Marcus Metzger & Jamie Harkrider

In this episode of the New Arc Podcast, we visit HICAM (Hayes Innovation Center for Advanced Manufacturing) in East Austin and sit down with founder & executive director Marcus Metzger and strategic partnerships lead Jamie Harkrider.HICAM is a 501(c) nonprofit advanced manufacturing facility near Tesla’s Gigafactory with a clear mission: become the center of gravity for robotics and embodied AI in Central Texas. Marcus and Jamie walk us through their co-building model (not just co-working), workforce programs with ACC and Tesla, individual and builder memberships, and the growing community of hardware startups and makers already prototyping robots on site.We dig into the flourishing of accessible robotics tools, the power of open-source platforms like Reachy, why naming robots dramatically improves human adoption, the importance of narrative and human-robot interaction, and how Austin is positioning itself as a real hub for physical AI. The conversation also explores the gap between digital and physical systems, first-principles thinking, and what it takes to build a true ecosystem where inventors, operators, and storytellers can collaborate.A grounded, energetic discussion on community, manufacturing, and the people turning robotics ideas into real machines in Texas.CreditsTheme Music: Composed and produced by Aaron Wagnerhttps://aaronpwagner.comIntro Narration Clip: Criswell from Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)Directed by Edward D. Wood Jr. (Public Domain)Produced by: New Arc Ventures