Check Out Who’s Speaking At The Hackaday SuperConference

If you’ve ever looked at a random PCB trace and thought, “This could be art,” the Hackaday SuperConference
(a.k.a. “Supercon”) is your kind of weekend. It’s the rare hardware conference where the words “firmware,”
“costume party,” and “hot soldering irons” can all appear in the same sentence without anyone calling HR.
And the best part? The speaker lineup isn’t one narrow laneit’s a whole freeway interchange of reverse
engineering, creative robotics, radio weirdness, manufacturing hacks, and unapologetic #badgelife.

Below is a tour of who’s speaking, what they’re talking about, and how to plan your brain’s limited RAM
so you don’t blue-screen halfway through the weekend. (Yes, you will want to attend everything. No, you
will not become two people. Yet.)

Why the Supercon speaker lineup hits different

Most conferences are about “industry.” Supercon is about curiositythe kind that makes you
take apart a gadget not because it’s broken, but because it’s suspiciously quiet about how it works.
The talks tend to be deeply technical, but also wonderfully human: speakers share what worked, what
didn’t, and what they learned when reality refused to match the datasheet. Expect practical methods,
specific examples, and plenty of “I tried this so you don’t have to” energy.

Supercon announcements often roll out in rounds, which means the lineup feels like a mini-series:
each drop adds more talks, more surprises, and more reasons to start mapping out your schedule like
a tactical operation. (Bring snacks. And maybe a notebook. Or three.)

The keynote vibe: Sci-fi craftsmanship meets maker obsession

One of the most charming Supercon traditions is that the keynote can be wildly nerdy in the best wayand
this year leans into sci-fi hardware aesthetics and the people who helped define them. If you’ve ever
paused a show to stare at the “buttons that don’t do anything” (they do everything, spiritually), this
is your moment.

Keynote spotlight: the Star Trek design brains

A keynote lineup featuring Michael Okuda, Denise Okuda, Rick Sternbach,
Liz Kloczkowski, Bear Burge, and Michael W. Moore is basically a masterclass
in building believable futuristic interfaces, props, and production design. It’s not just “cool trivia.”
It’s a deep look at constraints, iteration, and how visual systems get designed so they feel functionaleven
when the “computer” is a plywood box praying for camera-friendly lighting.

For hardware folks, the takeaway is gold: design language matters. Your project’s UI, enclosure, labeling,
and interaction design are part of the engineeringnot decoration sprinkled on top like parsley.

Round one speakers: protocols, retro, robots, radios, and delightful chaos

The early speaker roster sets the tone: hands-on, technically sharp, and varied enough that you’ll end up
learning something you didn’t know you cared about. Here are standout talks and what you can expect to learn
(or immediately want to try when you get home).

Joe FitzPatrick Probing Pins for Protocol Polyglots

Ever wish a microcontroller had “just one more pin” without redesigning the whole board? This talk digs into
the idea of stacking multiple protocols (think UART, SPI, I2C) onto the same GPIO by exploiting the messy,
undefined edges where devices basically shrug and say, “Sure, I’ll accept that.” The theme here is creative
signal interpretationhow to do more with less, and where the risks live when you decide to live dangerously
on purpose.

Elli Furedy Sandbox Systems: Hardware for Emergent Games

This one is for anyone who loves hardware that creates experiences, not just outputs. The talk explores
designing systems that encourage community and unexpected playthink “tech meets human behavior” with real-world
lessons. It’s an antidote to the idea that hardware is only about specs; sometimes the real feature is the social
dynamics it enables.

Andrew “Cprossu” Lewton Cracking Open a Classic DOS Game

Reverse engineering isn’t only for modern gadgets. Digging into a classic DOS CD-ROM game is a great way to learn
tooling, file formats, and practical techniques while riding a wave of nostalgia. Expect real methods: how you
inspect assets, reconstruct structure, and get to the point where you can demonstrate your findings on original
hardware without summoning the ghost of drivers past.

Reid Sox-Harris Beyond RGB: The Illuminating World of Color & LEDs

RGB is everywhere, but “everywhere” isn’t the same as “always right.” This talk dives into how humans perceive
color, why RGB works so well, and when alternative approaches beat it. If you’ve ever built a project that looked
perfect on your bench and weirdly haunted in the real world, you’ll appreciate the physiology-meets-engineering
angle here.

Cyril Engmann What Makes a Robot Feel Alive?

Robotics is often presented as motors + control loops + math. This talk pulls in the missing ingredient:
personality. How do you design behaviors that make a pet robot feel responsive, expressive,
and weirdly relatable? Expect practical design patterns (reactions, timing, “quirks”), and insights on building
character into machines without turning them into annoying attention hogs. (A delicate balance, like seasoning.)

Artem Makarov Hacked in Translation: Reverse Engineering Abandoned IoT Hardware

Abandoned IoT devices are basically thrift-store treasure with firmware. This talk follows the process of reviving
a discontinued “AI translator,” decoding protocols, and reversing firmware/software to make the hardware useful
again. It’s a reminder that “end of life” is sometimes just “start of the fun,” especially when the device still
has good sensors, compute, or radios inside.

Samy Kamkar Optical Espionage: Lasers to Keystrokes

This one is a big, cinematic reminder that physics is part of security. The talk explores how signals can leak and
be reconstructed in surprising ways, using optics and vibration as a path from “invisible” motion to usable
information. Expect a strong security/ethics lens here: the value is understanding threat models and designing
systems that don’t accidentally broadcast secrets through side channels.

Zachary Peterson Cal Poly NerdFlare: Bringing #badgelife to Academia

Badge culture isn’t just conference swagit can be a learning platform. This talk covers how interactive badges and
PCB art became a campus community-builder, mixing creativity with real tools and hands-on engineering. If you care
about teaching, mentoring, or making electronics feel more accessible, this is a blueprint for turning “cool” into
“I can do this.”

Javier de la Torre Ham Radio Mesh Networks

“Off-grid” doesn’t have to mean “offline.” Ham radio mesh networking sits at the intersection of radio,
infrastructure independence, and practical engineering tradeoffs. Expect a tour of what’s possible, what’s legal,
and what’s actually useful when you’re building networks that don’t rely on traditional internet access.

More round-one flavor: space, reliability, and building the beautiful stuff

The first slate also leans into hardware reliability and creative fabricationtalks that connect real-world
constraints (like harsh environments or messy materials) to design decisions. If you like the “engineering is
problem-solving under constraints” philosophy, you’ll find plenty to love here.

More wonderful speakers: infrared, animatronics, space parts, and browser SDR

The later speaker announcements expand the universe. You get more manufacturing, more security, more creative
hardware, and a lot of “Wait, you can do that?” moments.

Amie Dansby & Karl Koscher Hands-On Hardware: Chip Implants, Weird Hacks, and Questionable Decisions

This talk frames the human body as a platformequal parts technical discussion and reality check. It’s a mix of
biohacking stories, what works, what fails, and why curiosity sometimes leads to experiments that sound wild until
you remember humans have been tinkering with themselves since the first person said, “I wonder what this plant
does.”

Arsenio Menendez A Practical IR Spectrum Guide

Infrared isn’t one thingit’s a range with very different behaviors and use cases. This talk breaks down SWIR,
MWIR, and LWIR in a practical way, tying wavelength ranges to real applications like inspection, tracking,
surveillance, and environmental visibility. If you’ve ever shopped sensors and felt personally attacked by the
pricing, you’ll appreciate understanding what you’re actually paying for.

Daniel “DJ” Harrigan Bringing Animatronics to Life

Animatronics is the beautiful collision of mechanics, control, and storytelling. This talk explores how you go from
“a pile of servos” to something expressive and believabletiming, motion design, and the subtle details that make
movement feel intentional rather than “robot doing robot things.”

Daryll Strauss Manufacturing spare parts in space

Making parts in orbit (or anywhere remote) changes everything: materials, tools, tolerances, and what “good enough”
means when you can’t just run to the store. This talk examines creative approaches to producing functional spares
under extreme constraintsan idea that’s relevant to space and to anyone who’s ever had a project blocked
by “one missing piece.”

Allie Katz & SJ Jones Electropermanent magnets in surprising places

Electropermanent magnets sit in a sweet spot: they can hold like a permanent magnet but switch states using power.
That opens up unexpected applications in robotics, fixtures, lab gear, and more. This talk is a reminder that “old”
physics can feel brand new when you apply it creatively.

Davis DeWitt High-frequency PCB probing without soldering

Anyone who has tried to “just quickly probe that signal” at high frequency knows the pain: the measurement setup
becomes the problem. This talk tackles techniques for probing RF/high-speed signals without turning your board into
a soldered science-fair volcano. Expect practical guidance that saves time, boards, and sanity.

Kumar Abhishek RTL-SDR in the browser

SDR is already magic; doing it in the browser feels like you’re cheating reality. This talk explores using modern
browser capabilities (like WebUSB) to connect SDR hardware and run signal processing workflows without the classic
install-and-configure marathon. It’s a great example of lowering barriers so more people can experiment with radio.

And more: power, photography, and the machines that quietly run the world

The speaker slate also includes deep dives into solar-powered compute clusters, practical 3D photography, and
a loving exploration of tools like multimeters and CNC-capable sewing/embroidery machines. If your favorite kind of
learning is “I never thought about it that way,” you’re going to have a packed schedule.

Workshops: where your brain gets to use its hands

Talks are great for ideas. Workshops are great for turning ideas into muscle memory. The Supercon workshop lineup
typically blends modern embedded skills with practical tool masteryexactly the stuff you’ll want when your next
project goes from “concept” to “why is it smoking?”

• Introduction to Embedded Rust (Shawn Hymel) A practical on-ramp to writing microcontroller
  firmware in Rust, with an emphasis on why it can be a big deal for reliability and maintainability.
• KiCad Design Skills: Make a Board Game (Seth Hillbrand) Learn board layout techniques by building
  something fun and concrete, which is a sneaky way of making CAD practice feel like play.
• Tiny Tapeout: From HDL to GDSII (Pat Deegan) A guided look at taking digital design from code to
  something that can be fabricated, making ASIC workflows feel less like a locked castle and more like a door you
  can actually open.
• Generative Art in a Matrix (Estefannie & Bob Hickman) Creative coding meets physical display,
  turning algorithms into visual output you can actually touch and tweak.

The badge factor: the “third track” you didn’t schedule

At Supercon, the conference badge is not a name tag. It’s a platform, a puzzle, and a social magnet. The 2025 badge,
for example, leans into a “communicator” concept with a keyboard-forward form factor and software designed for
hackabilityoften using MicroPython and modern GUI tooling so attendees can modify behavior quickly.

And it’s not just code. Supercon badge culture encourages hardware mods, add-ons, and aesthetic customization.
The badge design has supported expansion ports and the SAO (Simple/Standard Add-On) ecosystem, which means you’ll
see everything from practical tools to tiny joke modules that still somehow have better documentation than a
commercial product.

A quick note on ethics (because the smart people asked for it)

Some talks touch security, surveillance, and side channels. The value is learning how systems fail and how to build
more responsiblynot turning the hallway track into a “how to be awful faster” speedrun. The Supercon community tends
to prize curiosity paired with responsibility, which is exactly the vibe you want in a room full of people who know
what an antenna can do.

How to choose talks without melting your schedule

1) Pick one “core” track, then add one wild-card per block

If you try to do all security talks, you’ll miss the creative hardware that might unlock your next product idea.
If you do all art/robotics, you might miss the measurement talk that saves you three months later. A good strategy:
pick a core theme (e.g., reverse engineering, embedded, RF, fabrication), then sprinkle in wild-cards that stretch you.

2) Don’t skip the talks that sound “too basic”

Some of the most useful sessions are deceptively fundamental: LEDs, probing, multimeters, CAD workflows. That’s the
stuff that quietly upgrades every project you build afterward. The “simple” talk is often the one that gives you
the best ROI per minute.

3) Leave space for the hallway track

Supercon’s unofficial track is conversations: the spontaneous debugging circle, the “show-and-tell” at a table,
the late-night argument about whether a feature is a bug or a philosophy. Build that time into your plan. Your
future self will thank you.

Experiences at Supercon: what it feels like (and how to enjoy it more)

Supercon isn’t just a lineupit’s a texture. The moment you walk in, you’ll notice that people aren’t
trying to look impressive; they’re trying to look approachable. The social contract is basically:
“Yes, you can ask what that does. Yes, I will happily explain it. And yes, I will also immediately ask what you’re
working on.” It’s one of the few places where “So, what’s your favorite connector?” is a normal icebreaker and not
a cry for help.

The speaker talks set the tone for the day, but the real magic happens in the in-between moments. Someone will pull
a half-finished board out of a pocket like it’s a wallet. Another person will casually mention they’re debugging an
RF issue and three strangers will appear, each holding a different cable like a summoning ritual. You’ll overhear
phrases like “It’s probably ground bounce” and “No, it’s definitely haunted,” and somehow both will be correct.

Then there’s the badge. Badge hacking is a culture of its own: people comparing notes, swapping add-ons, and turning
a conference artifact into a personal project. Even if you don’t plan to modify anything, you’ll learn just by
watching how others approach the hardware. It’s common to see folks start with small tweakscustom UI screens,
playful sound cues, tiny improvementsthen spiral (in a healthy way) into bigger mods like add-on modules, enclosures,
or new firmware experiments. The badge becomes a portable “hello, I like building things” sign.

The coolest experience isn’t always the most technical. Sometimes it’s the moment you realize you can talk to a
speaker after their session and get a thoughtful answerbecause the vibe is collaborative, not hierarchical. Ask
a question about a technique, and you’ll likely get a real tradeoff discussion: what broke, what surprised them,
and what they’d do differently next time. It’s like the best part of the internet, except everyone is kinder and
you can actually point at the thing.

Supercon also has a playful streak that makes the weekend feel like a celebration of making. A sci-fi-themed costume
party on Halloween? Of course. You’ll see everything from “I printed this prop last night” to “I engineered this
suit for airflow and signal routing,” because Supercon will absolutely produce someone who treats cosplay like a
systems design problem. The result is a weekend that feels technical and joyfulserious learning without
the seriousness.

Want the best experience? Bring one small project or demo, even if it’s unfinished. A board, a widget, a weird
enclosure, a photo on your phonesomething that invites conversation. Supercon is built around people showing what
they’re exploring. You don’t need to be “done.” In fact, “I’m stuck” is often the fastest path to meeting someone
who’s excited to help you get unstuck.

And when your brain starts to overload (because it will), give yourself permission to step back. Grab water. Sit
down. Watch a talk that’s outside your usual lane. Let the ideas marinate. The Supercon experience is less about
consuming content and more about leaving with a refreshed sense of possibilitylike your projects suddenly got
20% more interesting just because you spent a weekend around people who treat curiosity as a skill.

Wrap-up: your “who to watch” cheat sheet

If you want a quick way to prioritize: catch at least one talk each from the protocol/reverse-engineering group,
the creative robotics/experience design group, the measurement/manufacturing group, and the radio/networking group.
That blend is basically the Supercon personality in four bites. Add a workshop if you can, and leave space to talk
to humans (the best hardware platform of all).

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