Name: Built by Biology
Start: 2026-05-20T18:30:00
End: 2026-05-20T21:00:00
Location: Vintage Bar

What if the future of technology is already hidden inside our own bodies, and all around us in nature? This event brings together two talks on the growing conversation between biology and engineering. One explores intraoral wearable devices that turn the mouth into a new frontier for medical technology, while the other asks how nature can inspire the design of tomorrow’s robots. A night of smart devices, living systems, and ideas borrowed from evolution.

Your Tongue Is “Talking,” and We’re Finally "Listening": Intraoral Wearables for Medical Devices

Hananeh Esmailbeigi (Clinical Professor & Director of Industry and Alumni Engagement, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Illinois Chicago)

Still Brewing

Will We Build Robots Inspired by Nature?

Ryan Truby (/)

Robots are evolving at a rapid pace, but their bodies aren't keeping up with the progress we've made in robot brains. In this talk, I'll make a case for building future robots from muscle-like actuators, and how are research group, the Robotic Matter Lab, is already developing artificial muscles for bioinspired robots. By turning to 3D printing, we can create soft machines that move more like living organisms and give rise to more resilient robots that are safer for us to be around.

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