An ode to my favorite animal, the octopus
The most recent common ancestor of humans and octopuses (yes, octopuses!) lived approximately 750 million years ago. Recent studies suggest octopuses are not only highly intelligent but also arguably conscious. While our eyes are extraordinary similar, our nervous systems could not be more different. This suggests that there is more than one way of designing a nervous system that functions like our own.
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Like an octopus, I’m an innately curious creature and my arms reach into many different interests. My professional career in product design and strategy is greatly influenced by my background in and passion for scientific research, pedagogy, and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
Their unique nervous system inspired me to build a soft robot modeled after its close relative the cuttlefish, called Cuttlebot, with a team of mechanical, biomedical, and materials engineers.