Hod Lipson is noted for bringing biologically-inspired approaches to the study of robotics - all in an effort to answer what he believes to be two great challenging questions in engineering: "First, can we design machines that can design other machines, and second, can we make machines that can make other machines?" he asks.
Both of these questions, Hod contends, lie at the crux of understanding the engineering process itself, and science's ability to design, make and maintain complex machines, like robots, in the future.
Biological life itself, he says, has answered many of these questions…