NESL: Nurturing Emergent Synthetic Life

NESL, is difficult to describe. It is a potential lifeform, it is a synthetic ecosystem, it is a provocative thought piece that uses empathy and phenomena to bridge the divide between the virtual and physical world.

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In the award winning film produced by designers at Drexel University, Design Futures Lab, a family of autonomous robotic lifeforms discover and interact with their unique habitat, and watch as their world come to life through the bloom of multicolored crystals and a living landscape.

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The synthetic ecosystem uses a variety of design approaches and 
technological processes which harness the power of computational design, digital fabrication, engineering, and artificial intelligence. This 
completely computerized and synthetic landscape explores the relationship between natural and synthetic systems as well as the changing relationship between humans and technology. Through this investigation we intend to demonstrate the creative potential of domestic robotics and theorize the near future applications of intelligent technology.