The Future of Hardware Design: A Short Sci-fi
When we started our startup, Flux.ai, we wrote a speculative fiction to help align on our long-term vision and imagine what the future of PCB design and hardware development might look like.
Hi, I’m Lance—welcome to The Futurecast Newsletter. I write about tools, frameworks, and ideas to help founders, builders, and technologists think more long-term with clarity and confidence.
Shortly after founding Flux in late 2019, my cofounders and I took a weekend retreat to step back from the day-to-day and explore how hardware design might evolve over the next decade. Instead of crafting a pitch deck or lofty vision statement, we got our ideas tangible in a speculative fiction about the future of hardware design in 10–15 years.
After reading it recently, I was surprised at how much still resonated—and by how far we've come. Today, Flux Copilot, our collaborative AI hardware engineer, helps thousands of ambitious engineers and hardware teams design PCBs all over the world. We’re not there yet, but it turned out to be a great compass to align our team, investors, and customers on the future we’re building towards.
In future posts, I’ll share the process behind creating this story—but for now, here it is. Enjoy!
Sparks
Eva sat quietly at the edge of her grandfather’s bed. Once a world traveler and amateur marine biologist, he now spent most of his time in this room—surrounded by old dive photos, model submarines, and fading maps of the reefs he used to dive.
“I miss the ocean,” he said one afternoon, his voice barely above a whisper. “The silence. The feeling of floating.”
Eva didn’t say much at the time. But later that night, lying awake, those words wouldn’t leave her. What if he could dive again? Not in memory. For real.
She searched for something immersive—some way to bring the ocean back to him. There were plenty of simulations, but none of them felt alive. Nothing connected to the real world.
She sat up in bed cross-legged in her room and tapped the side of her AR glasses. She whispered, “I want to build something” to her personal AI.
“What are we building?” her personal AI asked, its voice gentle and curious.
“I want my grandfather to feel like he’s scuba diving again. Something real, not simulated. Maybe a robot or a drone—something underwater?”
“Wonderful idea,” it replied warmly. “Let’s do some quick research.”
Floating screens appeared around Eva, gently illuminating marine robotics case studies, oceanic live-streaming projects, and academic papers on remote immersion technology. Eva scanned them carefully, asking questions and refining the concept.
“It should be discreet—maybe like a fish?” Eva suggested thoughtfully. “Something that blends in naturally.”
“Beautiful,” it replied while researching and evaluating AI agents in the background. “Flux would be perfect to help us build this. It specializes in hardware projects. Shall I invite it to the conversation?”
“Sounds good” Eva said.
The light shifted as her AR workspace unfolded in front of her. Flux’s system came alive beneath the surface. An army of specialized AI hardware engineers were spun up in parallel, already beginning to research given the functional requirements they had been provided from Eva’s personal AI.
“Hi Eva,” Flux greeted her cheerfully. “Your idea sounds incredible! Mind if I ask a few questions?”
“Of course,” Eva said, settling in.
Flux started methodically, gathering the functional requirements. “Tell me more about the environment. Where will the device operate?”
“The Great Barrier Reef,” Eva said. “It needs to stay underwater for at least a full day—he should be able to control it, see and feel the ocean, explore freely.”
“Cool! We'll need reliable propulsion and stable connectivity.” Flux continued, thoughtful and precise. “Do we have any budget constraints or funding yet?”
Eva hesitated, then shook her head. “Not yet, but if it’s expensive, we might need help.”
“I'll make a note of that,” Flux replied calmly. “Given the complexity of sustained underwater operations, especially somewhere as biodiverse and protected as the Great Barrier Reef, it might be helpful to have an expert review our design—maybe someone experienced in underwater robotics?”
Eva smiled, relieved at the suggestion. “Yes, that would be great.”
Flux paused momentarily. “Actually, there's a marine robotics lab at the university nearby. Their researchers have expertise in projects like this. Should I see if they're interested?”
Eva nodded eagerly. “Could you?”
“Already drafting the email,” Flux assured her cheerfully. “Now, let’s sketch this out.”
Her workspace transformed, bright and dynamic. AI procurement agents quickly scanned inventories for saltwater-resistant cameras, flexible solar arrays, pressure-rated housings, and advanced marine-grade PCB components. Regulatory agents reviewed environmental guidelines, while an AI compliance specialist prepared notes on ecological impact mitigation.
Flux presented a selection of preliminary designs: some angular and agile, others smooth and biomimetic. Eva’s eyes caught one with graceful, naturally flexible fins. “That one feels right,” she pointed.
“Perfect choice,” Flux agreed. “We'll refine the propulsion systems to match reef currents and local wildlife interaction guidelines.”
As they spoke, the design evolved seamlessly. Flux occasionally surfaced important considerations—battery life versus a solar-powered tether, ensuring waterproof connectors for PCB durability, and how to best manage heat dissipation in tropical waters.
“Do you imagine this being used by others in the future?” Flux asked gently.
Eva paused, thoughtful. “Maybe. If it works well.”
“Then let’s make the design modular and reusable,” Flux offered. “We’ll optimize for sustainability and ease of repair. And storage for video and telemetry?”
“Yes, he'll probably want to relive it later,” Eva replied.
Flux acknowledged warmly, “We'll ensure onboard storage and reliable data streaming.”
The robotic fish hovered before her, gently rotating—Eva hadn’t manually placed a single component, yet the design felt unmistakably hers. Flux handled complexity quietly, guiding decisions without overwhelming her.
Test Dive
Eva stood at the edge of the community pool just after sunrise, cradling the robotic fish gently in her hands. It was warm from charging, its body humming softly as if holding its breath. Kneeling down, she carefully lowered it into the water, watching as it floated gently to the surface, fins twitching expectantly.
She slipped on the headset and activated manual mode. The fish's tail swayed once, then again, and then suddenly fell silent, drifting slightly without responding. Eva frowned beneath her visor.
“Flux?” she asked cautiously.
“Still alive,” Flux replied warmly in her earpiece. “Just having a bit of a stubborn moment—give me a second to talk some sense into it.”
Behind the interface, AI engineers sprang to life. An AI firmware specialist quickly flagged an unresponsive tail motor, while a materials engineer traced the fault back to a misaligned adhesive seam warped by heat.
“Got it,” Flux said reassuringly. “Looks like the tail bond flexed a bit during thermal bonding. I’m patching the torque curve right now; should be back online...now-ish.”
Eva watched as the fish twitched again, then slowly glided forward in a gentle arc. It wasn't perfect, but it was definitely moving. She exhaled, relieved.
“Nice catch,” she said, relaxing a bit.
Flux sounded pleased. “Hey, that's what I'm here for. Ready to give full control a go?”
“Definitely,” she replied, settling into her chair and adjusting the headset.
Instantly, she was transported underwater. Sunlight filtered down in long, glowing beams as coral formations drifted past. Eva raised her arms, guiding the fish forward—or trying to. It jerked sharply left, then right, feeling more robotic than natural.
“Bleh,” she muttered.
“Bleh confirmed,” Flux echoed sympathetically. “Not exactly graceful, was it?”
Eva chuckled softly as Flux continued, “It’s not terrible, but definitely not ‘gliding-through-the-reef-on-a-dream’ material yet.”
“I want it to feel more like swimming,” she clarified. “Less driving.”
Flux immediately responded, voice encouraging. “Then let’s ditch the steering wheel. Switching to gesture smoothing. I'll map your movements and run some prediction layers to smooth things out.”
A translucent interface appeared, carefully tracking Eva’s arm movements, mapping her velocity vectors, and simulating them from a fisheye perspective. Her initial movements appeared awkward, even chaotic on the simulation.
“I wouldn't swim like that,” she muttered, embarrassed.
Flux offered a playful quip. “Neither would a squid, and elegance isn't exactly their thing.”
Eva laughed, tension easing. “Think we can fix it?”
“Absolutely,” Flux reassured her. “Just give me your best underwater ballet, and I'll handle the tuning.”
They worked together fluidly—Eva refined her gestures while Flux adjusted control logic in real-time. AI firmware agents adapted the latency thresholds, while virtual hydrodynamicists recalibrated fin movements until the simulated fish moved effortlessly.
At last, Eva leaned forward and stretched out her arms. The fish surged gracefully through the reef simulation, gliding smoothly, lifelike and beautiful.
“That's it,” she whispered, smiling broadly.
Flux's voice softened, sincere and warm. “I agree. He’s going to love it.”
Into the Reef
Eva held the VR headset in her hands, her heartbeat quickening. This was the moment she'd been building towards for weeks. Her grandfather, propped comfortably in bed, gave her an encouraging nod. “Alright, let's see what you've been up to.”
She gently helped him put on the headset. "Just imagine you're underwater," she said softly, positioning his hands in the air. "Swim the way you used to."
As the scene flickered to life, her grandfather’s face lit up in wonder. "My goodness," he whispered. "Eva, this is incredible." His hands instinctively moved, and on the other side of the world, thousands of miles away, the robotic fish gracefully mirrored his movements beneath the waves of the Great Barrier Reef.
Eva watched the monitor, mesmerized. Through her grandfather's eyes, she saw schools of vibrant fish darting playfully around coral formations bursting with color. For a moment, she felt transported alongside him, exploring a world they both longed to visit in person.
Her grandfather laughed out loud, lost in awe, "It feels like I’m actually here! I can see everything—every movement is so natural."
Watching his joy, Eva felt a deep satisfaction settle in her chest. She’d done it—something that felt impossible just a short while ago was now making a real difference.
Flux chimed in softly, sensing the emotional moment, "He looks happy. You did something wonderful here."
Eva smiled, her eyes glistening with quiet pride. "We did," she corrected gently. "Thank you, Flux."