Welcome to the team! Introducing Darren Ashby
Get to know our new Head of Hardware Engineering
We’re thrilled to announce the arrival of our new Head of Hardware Engineering, Darren Ashby.
Darren has joined Matterport after working for over 20 years in the world of home fitness equipment — his latest position was vice president of research and development for global leaders, iFiT Health & Fitness. In fact, Darren’s been in the game so long, you might say that he helped create the fitness iOT industry when it was just getting started back in 1999. He even went to the trouble of inventing his own VR gaming bike just so he would be motivated to work out and lose a few pounds, and with 28 patents issued (and more still pending), it’s fair to say that he’s certainly cranked up the gears in the realms of exercise bike technology!
For Darren, the love of electronics started early. Repairing his mom’s mix-master at age eight, he became enamored with tinkering and figuring out how things worked — not to mention how to make them work better. No wonder Nikola Tesla is his personal hero! (He even drives a Model 3 for its namesake — that, and the speed, of course, says Darren.)
I love inventing cool products that make people say ‘wow!’” — Darren
It’s his innate sense of curiosity and enthusiasm to invent things with the “wow” factor that Darren likes to instill and encourage in his teams, promoting open collaboration while still empowering individuals to excel and succeed. We know he’s going to be a great fit for our diverse group of engineers, as we continue to pursue our exciting technical vision.
The engineer in Darren doesn’t ever seem to switch off either, it seems. Outside of work he authored the book Electrical Engineering 101 to distill some of his love into ‘Thumb Rules’ for engineering success. On top of that he loves things with motors and moving parts, whether it’s dirt biking, boating, or fixing up old jeeps. That is, if he’s not getting out on the water for some wake surfing, water skiing, and hydro foiling. Hopefully some of those skills will translate to his newfound interest in what he calls “real surfing”, too. How he fits it all in, we’re not entirely sure. Especially when he’s also planning his wedding with his beautiful fiancée, Marilyn — all with a full-house of five kids and six step-kids-to-be!
In his new role as Head of Hardware Engineering, we’re sure that Darren’s deep understanding of electromechanical engineering, design for manufacturing, and electronics sourcing are going to bring exciting new opportunities to Matterport digital twin technologies. He’s ideally positioned to lead the technical development of our hardware products and solutions, ensuring overall design quality across the full range of our products. As a key leader in the company, we’re really looking forward to seeing how Darren’s technical expertise and creative experience are going to drive our exploration of new technologies.
At Matterport we maintain a culture of innovation, always striving to excel ourselves, and Darren’s enthusiasm and inventive mind are a welcome addition to our fantastic team of engineers. We can’t wait to see what the future holds with Darren at the helm of our hardware engineering team.
Welcome to the Matterport family, Darren!
To see the results of the projects Darren will be involved in, be sure to check out our blog in the coming months for announcements and case studies which will showcase the exciting developments our teams are working on to further enhance what you can get from a Matterport digital twin.
