Previously, the author interviewed exclusively for Stankevicus: 9-HI: Dave Mroczka’s vision on AI and collaborative decision-making, and John Walker – Holo Sail: Redefining Secure Communication in the Era of Cyber Warfare. She further wrote for the Global Visions Community Horasis on Agentic AI nexus: When machines decide. This week, the author was privileged to sit down for an exclusive Stankevicus interview with Dr. Goodman (CEO & CTO) of Goodman Technologies (GT) to discuss his company’s mission, its groundbreaking technology at the intersection of AI, automation, and how human-machine collaboration is shaping the future manufacturing.
From Metal Matrix Composites used in aerospace propulsion to uncooled silicon optics for high-energy laser systems, Dr. Goodman built a career at the forefront of materials science and nanotechnology. With a background in chemical engineering from the University of New Mexico and advanced degrees from UCLA, he contributed to developing nanoscale materials that improve precision manufacturing, enhance thermal performance, and refine optical technologies. His work has been instrumental in advancing processes for material growth, machining, etching, and coatings that are now standard in high-performance engineering.
Goodman Technologies Carbon Nanotube Nanoforest
GT is a rapidly expanding Nanocomposite Ecosystem Platform company, transforming advanced manufacturing through its patented processes in printed, additively manufactured, and robotically produced laminate nanocomposites. Their expertise spans materials from ceramics to polymers, and they pioneer the world’s first three-dimensional carbon nanotube, a breakthrough in nanomaterial engineering. At the forefront of modern manufacturing, GT is redefining Industry 4.0 and 5.0 by integrating intention-driven, ethical AI with real-time adaptive practices. Committed to innovation, GT provides AI-powered solutions that optimize production, enhance sustainability, and prioritize human-centric advancements. At the heart of this transformation is the shift from purely automated systems to intelligent, adaptable processes that enhance rather than replace human capabilities. The transition from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0 marks a critical inflection point, where AI and robotics do not just increase efficiency but also reinforce ethical and sustainable practices that place human well-being at the center of industrial progress.
Manufacturing 5.0: Human-AI Synergy
Industry 5.0 is not merely an extension of the automation revolution – it is a recalibration of how humans and machines collaborate. Unlike its predecessor, which focused primarily on efficiency and precision, Manufacturing 5.0 emphasizes human-AI synergy, ethical considerations, and sustainable development. GT is driving a paradigm shift in manufacturing, integrating AI, advanced materials, and sustainability to create a more efficient, resilient, and human-centric future.
By prioritizing ethical human-AI collaboration, GT ensures that technology enhances the human workforce, fostering a future where manufacturing is both technologically advanced and ethically responsible. Rather than replacing human workers, GT’s intelligent automation solutions, such as Vantiq GenAI, empower them by augmenting their capabilities, allowing them to focus on more strategic and creative tasks. This is not just about efficiency—it is about unlocking human potential in a world where AI is a collaborator rather than a competitor.
Human-AI Synergy Leading the Change
GT is redefining the limits of industrial progress with groundbreaking solutions designed to optimize precision, sustainability, and human-AI synergy. These include:
- Automated Robotic Manufacturing System (ARMS™): AI-driven automation that minimizes defects, maximizes efficiency, and delivers unparalleled accuracy in manufacturing.
- GTNANO® Nanocomposites: Lightweight, durable materials for aerospace, defense, and commercial applications, offering enhanced performance and sustainability.
- AI Guidance System (9-HI) & Vantiq GenAI: Data-empowered AI agents that enhance human-machine collaboration, reduce investment risks, and optimize complex manufacturing processes.
- Blockchain for Supply Chain Transparency: Ensuring ethical sourcing, operational accountability, and trust across global supply networks.
These innovations are not just about optimizing output – they represent a vision for a future where industries operate with greater agility, responsibility, and human-centered design. GT’s approach extends beyond automation, ensuring that the workforce of tomorrow thrives alongside intelligent machines rather than being displaced by them.
Today, we discuss Dr. Goodman’s contributions to nanotechnology, the challenges in materials engineering, and how these innovations shape the future of aerospace, defense, and advanced manufacturing. The following interview with Dr. Goodman was conducted on March 3, 2025, and has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Dr. Jasmin Cowin: “Welcome Dr. Goodman. What was your professional background before starting Goodman Technologies?”
Dr. Bill Goodman: “I worked for two other small companies – one for 8 years and one for 25 years. I’ve been supporting the government, both the Department of Defense and NASA,in my former positions. I started at age 21, moving to Los Angeles and becoming the fifth person in an office working on rocket engines and space vehicles. I had rocket scientists as mentors and also worked on high-energy lasers for the Reagan Star Wars Program.”
Dr. Jasmin Cowin: “What role did nanomaterials play in advancing your work with lightweight mirrors for NASA?”
Dr. Bill Goodman: “Two decades ago, I participated in creating lightweight mirrors for NASA, a technology competitive with what would later become the James Webb Space Telescope. While we weren’t able to scale the mirrors large enough at the time, the material was the most dimensionally stable NASA had tested. From this experience, I realized nanomaterials could enhance these properties further by introducing extraordinary surface energies that improve material performance. This insight led to my ongoing work on mass-producing cost-effective nanomaterials through robotic manufacturing.”
Dr. Jasmin Cowin: “What is the role of the MISSE experiments in advancing materials for space?”
Dr. Bill Goodman: “MISSE, or the Materials on International Space Station Experiments, plays a crucial role in evaluating how advanced materials perform in space. For instance, one of our nanotechnology innovations, lightweight shielding, will be tested on a future MISSE mission. This will help determine how well our materials can protect satellites and other equipment from the intense radiation environment of space. It’s a vital step in understanding how to build more reliable, durable components for extended missions beyond Earth.”
Dr. Jasmin Cowin: “What challenges do materials face in space environments, and how does nanotechnology address these?”
Dr. Bill Goodman: “Space is fraught with hazards like extreme temperatures, radiation, and micro-meteoroid impacts. Traditional materials often degrade under intense radiation exposure, necessitating heavy shielding. Nanomaterials, however, offer a way to reduce weight while maintaining or even improving protective capabilities. For example, nanocomposites can be engineered to combine lightweight properties with dense heavy-metals, effectively blocking gamma rays, and influencing protons and neutrons. This kind of radiation shielding is essential for safeguarding satellites and other spacecraft electronics.”
Dr. Jasmin Cowin: “How might 3D printing and smart robots change space exploration?”
Dr. Bill Goodman: “Space is a very dangerous place—there’s radiation, no natural protection, and every astronaut is at risk. 3D printing and robotic manufacturing in space can reduce those risks. For example, robots can work around the clock to produce needed parts on orbit, minimizing the number of astronauts exposed to radiation and reducing the weight and cost of shielding. This approach helps ensure that critical repairs or components can be made in space without waiting for shipments from Earth.”
Dr. Jasmin Cowin: “What does the future hold for nanotechnology and 3D printing in space and beyond?”
Dr. Bill Goodman: “In space, nanotechnology can enable lighter and more efficient shielding for satellites, reducing costs and allowing the use of commercial electronics instead of expensive, radiation-hardened components. On Earth, these materials could lead to stronger, lighter structures, better medical devices, and more efficient manufacturing processes. Ultimately, these advancements could bring us closer to the Star Trek-like future many of us imagine – where innovative materials and 3D printing technologies provide solutions to challenges in space exploration, medicine, and everyday life.”
Dr. Jasmin Cowin: “How exactly do nanocomposites influence material strength and energy efficiency?”
Dr. Bill Goodman: “Nanocomposites derive their extraordinary properties from the scale of their components – typically about 1/10,000th the diameter of a human hair. At that scale, the surface area to volume ratio increases significantly, giving these materials high surface energy. When incorporated into traditional materials, this energy acts like a catalyst, enhancing bonding and reducing the need for high pressure and heat. For instance, when making body armor, we can achieve superior strength and hardness at lower temperatures, effectively lowering production costs and enabling more innovative designs.”
Dr. Jasmin Cowin: “What scientific principles underlie your approach to 3D printing advanced materials?”
Dr. Bill Goodman: “The core principle is that material properties are determined by their microstructure. When we introduce nanoparticles into a printing feedstock, their small size and large surface area affect how the material flows, bonds, and solidifies. For example, a material that might traditionally be brittle can gain toughness and flexibility thanks to the energy transfer and interaction at the nano-scale. By carefully controlling these interactions during the printing process, we can tailor the final product’s mechanical and thermal properties to meet demanding specifications.”
Dr. Jasmin Cowin: “How are nanocomposites changing the manufacturing landscape on Earth and in space?”
Dr. Bill Goodman: “On Earth, nanocomposites enable more efficient production methods. By reducing the pressure and temperature needed to bond materials, manufacturers can create stronger, lighter components for everything from sporting goods to medical devices. In space, this same approach can transform on-orbit manufacturing. Imagine being able to produce replacement parts or entire components in microgravity environments—using materials engineered at the nano-scale—without the need to transport heavy prefabricated parts from Earth. This significantly reduces payload costs and extends mission capabilities.”
Dr. Jasmin Cowin: “What potential does nanotechnology have for improving sustainability in manufacturing?”
Dr. Bill Goodman: “Nanotechnology offers opportunities to create materials that are both stronger and lighter, which translates to using less raw material and energy per unit of production. For example, a lighter vehicle frame made with nanocomposites requires less fuel to operate, reducing the carbon footprint over its lifecycle. Similarly, manufacturing processes that rely on the enhanced properties of nanomaterials – such as lower processing temperatures and shorter production cycles – use less energy and produce fewer emissions. It’s a cascading effect that improves efficiency and reduces environmental impact.”
Dr. Jasmin Cowin: I read Ted Koppel’s Lights Out: A Cyberattack, a Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath, which describes how vulnerable traditional power grids can be in the face of cyber threats. In such a scenario, alternative energy solutions – especially ones easily deployed and independent of centralized infrastructure – take on heightened importance. Your Green Power Trailer (and I wish I could have one for myself) demonstrates a practical approach to solar-based energy capture, storage, and delivery, designed for harsh or remote environments where reliable, off-grid power might be essential if the grid is compromised. “Can you elaborate on how your green power trailer system contributes to energy resilience?”
Dr. Bill Goodman: “Our green power trailer is essentially a ruggedized, portable microgrid. It’s designed to provide renewable energy through solar panels and storage batteries, all in a deployable, durable package. In disaster scenarios or forward operating bases, this system can replace or reduce reliance on traditional fuel-powered generators. It’s also modular and can be daisy-chained to produce significant power – enough for small towns or critical infrastructure -helping to maintain resilience even in cases of widespread grid failure.”
Dr. Jasmin Cowin: “I want to pivot to education and our struggle with including meaningful America Leads S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Energy, Arts, Math) initiatives. In your opinion, how do educators influence the future pipeline of talent in advanced technologies?”
Dr. Bill Goodman: “Educators are key to building the workforce of the future. We need the best teachers, supported by higher pay and modernized curricula. Education must embrace new technologies and ensure students are prepared for the emerging fields of manufacturing, AI, and nanotechnology. The goal is to create a skilled pipeline from K-12 through higher education, capable of meeting future industry demands.”
End of Interview
Reflecting on the Journey Ahead
“To boldly go where no man has gone before.” This legendary Star Trek phrase is more than just a call to exploration – it is an imperative for the future of education, technology, and our collective human potential. As the outer planets unfold in dazzling, Holodeck-like opulence brought home via NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, we stand at the precipice of a new frontier where nanotechnology, AI, and intelligent, interconnected automation promise to redefine not only how we explore the cosmos but also how we ought to educate for 2060.
For centuries, humans have gazed at the night sky, weaving stories of distant worlds, intelligent machines, and technological wonders that bridge imagination with reality. Lucian of Samosata’s A True History (2nd century AD) remains one of the earliest examples of satirical, speculative fiction, chronicling a voyage beyond Earth, where travelers encounter extraterrestrial life, celestial battles, and advanced civilizations.
While once relegated to the domain of fantasy, these themes of exploration, human ingenuity, and technological evolution now define our reality. The author’s interview with Dr. Bill Goodman highlights this trajectory, revealing how advanced manufacturing techniques will extend our capabilities beyond Earth’s boundaries. Yet, as Star Trek has long suggested, the true challenge of progress is not just technological but ethical. The creation of a future akin to Starfleet Academy – one where knowledge is not merely acquired but applied with wisdom – depends on an educational philosophy rooted in more than just technical skills. Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics offers a compelling framework for this, arguing that the good for a human being is the active exercise of their soul’s faculties in conformity with excellence or virtue. In a world increasingly shaped by AI and automation, this classical wisdom remains strikingly relevant. Education must instill not only technical mastery but phronesis – practical wisdom – the ability to navigate the vast unknown with discernment and ethical clarity. As Star Trek reminds us, exploration is not just about charting new worlds but about understanding ourselves and our responsibilities within them. To prepare for the future, we must create educational systems that cultivate not just knowledge, but the virtues and deliberative capacities necessary to wield it wisely. Only then can we ensure that, in boldly going forward, we do so not as mere passengers of progress but as architects of a better future.
This article was written by Dr. Jasmin (Bey) Cowin, Associate Professor and U.S. Department of State English Language Specialist (2024-2025). As a columnist for Stankevicius, she writes on Nicomachean Ethics: Insights at the Intersection of AI and Education. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
