When natural materials outperform our best synthetics

This video shows my favorite material for cleaning safety glasses and precision lenses. Turns out to be the skin of a sheep! When I was younger I had imagined that our high-tech synthetic materials were the epitome of every engineering function and I am gradually learing that it's not very true.

Additionally, I'm grateful to have other experiences that revealed the power of natural rubber. Back in undergrad I visited a rubber tree plantation in Nahualate Guatemala, and the following summer I had an internship at Goodyear manufacturing in Topeka, Kansas. It took me over a decade to connect the dots and realize how much we rely on natural materials.

I hope I can share more examples of specific qualities of natural materials in engineering functions, in my upcoming videos.

-David