James Franklin Hyneman (born September 25, 1956) is an American special effects expert who is best known as the former co-host of the television series MythBusters alongside Adam Savage, where he became known for his distinctive beret and walrus moustache. He is also the owner of M5 Industries, the special effects workshop where MythBusters was filmed. He is known among Robot Wars devotees for his robot entry Blendo, which was deemed too dangerous for entry in the competition. He is the inventor of the Sentry, an unmanned firefighting robotic vehicle. He is also one of the designers of the aerial cable robotic camera system Wavecam used in sports and entertainment events. Early life Hyneman was born in Marshall, Michigan, and grew up on a farm in Columbus, Indiana. He said, "I was a problematic kid, to be sure. I left home when I was 14 and hitchhiked all over the country." As a child, Hyneman would spend time at Indiana University, where his mother was a graduate librarian. Hyneman graduated from Columbus North High School in 1974. Academic life He earned a degree in Russian linguistics from Indiana University. In November 2021, Hyneman was appointed professor of practice at LUT University in Lappeenranta, Finland, for a five-year term until November 2026, and gave his first lecture on prototypes November 18, 2021. Honorary degrees He received an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from Villanova University on May 16, 2010, and gave a commencement address. On November 25, 2011, Hyneman was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Twente for his role in the popularization of science and technology. In February 2017 he was named one of the fourteen new honorary doctors of technology by Lappeenranta University of Technology. Career Hyneman has worked as a boat captain, certified dive master, wilderness survival expert, linguist, mall pet store owner at age 15, animal wrangler, machinist, concrete inspector, and chef. His most notable work is co-hosting MythBusters (2003–2016). Special effects work Much of the experience that Hyneman used on MythBusters came from his time in the visual and special effects professions. He spent time as an animatronics technician for films such as Naked Lunch and Flubber, as well as doing work on the second and third installments of the Matrix Trilogy. Hyneman owns the special effects company M5 Industries in San Francisco. Some of his achievements in commercials include the can-spitting vending machine