What Is the Future of Design at the Intersection of Technology and Biology?

TL;DR

The future of design lies in integrating technology and biology to create structures that grow rather than assemble. By leveraging fields like computational design, additive manufacturing, and synthetic biology, designers can develop multifunctional, recyclable materials that mimic natural growth processes. This approach aims to foster symbiosis between human-made products and natural ecosystems.

Transcript

Two twin domes, two radically opposed design cultures. One is made of thousands of steel parts, the other of a single silk thread. One is synthetic, the other organic. One is imposed on the environment, the other creates it. One is designed for nature, the other is designed by her. Michelangelo said that when he looked at raw marble, he saw a figur... Read More

Key Insights

• 🌳 Nature and design have traditionally been seen as opposing forces, with design focused on assembly and parts, while nature operates on growth and interconnectedness.
• 📐 Designers now have access to new tools, such as computational design, additive manufacturing, materials engineering, and synthetic biology, which allow for complex and innovative designs.
• 🏗️ Designers are using these tools to create objects, products, structures, and tools at various scales, from robotic arms that can print entire buildings to nanoscale graphics made of genetically engineered microorganisms.
• 🔬 By combining analysis and synthesis, designers can create products that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also functional and adaptable to the human body and physiological makeup of tissues.
• 🛠️ Designers are reimagining traditional architecture, such as the mashrabiya, and creating new materials, like chitosan paste made from shrimp shells, to design multifunctional and recyclable structures.
• 🔬 Designers are also exploring the potential of synthetic biology and microfluidics to create wearable clothing with embedded bacteria, allowing for new relationships and functionalities within the human body.
• 🌱 Designers are inspired by nature's ability to grow and add sophistication, such as the complex architecture of a silkworm cocoon, and are using this inspiration to design structures that augment living matter.
• 💡 The goal of design is to move towards a new age of symbiosis between our bodies, the microorganisms we inhabit, our products, and our buildings, ultimately mothering nature rather than imposing on it.

Questions & Answers

Q: What are the two radically opposed design cultures mentioned in the video?

The two radically opposed design cultures mentioned in the video are the culture of assembly and the culture of growth. The culture of assembly revolves around manufacturing and mass production, while the culture of growth focuses on the organic and natural processes of design.

Q: What are the four fields that are giving designers access to new tools?

The four fields that are giving designers access to new tools are computational design, additive manufacturing, materials engineering, and synthetic biology. These fields allow designers to use simple code to create complex forms, produce parts by adding material instead of carving it out, design materials with specific behaviors, and edit DNA to create new biological functionalities.

Q: How did the speaker's team use chitin to create structures that are multifunctional out of a single part?

The speaker's team ground up shrimp shells to produce chitosan paste, a material that can be manipulated to have various properties. By varying the chemical concentrations of the chitosan paste, they were able to create structures that ranged from dark, stiff, and opaque to light, soft, and transparent. These structures were made entirely of a single material, making them 100 percent recyclable.

Q: How did the speaker use synthetic biology to create a photosynthetic wearable?

The speaker's team used synthetic biology to create a photosynthetic wearable by combining cyanobacteria and E. coli inside a piece of clothing. Cyanobacteria converts light into sugar, while E. coli consumes that sugar and produces biofuels. These two microorganisms were genetically engineered to have a relationship inside the clothing, and their flow was controlled using 3D-printed channels resembling the digestive tract.

Q: How did the speaker use silkworms and robotic arms to create an architectural pavilion?

The speaker's team used a robotic arm to spin a silk template, which was then placed in an environment where silkworms could spin biological silk over it. The silkworms pupated, mated, and laid eggs, resulting in the creation of a pavilion made of silk. This process showcased the collaboration between the robotic arm and the natural processes of the silkworms, demonstrating the integration of assembly and growth in design.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The speaker discusses the contrast between two different design cultures: one focused on assembly and manufacturing, and the other on growth and biology.

• The speaker highlights the four fields - computational design, additive manufacturing, materials engineering, and synthetic biology - that are currently providing designers with unprecedented access to new tools.

• The speaker presents various examples of their work, including printing structures made of shrimp shells, creating wearable clothing with embedded bacteria, and using silkworms to spin architectural structures.