Michael Honeck is a leading expert in eliciting genuine human connection with and through technology. With deep experience leading the entire development, design, and delivery cycle of numerous advanced technology systems—from autonomous mobile robotics platforms to artificial intelligence, and from virtual reality to embedded systems—Mike develops ground-breaking creative concepts and delivers audacious new business ventures by creating meaningful interactions between humans and technology. He connects the dots between creative and tech to unlock compelling experiences, tell original stories, enhance environments, and create robotic characters with whom humans will genuinely bond.
His accomplishments in Research and Development are colored and informed by a multi-disciplinary background ranging from puppetry and character design to improvisational theater, television, and animation. His history of successful global deployment of unprecedented new technology products combines with his fabrication and prototyping skills to let him lead diverse, expert teams and ambitious projects with the authority and knowledge of someone who can do the work as much as he can direct it. And his writing and communication skills ensure that he can not only produce the work, but also galvanize enthusiasm, commitment, and investment behind it.
Mike is regularly approached for public speaking engagements, from TEDx to medical conferences, and from academia to representing Walt Disney Imagineering to the public. His work can be seen in Disney parks and cruise ships around the world, and he has been published in various academic proceedings. He holds patents in autonomous robotics, gesture-based human-machine interfaces, and, well, lightsabers.