Inside Stellantis’ Quality Overhaul, Range Rover Sport PHEV review, Turning Plastic Into Hydrogen, and Wireless Brain Implants

Car tech is moving fast, but I keep coming back to one question: can we trust it when it matters? I start with the auto industry’s most expensive promise, reliability, and explain why Stellantis hiring 2,000 engineers for a quality “deep reset” is a bigger story than it sounds. When the average vehicle price is near $50,000, nobody gets unlimited chances to “work the bugs out,” and Consumer Reports grades don’t stand still. I share why long-running platforms can score well, why complexity invites recalls, and why a single failure can push buyers to walk away for good. 

Then I shift into pure automotive indulgence with my impressions of the Land Rover Range Rover Sport plug-in hybrid. We talk real specs and real capability: the 454-horsepower hybrid setup, Terrain Response 2, serious off-road hardware, and the quiet, fluid feel that makes it a rolling sanctuary. I also get picky where it counts, because a $100K luxury SUV should not leave you shrugging at basic practicality. Land Rover’s quality reputation still lingers in the background. 

From there, we go beyond cars. Researchers are exploring solar-driven photoreforming, which uses sunlight to convert plastic waste into hydrogen fuel and valuable chemicals, potentially turning a pollution crisis into a clean energy supply chain. Finally, I unpack the FDA-cleared first U.S. trial of a wireless “over-brain” implant for treatment-resistant depression, including the promise, the safeguards I want to see, and the uncomfortable cybersecurity questions we can’t ignore. 

Subscribe to The TechMobility Podcast for more mobility, clean energy, and future tech with real-world scrutiny, then share this with a friend and leave a review so more people find the show. What topic do you want me to take on next?

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:07

Welcome to the Tech Mobility Podcast. Brought to you by Playbook Investors Network. Your strategic partner for unstoppable growth.

Stellantis Hires Engineers For Quality

SPEAKER_02 0:15

Visit pincommunity.org to get started. I'm Ken Chester. On the Docket, my impressions and review of the Land Rover Range Rover Sport SUV, from plastic waste to hydrogen fuel using sunlight, and a wireless brain implant for depression. To add your voice to the conversation, be it to ask a question, share an opinion, or even suggest topics for a future discussion, call or text the Tech Mobility Online VET number 872-222-9793. Or you can email the show directly, talk at techmobility.show from the Tech Mobility News Desk. I am glad to see this reported, and I hope that it bears fruit from automotive news. With 2,000 new engineers, Stellanus pushes for better quality to drive sales rebound. Quality has always been the bugaboo of the auto industry. There used to be a standing rule that if the vehicle was first out that year, first, you skip the first year of any vehicle. They would introduce it in Japan, work the bugs out then when it came to the U.S., they've been building it a while, which added to their reliability numbers, which they've always, typically Toyota, usually Lexus, and a few others, have always finished high up, always, because they took a very deliberate approach to quality. To a lesser degree, GM and Ford, Ford having some problems as of late, but nobody seemingly for the last as long as I can remember been dogged by quality as the old Chrysler Corporation, and I'm talking Dodge Jeep Ram, now called Stellantis. Consumer Reports would say in rating vehicles that in order for a vehicle to remain to continue to get even the average rating from consumer reports year after year, it had to improve 10% a year just to stay average. In other words, average wasn't average, it's a moving target. And obviously, better than average, and much better than average ratings from consumer reports required an Herculean approach to quality, almost laser focused. If you're gonna stay at that level, you need to be doing it. One of the ways that Detroit was able to score so high. Let me take you back actually 30, 34 years. The year was 1992. The car with the highest quality in 1992 was the Oldsmobile Cutlass Sierra, higher than anybody, higher than Toyota, Honda, anybody. Now let me tell you why. GM had been building that vehicle for over 10 years, relatively unchanged, in the same plants. And when you do that, when you build the same vehicle year after year after year after year, you work out all the bugs. You learn how to build it better. You learn how to correct little things that are problems. And by that time, you really are running on muscle memory. You are building something that is about as close to perfect as it can get. And that year, it was the Ozmobile Cutlet Sierra, which was an A-body. If you don't remember, that would also have been the Plenty X6000, the Chevy Celebrity, the Buick Century were all built on that platform. But it was the O'smobile that year that had it highest. Recently, and I think it was 2021, Dodge finished number one on that scale. Same reason. The vehicles in the stable in Dodge at that time had been built for years relatively unchanged. Which is a good thing and it's a bad thing. Stillantis, the traditional nameplates, what I'm calling the traditional U.S. nameplates, particularly Chrysler and Dodge, less effect for Jeep and Ram. And Ram, if I take you back, oh 17 years, used to be part of Dodge. It used to be called a Dodge Ram pickup. But the company broke out Ram as a separate division back in 2009, leaving Dodge without too much. All Dodge has now is the Durango. And it hasn't changed in 15 years. Chrysler's left with just the Pacifica. It hasn't changed much since it came out. The reason why I'm saying this is that even with that, Celantis has been plagued with quality issues. Even the old Chrysler Corporation, it's been a problem. And I'm going to call Jeep out on this because it's a fact. I'm sorry. I'm going to tell you some truth. I've reviewed Land Rovers. I've reviewed Minis. Those are both British brands that are notorious for quality problems. I've driven a lot of Jeeps. In the last five years, I've had three brand new ones fail on me. Three. One stranded me in the woods. Another one never made it to me. And these are brand new, by the way, people. Brand new. Brand new. I'm talking less than 10,000 miles. In cases, less than 5,000 miles. And they couldn't make the 300-mile trip to me. The previous administration at Stellantis sent most of their engineers to Brazil. They hired Brazilian engineers, and that's nothing against Brazil. But they took the eye off of quality and they've been paying for it. And the numbers show it. You look at consumer reports ratings, they're not good. So I was heartened when I heard that the current, the new management hired 2,000 engineers, many of them tasked with quality in what the company is calling a deep reset. They have a chief quality officer and they have a seat on the strategic leadership team. They're getting serious about quality. I take my hat off to you. Really, I do. Because in this, really, at the price of what stuff is going for right now, consumers will not accept lackluster quality. You hear one time. My vehicle, my expensive vehicle fails on me. Uh-uh, no, uh-uh. You can't find the problem, you can't make it right. It takes three or four trips to the garage to get it straightened out, and even then it's still not right? Uh-uh. You don't get my money back. I trade out of you quick. How by any means necessary, even if I got to take the loss, I'm getting out your vehicle because I don't trust it. Now, to be fair, these kind of long-term quality fixes take time. It's going to take them a few model years to exercise the demons in the products. And by the same token, they're going to have to introduce more products and more products, new technology, new products bring complexity. And complexity usually means recalls. But if you get it right, if you make this kind of commitment, those gremlins should be exorcised by launch or very quickly. Because honestly, at an average sticker price, average sale price of$50,000, you ain't getting hardly one chance to disappoint me, let alone two. I can't afford it. Which means I'm going to be very careful where I put my money. And you best believe I'll be checking quality reports. Because I want something that's going to last the 10 to 15 years I'm planning to keep the vehicle. And I can't afford it if it's going to be breaking down within six months after I buy it. Particularly with all this electronic stuff. That can get real scary real fast. So we'll see, Still Nantis. Good luck to you because it's overdue. You need to do it. And I'm hoping, I'm rooting for you. Ultimate luxury meets ultimate capabilities with the Range Rover Sport. My review and impressions are next. You are listening to the Tech Mobility Show.

SPEAKER_00 9:23

In business, opportunity doesn't wait, and neither should you. At Playbook Investors Network, we connect visionary entrepreneurs with the strategies, resources, and capital they need to win. Whether you're launching, scaling, or reimagining your business, our network turns ambition into measurable success. Your vision deserves more than a plan. It deserves a playbook that works. Playbook Investors Network, where bold ideas meet bold results. Visit pincommunity.org today.

SPEAKER_01 9:54

Are you tired of jumping out for apps and platforms for meetings, webinars, and staying connected? Look no further than AON Meetings.com, the all-in-one browser-based platform that does it all. With AON Meetings, you can effortlessly communicate with clients, post virtual meetings and webinars, and stay in touch with family and friends. All in one place and for one price. Here's the best part. You can enjoy a 30-day free trial. It's time to simplify your life and boost your productivity. AON Meetings.com where Innovation Meets Connection. Get started today and revolutionize the way you communicate.

SPEAKER_02 10:27

To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings at the Tech Mobility Show by visiting Techmobility.show. You can also drop us a line at talk at Techmobility.show.

SPEAKER_00 10:53

Every great business starts with a spark, but taking it to the next level takes strategy, connections, and capital. That's where Playbook Investors Network comes in. We're your strategic partner for accelerating growth, navigating challenges, and capturing market opportunities before your competition does. Your business is more than an idea. Let's make it an impact. Playbook Investors Network. Your future starts here. Learn more at pincommunity.org.

SPEAKER_03 11:27

I won't go. The jungle is impenetrable. Swamps, marshes, jagged mountain ridges, icy cliffs, raging rivers, arctic winds, quicksands, storms, terrestrial rains. I stay here. But I have a Range Rover. Okay. I bring the kids. Range Rover. No other luxury vehicle can make you this comfortable.

SPEAKER_02 11:56

They forgot snakes. Anyway, Range Rover. I love the concept. They took a vehicle, and instead of just leaving it utilitarian, they took it to really bespoke levels of luxury. But at the same time, they didn't make it soft. The vehicle underneath is every bit as powerful and utilitarian as you would expect at a bare bones level. And that's what makes this vehicle amazing. So I start with prepare to be completely spoiled and pampered. Ultimate luxury meets ultimate capability in the Land Rover Range Rover sport. The British Luxury SUV is a mid-size offering produced by Land Rover at a Solely Hull Manufacturing Facility in the United Kingdom. The Range Rover Sport is based on the Range Stormer concept vehicle that was introduced by the nameplate at the 2004 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. While the Stormer was a low-slung shortwheel-based three-door coupe, it was considered very sporty by Land Rover. The production model was much less so and is of a five-door configuration. The Range Rover Sport rides on a chassis adapted from the integrated body semi-Monochoke independently suspended design that was introduced the year before on the Discovery 3. The vehicle architecture gives the SUV both the refinement and structural rigidity of a unibody chassis with the robustness of a separate chassis design for off-road applications. And let me tell you, that really works. Available in eight models, the third generation of the Range Rover Sport debuted in 2022. Now based on the MLA Flex platform, the current sport is much heavier than the previous generation. Power choices include a gasoline-powered six-cylinder, a twin-turbo eight-cylinder, or plug-in hybrid. This review is about the plug-in hybrid. The plug-in hybrid drivetrain that powers the Range Rover Sport combines a 3-liter 6-cylinder gasoline engine paired with a hundred and sixty-kilowatt electric motor and a 31.8 kilowatt hour lithium-ion battery pack. The combined output of the hybrid powertrain is 454 horsepower and 487 foot pounds of torque. Energy is communicated to all four-wheels through a ZF 8HP 8-speed automatic transmission and a twin-speed transfer case. The Range Rover Sport is also equipped with Terrain Response 2, an amazing on-demand system with seven different modes designed to facilitate driving almost over almost any terrain. And I do mean any terrain. And if all that isn't enough, the Range Rover can afford up to 32 inches of standing water with a sensor that triggers at 4 inches. And as an aside, the automaker advises against driving through flowing water, but what's the point? That's what they show in the ants. But I digress. Low range hill descent control and attraction control override complete the arsenal of driving tools at the motor's disposal when underway. The gasoline-only EPA fuel economy number for the sport is 21 miles per gallon, with the Range Rover Sport boasting a pure electric range of 51 miles. Cargo capacity is 65.9 cubic feet with the second row of seats folded flat. Tolling capacity comes in at 6,614 pounds, and maximum roof load with paranormalic roof is 275 pounds. Here's what I liked about the Range Rover Sport. This is one SUV where you can literally have your cake and eat it too. Elegant, exclusive, and sumptuous. Accommodations that literally smell like money. I'm wondering, aromatherapy pops? This is one opulent carriage for four adults, five and a pinch. The driver enjoys an elevated driving position. A large infotainment screen works with tastefully minimalist controls for a relatively easy experience. And what isn't handled by the infotainment screen is resolved by switches and buttons mounted on the face of the steering wheel. Drivers are treated to a large and functional cargo area. And here's a favorite front and rear cargo fog lights, front and rear, kind of like Sweden, but I love it. Underway. The experience is fluid, solid, quiet, smooth, and deceptively fast. The Range Rover Sport literally glides. If you are seeking refuge from the noise, dust, and distractions of the outside world, the Range Rover Sport offers motorists a rolling sanctuary of sorts. The panoramic sunroof adds to the airiness and space of the passenger cabin. USB ports are front and rear, heated and cooled seatings for both rows, and a wireless phone charger up front completes the amazing experience. So yeah, what didn't I like about this board? And yeah, I got a list. Sorry, I do. Let me start with the obvious. No spare tire. No, they're not even run flats. Seriously? You're giving me a vehicle that costs this much, and I don't even have run flats? Come on. In typical British fashion, the adjustment for the steering wheel height is on the right side of the steering wheel, not the left. Took me a while to find it. There's no head up display. Wow. And even though there's a height adjustment to facilitate access to the rear cargo area, theoretically it would lower it low enough to make it work, it's still too high. And there's no power seat fold buttons near the cargo area opening. Meaning, if I've got a lot to put into it and I want to fold down the seat, in most luxury vehicles, I've got buttons right there when I open the hatch that I can just automatically drop the second row seats. I can't do that there, but because I've got such a big cargo area, I can't lean in either. I gotta walk around to the passenger door and then manually fold the seats down. That's not always gonna work. It just isn't. Interestingly enough, the front seats do not recline very much. And the rear windows don't go down all the way. I thought both of those are a little weird. And here's a side note about music channel selection within the infotainment system. Have you ever had a situation where they try to give you so much variety that it actually limits you? When you check this out, you'll see what I mean. But it kind of does. And it was kind of maddening. I was not thrilled about that. So, what's the bottom line here? Super fast. Incredibly luxurious. That's the Land Rover Range Rover Sport in four words. Rolling rolling luxury that can take on almost anything asked of it. All of that is intensely reassuring, except Land Rover's quality reputation. While I will quickly say I've never been stranded in a Land Rover, more than I can say for at least one major SUB brand that shall remain nameless. It's recurring dismal performance each year in consumer reports rating does give me pause, and it's too bad, because otherwise it'd be the ideal vehicle to have in your driveway for whatever life may dish out. The base manufacturer suggested retail price for the Land Rover Range Rover Sport SUV starts from$95,100, and this is for the Sport Dynamic SE plug-in. Destination charges add$1,850. This one I drove as tested came in at$103,455. Scientists use sunlight to turn plastic waste into hydrogen fuel. This is the Tech Mobility Show.

SPEAKER_00 20:26

Now you need the right partner to make it happen. At Playbook Investors Network, we power ambitious leaders with the tools, insight, and investment connections to move faster, grow stronger, and lead markets. We're more than advisors, we're your co-pilots in success. Because in business, standing still is not an option. Playbook Investors Network. Fueling ambition, delivering results. Visit pincommunity.org.

Sunlight Turns Waste Plastic Into Hydrogen Fuel

SPEAKER_02 20:56

Did you know that Tech Mobility has a YouTube channel? Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. Each week, I upload a few short videos of some of the hot topics that I cover during my weekly radio program. I've designed these videos to be informative and entertaining. It's another way to keep up on current mobility and technology news and information. Be sure to watch, like, and subscribe to my channel. That's the Tech Mobility Show on YouTube. Check it out. Researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia have proposed a roadmap to solve the crisis of plastic pollution and the transition to clean energy. It's called solar-driven photoreforming, a viable method for transforming plastic waste into hydrogen, syngas, and high value industrial precursors. This is topic B. People will argue that the problem isn't plastic per se, but it's a particular type of plastic. And they call it the single use throwaway plastic that wraps everything that we come in contact with in the world. And how much of that do you think that we get rid of? Do you care to guess? Would you like to know how much plastic uh is uh thrown away each year in the world? Wanna guess? 50 million tons? 75 million tons, maybe? Hundred, do you think? You ain't even close. Four hundred and sixty million tons every single year. And the numbers say that even with recycling efforts, we maybe are able to capture five percent of that, ten percent, that total. Where do you think all this is going? Do you think it all ends up in a landfill? No. There are dead zones in the Pacific Ocean full of this garbage. And it's promising to totally screw up the environment unless we figure something out. Meanwhile, there's hydrogen. We've talked at length about hydrogen on this program. We've talked about gray hydrogen, which is how hydrogen's made from natural gas. We've talked about uh green hydrogen, which could be made uh using water electrolyzers. They basically break water down and strip the hydrogen from that. But the problem with those is they are very energy intensive in order to do it. In the case of what they call the gray hydrogen I just mentioned is usually steam reformation. They use they enter steam into that to strip the natural gas, to strip the hydrogen molecules from natural gas to do that. That's not a win either. A lot of energy in, and you're using a low-carbon-based uh feedstock to do it. You're not ahead here. What they're talking about is because of plastic's rich chemical makeup loaded with carbon and hydrogen, it makes it the ideal candidate for conversion into clean energy. And then they give us a little history lesson or a little chemistry lesson, so I'm going to share it. It's easy. Plastics are essentially long chains of carbon and hydrogen utilizing specialized photocatalyst materials that wake up when hit by light. The research team can snap those chains apart at relatively low temperatures. In other words, it is easier, lower cost, and less energy to break the plastic down than it is to gain the, to do hydrogen either through water hydrology or natural gas steam reformation. Those are both high energy processes. Using this, by using these materials, they said it's a lower cost, lower energy, lower temperature. Way easier to do. The process generates clean burning hydrogen and a variety of chemicals, turning environmental waste into industrial gold. Recent trials have successfully yielded high rates of hydrogen, acetic acid, and diesel-range hydrocarbons, some systems proving their stability by running for over 100 hours. Can you imagine? They're taking plastic that we are putting in landfills and God knows where and turning it into hydrogen, which industrial hydrogen is being used even if you never put it into a vehicle, and other chemicals that can be put back into supply chains and things for low cost and get rid of the problem and actually make plastic waste worth something which will give people an incentive not to throw it away. Think about that for a minute. But like anything, like any new technology, there are hurdles that have to be tackled before this technology can reach an industrial scale. A major hurdle is the complexity of the plastic waste itself. Different types of plastics behave differently during conversion, and additives such as dyes and stabilizers can interfere with the process. Efficient sorting and pretreatment are therefore essential to maximize performance and product quality. That's not hard. That's not hard. I mean, if you know that you're going to process, uh I don't know, we'll take one. You're going to process soda bottles, there's a certain type of plastic. And then all you do is you build a facility that that's all you run. If you've got other take, you know, single-use items, they're relatively the same, like films and wraps and things like that, which are typically clear. You can sort for those and then other colored plastics. That can be done. I don't see that as a major problem. That can be done. And you incentivize it. If you incentivize people to do it, they will do it. In Iowa, we have a bottle law here. And in spite of companies' best interest to try to get rid of it, they've kept it. Why? And people keep their bottles and turn them in. This stuff does not end up in landfills. The last time I went to bottle redemption, and it had been a while, maybe about nine months, I took away$30. 30. It had been a while. I'm not gonna lie, been a while. And it was a mixture of glass and plastic. But guess what? I sorted the glass, the plastic, and the cans into the machines that would accept that. So people incentivize will sort. You gotta just incentivize the process. And it doesn't take a lot. For every one of those plastic bottles was a nickel. Some stuff was a dime. I have a couple of dairy bottles that are glass. Those are$2 a piece. You know full well I ain't throwing them away. Three of those is like six bucks. Yeah, you might be right. I want to clean them and take them back and get my money. Incentivized. That's not the hardest thing. But there's more. The design of photo catalysts posed some more challenges. These materials must remain highly efficient and durable under harsh conditions to prevent degradation observed in current systems. Moving this tech from workbench to factory floor hinges on durability. Experts argue that only more robust catalysts and optimized designs can make the transition financially viable. Let me stop right here. In the world of AI, in the world of all this computing power we have, in the world of we've never had tech like the level we've got technology now, I think this is a matter of time until they figure it out. And I don't think 15, 20 years, I think five to 10. I think they can have a pilot in five years and be commercial in 10 or less. And I'm being charitable. I don't think it would even take that long. But you know, you've got to have your peer reviews and all of that. And you need to perfect your separation methods. And you need to decide what may need a little extra help. But with steady innovation, the solar-powered evolution could transform plastic waste into a low carbon future. And I can't see no downside to that. Low power, lower waste, properly incentivized, commercialized, and brought up to scale. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. But there's a way out, people. The Federal Food and Drug Administration has cleared the first U.S. trial for a blane implant to treat depression. We are the Tech Mobility Show.

SPEAKER_01 30:22

Are you tired of juggling multiple apps and platforms for meetings, webinars, and staying connected? Look no further than AON Meetings.com, the all-in-one browser-based platform that does it all. With AON Meetings, you can effortlessly communicate with clients, host virtual meetings and webinars, and stay in touch with family and friends, all in one place and for one price. Here's the best part. You can enjoy a 30-day free trial. It's time to simplify your life and boost your productivity. AON Meetings.com, where innovation meets connection. Get started today and revolutionize the way you communicate.

SPEAKER_02 30:54

To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings at the Tech Mobility Show by visiting Techmobility.show. That's Techmobility.show. You can also drop us a line at talk at Techmobility.show.

SPEAKER_00 31:25

In business, opportunity doesn't wait, and neither should you. At Playbook Investors Network, we connect visionary entrepreneurs with the strategies, resources, and capital they need to win. Whether you're launching, scaling, or reimagining your business, our network turns ambition into measurable success. Your vision deserves more than a plan. It deserves a playbook that works. Playbook Investors Network, where bold ideas meet bold results. Visit Pincommunity.org today.

FDA Clears Wireless Brain Implant Trial

SPEAKER_02 31:56

Did you know that Tech Mobility has a YouTube channel? Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. Each week, I upload a few short videos of some of the hot topics that I cover during my weekly radio program. I've designed these videos to be informative and entertaining. It's another way to keep up on current mobility and technology news and information. Be sure to watch, like, and subscribe to my channel. That's the Tech Mobility Show on YouTube. Check it out. The Federal Food and Drug Administration has just cleared the first U.S. trial of a wireless brain implant for treatment-resistant depression. Designed to sit above the brain rather than inside it, this blueberry-sized device marks a different approach to neuromodulation for depression. As usual, hmm, I got questions. This is topic C. And you know me, I love context. Let me start with context. According to this information, nearly three million Americans live with forms of depression that do not respond to standard treatments. Three million of our fellow Americans are going through this. Depression's no joke. Clinical depression is no joke. And if you have a loved one or yourself are in that condition, you know how tough it is. And for people that don't understand, they don't have, oh, you need to get up and get out. You need to no people. This is real. And nobody likes being stuffed full of all kinds of drugs. You know, they make you lethargic or you can't think straight or you're always in a fog. No. If you've watched TV and you watched some of the drug commercials for depression, particularly the ones they said, uh, for depression that does not respond to standard treatments, listen to all the side effects. By the time they get done with you, you're like, you know what? I think I'll just take the depression because the side effects sound even worse. To the point where they say, since you don't know how you're going to respond, don't drive for 12 hours after taking it. 12 hours? I have to live my life and work and stuff. I can't do that. Tiny brain implant. The company's device, and this is Motif Neurotech is the name of the company, is called Digitally Programmable Overbrain Therapeutic. DOT for short. It delivers electrical stimulation to the brain circuits linked to depression. But unlike traditional implants, DOT does not penetrate brain tissue. Surgeons place it in the skull above the dura, reducing the risks tied to invasive neurosurgery. Motive engineered the system to run wirelessly, eliminating the need for implanted batteries or wired connections. The compact design aims to simplify procedures and improve patient comfort. Engineers also built the system to allow precise, programmable stimulation over time. The goal for this technology is that it would be the mental health equivalent of a continuous glucose monitor for diabetes. And that's according to Jacob Robertson, professor at Rice University and co-founder and CEO of Motif Neurotech. I got questions. I've got questions. So it's designed to operate wirelessly. It's designed to operate without batteries. It's designed not to be planted deep in the brain, but in the skull a little bit. So there is some risk. What's the chance of it being hacked? It's wireless. It's transmitting a signal, even though it's a small signal. But we've got more and more sophisticated tools every day. How safe is this thing? And uh can it be programmed differently by somebody close by that might mean me harm? I don't know. But these are the questions I ask. Now, to be fair, the early feasibility study will enroll adults whose depression is not improved after trying multiple therapies. Researchers will evaluate safety, device performance, and early designs, early signs of effectiveness. And again, to be fair, the study represents the first real-world test of the DOT system in patients. So we don't know yet. They're just rolling this out. We do not know. Several leading medical institutions will take part in the trial, including Baylor College of Medicine and Massachusetts General Brigham, along with other major centers across the country. If you don't know anything about Mass General, it is one of the premier hospitals in the United States. So they've got serious partners with serious protocol. That's refreshing to a degree. These collaborations aim to ensure rigorous data collection and diverse patient representation. In other words, they want to make sure that they've got a decent slice of the populace so that they can account for all sorts of things authenticity, uh, hereditary, other things like that that may enter into how this device actually functions. They don't want a homogenous sample. That's also good. They do not talk about, though, how diverse the patient population that they're going to use is going to be. So there's questions about that. When they say diverse, it's not defined in this piece. They brought this relatively quickly. Motif obtained its investigational device exemption just four years after founding. And that's pretty quick. Because usually these timelines take way longer due to regulatory and technical hurdles. The company also joined a federal initiative focused on advancing behavioral health treatments through better data. The program, led by Advanced Research Project's Agency for Health, supports faster validation of emerging therapies. Through this effort, MOTIF will gather additional patient data alongside its clinical trial. Researchers aim to identify which individuals respond best to neuromodulation and how treatments affect treatments affect evolve over time. In other words, they're going to find out, first of all, does it work? Second of all, if it works, how much and how long? And is there any degradation of the of the benefits over time? We do not know if this is a five-year, three-year, ten-year clinical trial. I mean, you're only going to get a snapshot at best. But the good news is that it's going to be rigorously evaluated. The data is going to be reviewed, peer-reviewed, and then reviewed again by leading people in the field. My biggest questions are several. One, define diverse. Two, talk to me about the safety of the device and how you know you can protect it from any sort of bad actors. Yes, I know it's a little transmitter, really close, but you know what? I don't put nothing against uh anybody right now. I want to know about the safety of it. And I want to know is there an override of some sort? And just how much manipulation are we talking about here? How you decide how much current to get, what are the limitations? Uh, if it's hacked, how can that be limited? And can it be turned off? Or does it have to be removed just in case? What does a malfunction look like? And how does that get handled?

SPEAKER_01 40:50

This is the Tech Mobility Podcast.

SPEAKER_00 40:56

Every great business starts with a spark, but taking it to the next level takes strategy, connections, and capital. That's where Playbook Investors Network comes in. We're your strategic partner for accelerating growth, navigating challenges, and capturing market opportunities before your competition does. Your business is more than an idea. Let's make it an impact. Playbook Investors Network. Your future starts here. Learn more at pincommunity.org.

SPEAKER_02 41:27

To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings at the Tech Mobility Show by visiting Techmobility.show. You can also drop us a line at talk at Techmobility.show.

SPEAKER_01 41:53

Are you tired of jumping multiple apps and platforms for meetings, webinars, and staying connected? Look no further than AON Meetings.com, the all-in-one browser-based platform that does it all. With AON Meetings, you can effortlessly communicate with clients, post virtual meetings and webinars, and stay in touch with family and friends. All in one place and for one place. Here's the best part. You can enjoy a 30-day free trial. It's time to simplify your life and boost your productivity. AON Meetings.com for Innovation Meets Connection. Get started today and revolutionized the way you communicate.

SPEAKER_00 42:26

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