Entrepreneur and self-described “tinkerer” Dan Ludois is building the nuts and bolts of a revolution.

For being audaciously young, Dan Ludois has an appreciation for history.

In his office in Engineering Hall, a poster of Nikola Tesla broods beside a Ghostbusters-inspired proton pack. Antique batteries share shelf space with handmade prototypes of his inventions. Part of a motor he patented as a grad student sits next to one of Thomas Edison’s.

“For more than 100 years the basic recipe of electric motors hasn’t changed,” he explains. “It is a hunk of steel with copper coils inside. We’ve added rare earth magnets now, but the idea is the same.”