Midwestern states want to become “hard-tech” hubs

THE ENTRANCE of MHub, a tech “incubator” in Chicago, resembles similar outfits elsewhere. There is a bar made from disused silicon chips, complete with a vintage arcade games machine, a foosball table and a pool table. Much like other tech incubators, there is also nobody around taking advantage of them, as covid-19 has reduced the appeal of socialising with lots of colleagues. To find out what is different about MHub, you have to go farther inside. At the back there is a fully equipped workshop. Three CNC milling machines, which cut aluminium into computer-designed shapes, hum away. There are devices which inject plastic into moulds; ones which print silicon chips; 3D printers; and a CT machine to scan prototypes. Unlike the toys in the games room, they are in use. Engineers scurry around clutching parts.