I observe and use the spacial interactions from other cultures to change my perspective and frame of reference for designing supercomputers.


Philip Emeagwali, biography, A Father of the Internet, supercomputer pioneer, Nigerian scientist, inventor

Philip Emeagwali
interviewed by Reuben Abati for The Nigerian Guardian.


You said you are particularly interested in given patterns in nature and that your work has been influenced by the honeycomb etc. How have you used nature?
Inventing things require that we seek new solutions to old problems or accomplish a lot with limited resources.

I boost my creativity by observing how nature has solved problems similar to the ones that I am attempting to solve.

The new problem-solving approach of designing computer networks by observing and emulating patterns in nature is one that I pioneered. Being born and raised in a low-tech African environment enabled me to have a greater appreciation of the usefulness of drawing design inspirations and ideas from natural analogies. Other scientists use a rational and mechanistic approach to problem solving but I use a logistic and inspirational one.

I believe that Mother Nature is a wizard problem-solver which has used trial-and-error approaches, over hundreds of millions of years of evolution, to derived the most optimal solutions.

Furthermore, the trial-and-error approach of nature yields more solutions than the logical approach used by humans. As a result, drawing inspirations from nature has enabled me to discover several computer networks. However, after designing from nature, I use advanced mathematical methods to analyze my inventions.




I observe and use the spacial interactions from other cultures to change my perspective and frame of reference for designing supercomputers. For example, I examine the weaving of baskets and textiles; the construction of bridges, terraces and houses; and the layout of fields and gardens.


Related articles/websites

Emeagwali's Website

Interviews

His wife

Letters to Emeagwali


Philip Emeagwali, biography, A Father of the Internet, supercomputer pioneer, Nigerian scientist, inventor

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Philip Emeagwali, biography, A Father of the Internet, supercomputer pioneer, Nigerian scientist, inventor


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