Jim Newton Email & Phone Number

Palo Alto, California, United States

At Ford's Greenfield Labs in Palo Alto, I lead the transformation of visionary concepts into road-ready prototypes. As head of physical prototyping and manager of our Makerspace and fabrication shop, I focus on bringing the future of Ford vehicles to life. My work isn’t just about building prototypes; it’s about pushing the limits of what’s possible and helping teams create solutions that redefine automotive innovation.The Makerspace and fabrication shop are where imagination meets engineering. I guide projects from initial sketches to finished prototypes, ensuring our innovations set new industry standards in creativity and practicality. This hands-on approach allows me to directly influence the design and development of new technologies, making sure they’re not only innovative but also road-ready.A career highlight has been seeing these innovations gain recognition. One creation has already reached the patent application stage, with more expected to follow. Additionally, two of my projects have been nominated for the Henry Ford Technology Award, underscoring the impact of our work. These milestones are significant not just as personal achievements but as a testament to the forward-thinking innovation happening at Ford and Greenfield Labs.Each project at Ford blends creativity and precision. I work closely with teams from the spark of an idea to the complete build of prototype devices, ensuring they’re ready for real-world testing and demonstration. It’s incredibly rewarding to see our solutions integrated into production vehicles, knowing that our work shapes the future of transportation.Mentoring the next wave of Ford innovators is a passion of mine. I foster a collaborative environment where creativity thrives, empowering every team member to contribute.Looking ahead, I’m excited to continue driving innovation at Greenfield Labs, developing technologies that will shape the future of transportation and keep Ford at the forefront of the industry.

Redwood City, Ca

I specialize in turning visionary ideas into tangible prototypes, offering product design and development services that bring concepts to life. Whether you need a fully developed product or a strategic partner to refine your ideas, I provide the expertise to make it happen.In 2017, I worked on a project for a client that is a full-sized VR controlled robotic fire fighting tank. The final product was featured on the cover of Popular Mechanics magazine in Dec 2018. Here is a link to the online article: https://bit.ly/2Q6WRk8​

I conceived, developed and launched TechShop as a space and equipment resource for individuals and small companies to be able to build prototypes, inventions and projects themselves.Sadly, TechShop proved to not be profitable, and we had to close it in November of 2017.

San Francisco, California, United States

I worked full-time at MythBusters as the Science Advisor for season 3.Performed research and conducted pre-experiments in preparation for shooting of actual show segments.Designed the first Archimedes Death Ray, a 30' monster with 309 mirrors, that was used on the show. Failed spectacularly (but should have worked).

San Mateo, California, United States

Designed and conducted a popular series of courses that instructed attendees how to build a 12-pound BattleBots style combat robot from scratch using milling machines, lathes, welders, sheet metal equipment, and other tools and equipment.

Developed device images and user interface graphics for CiscoView and other Cisco network management system (NMS) applications.

Founded Laurel Systems to develop icons and web sites for companies in Silicon Valley. Clients included Cisco Systems, Sun Microsystems, 3Com, AT&T, Sony, Force10 Networks, Mahi Networks, America Online, Promotory Networks, Kalpana Networks, and hundreds more.

Developed user interface elements, including icons and splash screens, for numerous Sun Microsystems products including Java WorkShop, Sun.Net, SunWeb, SS Learn, and many more.

Developed and authored "Classroom In A Box" programs for the first several versions of Illustrator, PhotoShop, and TrueForm.

Developed training programs and conducted training courses to end users and customers on early computer graphics systems including Cubicomp Picturemaker, Lumena, Symbolics, Silicon Graphics, Targa, Macintosh, and many more.

Commericial Illustration, Computer Graphics

Education record