for innovation within the military-industrial complex. The organizational culture is often characterized as resembling a startup rather than a traditional corporation, favoring informal work settings. Co-founder Ferren assesses projects through the lenses of design quality, beneficial impact, and financial viability. He carefully forms teams by bringing together specialists from diverse fields including engineering, design, military tactics, and rocket science.
In 2005, a group within Applied Minds working on a unified database aimed at enhancing Internet search spun off to create Metaweb Technologies. Metaweb developed Freebase, a structured data repository designed to improve search accuracy. Google acquired Metaweb in 2010 to bolster its search engine technology.
Several ventures have emerged from Applied Minds, such as Metaweb Technologies; TouchTable, which focuses on interactive mapping visualizations; and Applied Proteomics, dedicated to early cancer detection diagnostics—its assets were purchased by DiscernDx in 2018.
In 2014, Danny Hillis initiated a spin-off named Applied Invention originating from Applied Minds.
Projects
Applied Minds has provided services to clients including General Motors, Intel, Smithsonian, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Herman Miller, Harris Corporation, Sony, Sun Microsystems, as well as all branches of the United States military.
In collaboration with Herman Miller in 2005, Applied Minds developed Babble, a sound processing device designed to obscure office conversations to boost privacy and workplace efficiency. Babble received numerous accolades such as the Consumer Electronics Association's Best of Innovations Award, NeoCon Gold Award for Workplace Technology, and was featured on Esquire Magazine's "Best and Brightest" list.
For the United States Air Force, Applied Minds created the Photographic Landing Augmentation System for Helicopters (PhLASH). This technology employs powerful infrared strobes to capture detailed images of landing areas before brownout conditions occur, providing pilots with geo-rectified video feeds that enhance landing safety. Funding from the Office of the Secretary of Defense enabled permanent installation of PhLASH on helicopters starting in 2007.
In 2010, Applied Minds partnered with Northrop Grumman on the Mayflower test satellite project—the first commercial CubeSat launched by SpaceX. This satellite demonstrated an innovative solar panel deployment mechanism.
The company’s co-founders secured patents for multi-touch gesture technology in 2005, which subsequently invalidated Apple's pinch-to-zoom patent during its 2013 litigation against Samsung.
To facilitate rapid innovation directly in the field, Applied Minds collaborated with the United States Army's Rapid Equipping Force to develop deployable Expeditionary Lab – Mobile (ELM) units. These transportable containers are equipped with tools such as 3D printers, CNC machines, laser cutters, and other prototyping equipment that allow engineers to solve problems onsite at remote military locations. The Army began deploying these ELM units in 2012 and 2013.
After five years of development, Applied Minds unveiled the KiraVan at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas in 2015. This 51,700-pound expedition vehicle highlights the company’s cutting-edge technologies and follows their earlier MaxiMog vehicle displayed at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
Since 2011, Applied Minds has been leading design efforts for the Clock of the Long Now ("10,000-year clock") under the Long Now Foundation—founded by co-founder Hillis in 1996. Hillis originally commenced work on this enduring timekeeping project in 1989.
Awards
In 2013, Applied Minds was chosen by the Smithsonian American Art Museum as the winner of its global design contest to revitalize the Grand Salon of the Renwick Gallery. The firm's proposal featured the use of high-definition projectors and audio systems to establish a dynamic, immersive exhibition space while preserving the gallery's historic architecture.
At the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas, Applied Minds earned the Coolest Tech Award through its partnership with Genworth, a provider of long-term care insurance. Their innovative Genworth R70i Aging Experience is a wearable exoskeleton designed to replicate age-related changes in hearing, vision, and mobility, with the goal of encouraging widespread discussion on aging issues.
External links
- A tour of the Applied Minds site
- Wired Magazine: "Applied Minds Think Remarkably"
- CA Technologies: "Peek Inside the Applied Minds Innovation Factory"
- PCMag: "A Conversation With Applied Minds Chief Bran Ferren"
- Cathy Lazere and Dennis Shasha, Out of Their Minds: The Lives and Discoveries of 15 Great Computer Scientists, 1995. ()