Rob Verger

New York

Senior Editor at Inc.

Senior editor leading tech coverage @ Inc. Mag. Love covering aviation & transportation. Bylines in FastCo, B.Globe, PopSci, PopMech & more. [email protected]

Articles

Why Your Product Roadmap Needs a Hero. For This Disruptive Startup, It’s a Leaf Blower

2 months ago | inc.com | Rob Verger

Whisper Aero’s air-moving system shows how a single innovation can lead to multiple revenue streams. BY ROB VERGER, SENIOR EDITOR @ROBVERGERFEB 3, 2025Co-founders of Whisper Aero, Mark Moore and Ian Villa. Photos: Courtesy companyWhisper Aero is in the air-moving business. Founded in 2021, the startup is developing ultra-quiet electric fans that create propulsion and ventilation for use in consumer products, industrial settings, and, one day, potentially aircraft and spacecraft.
Russia and China Created Body Armor to Stop American Bullets. Can the Army’s Latest Rifle Change the Game?

Oct 2, 2024 | popularmechanics.com | Rob Verger

In a stately red brick building at the Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey, two large new weapons hang on the wall at one end of a conference room. Both are imposing military machines designed to kill. One is the XM7, a new service rifle the U.S. Army plans to equip thousands of its soldiers with, replacing the standard-issue M4 carbine. The other is the XM250, an automatic rifle. They’ll both fire a new kind of ammunition—bullets with a caliber of 6.8mm.
Forget Drones. Soon, Helicopters Will Fly Themselves

Sep 16, 2024 | inc.com | Rob Verger

By , Senior editor In 2020, Hector Xu fulfilled a longstanding dream and learned to fly helicopters. An MIT postdoctoral researcher at the time, Xu took lessons at an airport in Nashua, New Hampshire, on helicopters made by the company Robinson. His impression of operating this complex and dynamic type of aircraft? "It's actually pretty terrifying," Xu says.
Forget Drones. Soon, Helicopters Will Fly Themselves

Sep 16, 2024 | inc-aus.com | Rob Verger

Hector Xu founded Rotor to transform helicopters into giant drones that can carry out tasks such as crop-dusting and aerial firefighting. In 2020, Hector Xu fulfilled a longstanding dream and learned to fly helicopters. An MIT postdoctoral researcher at the time, Xu took lessons at an airport in Nashua, New Hampshire, on helicopters made by the company Robinson. His impression of operating this complex and dynamic type of aircraft? “It’s actually pretty terrifying,” Xu says.
This odd-looking helicopter was designed for speed

Aug 15, 2024 | devicedaily.com | Rob Verger

This odd-looking helicopter was designed for speed Meet Racer, a French helicopter with wings, propellers, and the potential to save lives. BY Rob VergerA strange helicopter has been making test flights in the south of France. Built by French company Airbus Helicopters, it looks a bit like what would happen if a regular helicopter and an airplane merged into a single aircraft.
How This Founder Built a $12 Million Startup on Card Games

Aug 12, 2024 | inc.com | Rob Verger

Javon Frazier, 46, grew up in a single-parent home in L.A. His mom worked hard to support him, so comic books and video games were like his babysitters. That nerdy childhood translated into an animated career: After business school, Frazier inked a job with Marvel Entertainment, and then Studio71, a media company, where he would become chief product officer, making frequent trips to China to handle manufacturing for merch like fidget spinners.
How This Family Business Wound Up Working on the B-21 Stealth Bomber

Aug 11, 2024 | inc-aus.com | Rob Verger

Janicki Industries started in the marine industry in the 1990s, but eventually began focusing on things that fly–a path that led to the B-21 Raider. The U.S. Air Force is busy testing out the B-21 Raider, a next-gen stealth aircraft that will be the Pentagon’s most advanced bomber yet. First revealed to the public in 2022, the B-21 will someday replace an older stealth bomber, the B-2, that has the same general appearance–and utility.
How This Family Business Wound Up Working on the B-21 Stealth Bomber

Aug 11, 2024 | inc.com | Rob Verger

By , Senior Editor The U.S. Air Force is busy testing out the B-21 Raider, a next-gen stealth aircraft that will be the Pentagon's most advanced bomber yet. First revealed to the public in 2022, the B-21 will someday replace an older stealth bomber, the B-2, that has the same general appearance--and utility. The goal of both sleek flying wings is to avoid being spotted on radar while conducting clandestine missions.
Hybrid Cars | Page 1 of 2 | Popular Science

May 19, 2024 | popsci.com | Andrew Paul |Dan Carney |Kristin Shaw |Rob Verger

EPA says over half of all new cars must be EVs or hybrids by 2032EPA says over half of all new cars must be EVs or hybrids by 2032
This elegant straw filters the dirtiest water—but also looks good on a restaurant table

May 14, 2024 | fastcompany.com | Rob Verger

Water filter straws were a breakthrough when LifeStraw released its first commercial model in 2005, enabling people to take a sip from a stream without fear of also consuming bacteria or parasites like giardia. When LifeStraw straws became widely available in 2012, they were a hit with hikers and preppers. But international travelers began using them, too, in locations where the water wasn’t reliably safe to drink.