Watch Nature's Technology

We take so much of what we do absolutely for granted. But the fact is that so many of even the simplest things we do, tying our shoelaces, throwing a ball, picking up a cup of coffee, require the most complex co-ordination of hand and eye and muscles and joints. So how do you go about designing a robot that has anything like the flexibility and variety of movement that we have. The short answer is...with the very greatest difficulty! That's why, outside the movies, it has taken so long. Many different approaches have been tried, but one that is proving to be the most successful is to imitate nature's very own technology; to analyse the way in which insects and animals have evolved their various capabilities, and then to seek to replicate them. nThis documentary illustrates some of the ways in which that approach is opening up a completely new robotic future. NTSC - 52 minutes.nwww.digicomtv.com

Nature's Technology is a 2009 documentary with a runtime of 52 minutes.