19th San Jose Hardware Meetup @ BigHat Bio | AI/ML in Lab Automation

We're back for the 19th San Jose Hardware Meetup! This time, we're at BigHat Biosciences in San Mateo — and we're diving into one of the most exciting intersections in hardware right now: AI and ML in lab automation.
From robotic liquid handling and adaptive experimentation to intelligent sample processing and closed-loop feedback, the lab of the future is being built today. Join us for an evening of expert talks, real-world case studies, and genuine peer conversation with the engineers making it happen.
🤖 Bring hardware demos for open mic.
We have a great lineup of speakers:
Mitchell Stieg — Senior Automation Engineer II at BigHat Biosciences. (Talk topic to be announced)
Dhruv Diddi - Founder of Solo Tech,A member of the Nebius Fellow Program, NVIDIA Inception Program, and recipient of the Meta Impact Grant, Dhruv oversees the development of advanced robotic skill-acquisition frameworks. He currently leads a global initiative to industrialize specialized deployment models, empowering a community of 4,500+ engineers to automate high-precision tasks—from lab automation to complex manufacturing—through Physical AI hubs across seven global cities.
Agenda
6:00-6:30 – Arrival, mingle, grab refreshments
6:30–6:35 – Welcome and introduction
6:35–7:30 – Guest talks and audience Q&A
7:30–8:00 – Community open mic — Anyone will have the chance for a 2min pitch to demo a prototype or talk about what they're working on.
8:00–9:00 – Mix + mingle
Thank you to our host
BigHat Biosciences designs safer, more effective antibody therapies using machine learning and synthetic biology. Their Milliner™ platform integrates a high-speed wet lab with state-of-the-art ML technologies to engineer better antibodies faster — from discovery through full characterization. Based in San Mateo, BigHat is a Series B biotech with a pipeline of wholly-owned and partnered therapeutic programs.
The food & beverage for this event will be sponsored by Solo Tech, an engineering platform focused on the rigorous deployment of Physical AI and autonomous systems. Dedicated to closing the gap between high-level foundation models and embodied real-world execution, he specializes in the scalable training of on-device intelligence for robotics.
Thank you to our community partners
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See you soon!