[RoastBeefCurtains4Me]

The beginning words in the TED lecture linked below.

"Looking deep inside nature, through the magnifying glass of science, designers extract principles, processes, and materials, that are forming the very basis of design methodology. From synthetic constructs that resemble biological materials, to computational methods, that emulate neural processes, nature is driving design. Design is also driving nature, in realms of genetics, regenerative medicine, and synthetic biology, designers are growing novel technologies, not foreseen or anticipated by nature.

Bionics explores the interplay between biology and design.

As you can see, my legs are bionic....."

I like his concept of designers, or more specifically, "technology designers". I'm trying push myself as an engineer to be the kind of technology designer that pushes the envelope.

Here's a chaser, if you want to see just the kind of amazing things technology designers are in a position to do right now.

[The Lizard of Oz]

This is the best such talk I've ever seen, bar none. Thank you for posting it.

The things that are being described here will play a far greater role in shaping the world and our future than anything else we talk about day in day out. Labs like the one that this guy runs at MIT are where some of the real action is.

When you see the double amputee hopping around on the rocks -- realize that this goes beyond the miraculous, and into something different in kind: the human being's mastery over recalcitrant materials has become stranger and more awe-inspiring than any mere miracle conjured in the timid dreams of our past. It's good to see that; it's better to know that we are just barely getting started.