TECHNOLOGY AS AN EXTENSION OF MY SENSES
How to use technology in a responsible way?
As I continue working with biomimicry, I realise how much of nature we cannot perceive with our own senses. There are structures and processes happening all around us that we simply cannot see, or that are difficult to understand just by looking at them.
This is where technology becomes interesting to me. I use tools such as microscopy, 3D modelling and 3D printing to explore nature in ways that would otherwise be impossible. They allow me to look closer, understand things from a different perspective and experiment with ideas that I can eventually translate into a physical design.
In a way, technology has become an extension of my senses. It helps me discover things I would probably never have noticed otherwise. But being able to see something doesn't necessarily mean we understand it.
When I study a structure in nature, I want to understand why it has that particular form and what makes it work. What can I learn from it? And how can I translate that knowledge into a design without losing sight of the larger system it is part of?
3D printing, for example, allows me to experiment with structures and materials that would be difficult to make using conventional techniques. 3D modelling helps me explore how these structures behave. But the technology is only a tool. The interesting part for me is what I learn through using it, and how that changes the way I look at nature and design.
I sometimes wonder if, in our enthusiasm for new technologies, we focus too much on what has become possible and too little on whether it is actually a good idea. We can make things faster and more complex than ever before. But does that automatically mean we are making progress?
Nature makes me look at this differently. It has developed ways of working over billions of years, within the limits of its environment. Nothing exists entirely on its own. Every organism is part of a larger system, and its survival depends on the relationships within that system.
I think we have a lot to learn from this way of looking at things. Not only from the structures and processes we can study, but also from the way we approach the world around us.
Technology can help us find new answers, but it cannot make decisions for us. That responsibility remains ours. I believe we need to be just as curious about the consequences of our inventions as we are about the possibilities they offer.
Sometimes, the best solution might be to create something new. At other times, it might mean using less or deciding not to make something at all.
I don't think we need to turn away from technology. I am fascinated by what it allows us to discover and create. But I believe we need to be thoughtful about how we use it, and what we want it to contribute to.
Technology can help us see more, but seeing more doesn't automatically mean understanding more. And understanding more doesn't automatically make us wiser.
For me, this is where biomimicry and technology come together. Technology expands what I can explore, while nature continually reminds me to look beyond the individual solution and consider the bigger picture.
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