Mark Cutkosky

When it comes to engineering, man’s got nothing on nature. Our best designs pale next to the hummingbird’s wing, or the spider’s lightweight, super-strength silk. Which is why engineers have increasingly stopped trying to re-invent the flipper, so to speak, and instead are simply doing their best to emulate Mother Nature. It’s a new field of engineering known as “biomimetics.” Stanford University roboticist Mark Cutkosky is one its top practicioners, and he speaks with Faith Salie on Fair Game.