0:00:00.603,0:00:03.177
Do you remember these[br]glow-in-the-dark little stars

0:00:03.177,0:00:06.091
which you had on the ceiling[br]when you were a boy or a girl?

0:00:06.091,0:00:07.090
Yes?

0:00:07.324,0:00:08.320
It is light.

0:00:08.554,0:00:09.735
It is pure light.

0:00:09.735,0:00:11.884
I think I've been staring[br]at them way too long

0:00:11.884,0:00:13.680
when I was a five-year-old, you know?

0:00:13.680,0:00:14.681
It's so beautiful.

0:00:14.681,0:00:15.681
No energy bill,

0:00:15.681,0:00:17.656
no maintenance;

0:00:17.656,0:00:18.657
it is there.

0:00:18.657,0:00:19.672
So two years ago,

0:00:19.672,0:00:20.814
we went back to the lab,

0:00:20.814,0:00:22.050
making it more durable,

0:00:22.050,0:00:23.136
more light-emitting,

0:00:23.136,0:00:24.281
with the experts.

0:00:24.540,0:00:25.595
And at the same time,

0:00:25.595,0:00:28.245
we got a request from this guy --

0:00:28.245,0:00:29.156
Van Gogh --

0:00:29.156,0:00:30.847
the famous Van Gogh Foundation,

0:00:30.847,0:00:34.823
who wanted to celebrate[br]his 125th anniversary in the Netherlands.

0:00:35.328,0:00:37.192
And they came to me and asked,

0:00:37.192,0:00:38.637
"Can you make a place

0:00:38.637,0:00:42.206
where he feels more alive again[br]in the Netherlands?"

0:00:42.206,0:00:43.743
And I liked that question a lot,

0:00:43.743,0:00:44.743
so in way,

0:00:44.743,0:00:47.916
we sort of started to connect[br]these two different worlds.

0:00:49.075,0:00:50.395
This is how my brain works,

0:00:50.395,0:00:51.521
by the way.

0:00:52.183,0:00:54.563
Oh, I would love to keep on[br]doing this for an hour,

0:00:54.563,0:00:55.563
but OK --

0:00:55.563,0:00:56.563
(Laughter)

0:00:56.563,0:00:58.275
And this is the result that we made:

0:00:58.275,0:01:01.258
a bicycle path which charges[br]at daytime via the sun,

0:01:01.258,0:01:02.389
and glows at night,

0:01:02.389,0:01:03.533
up to eight hours.

0:01:03.893,0:01:05.144
(Applause)

0:01:05.144,0:01:06.136
Thank you.

0:01:06.526,0:01:10.916
Hinting towards a future[br]which should be energy friendly,

0:01:10.916,0:01:12.635
and linking up the local grounds

0:01:12.635,0:01:15.897
as Van Gogh literally walked[br]and lived there in 1883.

0:01:15.897,0:01:17.957
And you can go there every night for free,

0:01:17.957,0:01:19.013
no ticket needed.

0:01:19.228,0:01:22.280
People experience the beauty[br]of cycling through the starry night,

0:01:22.280,0:01:24.643
thinking about green energy, safety --

0:01:24.643,0:01:28.358
I want to create places[br]where people feel connected again.

0:01:28.766,0:01:31.904
And it was somehow great to make[br]to make these projects happen

0:01:31.904,0:01:32.895
with the industry,

0:01:32.895,0:01:34.748
with the infrastructure companies.

0:01:34.748,0:01:37.177
[So when these .... ....] [br]which started to call --

0:01:37.177,0:01:39.058
how much for 10 kilometers?

0:01:39.427,0:01:40.432
Yeah, really,

0:01:40.432,0:01:42.358
that's a weird call you're going to get,

0:01:42.358,0:01:43.472
but it's fascinating

0:01:43.472,0:01:46.628
that this is not just some[br]sort of one-off, nice-to-have special.

0:01:46.978,0:01:48.859
I think this kind of creative thinking,

0:01:48.859,0:01:50.306
these kinds of connections --

0:01:50.306,0:01:51.632
it's the new economy.

0:01:51.632,0:01:53.123
World Economic Forum,

0:01:53.123,0:01:54.379
the think tank in Geneva,

0:01:54.379,0:01:57.758
made an interview with a lot[br]of smart people all around the world,

0:01:57.758,0:02:02.501
asking what are the top 10 skills[br]you and I need to become successful.

0:02:02.852,0:02:04.042
Now what is interesting,

0:02:04.042,0:02:05.043
what you see here --

0:02:05.043,0:02:07.935
it's not about money,

0:02:07.935,0:02:10.684
or being really good in C++,

0:02:10.684,0:02:12.598
although these are great skills to have,

0:02:12.598,0:02:13.602
I have to admit.

0:02:13.725,0:02:15.244
But look at number three:

0:02:15.244,0:02:16.238
creativity.

0:02:16.238,0:02:17.237
Number two:

0:02:17.237,0:02:18.341
critical thinking.

0:02:18.341,0:02:19.337
Number one:

0:02:19.337,0:02:20.337
problem-solving --

0:02:20.337,0:02:21.628
complex problem-solving.

0:02:21.628,0:02:26.078
All the things that robots[br]or a computer is really bad at.

0:02:26.688,0:02:28.306
And this makes me very optimistic,

0:02:28.306,0:02:30.444
very hopeful for the new world,

0:02:30.444,0:02:33.310
that as we will live[br]in this [hypertechnological] world,

0:02:33.310,0:02:34.833
our human skills --

0:02:34.833,0:02:36.154
our desire for empathy,

0:02:36.154,0:02:38.363
our desire for curiosity,

0:02:38.363,0:02:40.102
our desire for beauty --

0:02:40.102,0:02:41.860
will be more appreciated again,

0:02:41.860,0:02:45.676
and we will live in a world[br]where creativity is our true capital.

0:02:46.929,0:02:47.927
And a process like that --

0:02:47.927,0:02:49.211
a creative process like that,

0:02:49.211,0:02:50.211
I don't know how it works for you,

0:02:50.211,0:02:53.810
but in my brain it always[br]starts with a question:

0:02:53.810,0:02:54.964
why?

0:02:55.884,0:02:58.515
Why does a jellyfish emit light?

0:02:58.515,0:02:59.810
Or a firefly?

0:02:59.810,0:03:01.877
Or why do be accept pollution?

0:03:02.080,0:03:04.353
This is from my room[br]in Beijing three years ago.

0:03:04.353,0:03:05.699
Left image is a good day --

0:03:05.699,0:03:06.699
Saturday.

0:03:06.699,0:03:08.793
I can see the cars[br]and the people, the birds,

0:03:08.793,0:03:11.133
life is OK in a dense urban city.

0:03:11.451,0:03:13.416
And on the right image --

0:03:13.416,0:03:14.429
holy moly.

0:03:15.082,0:03:16.099
Pollution.

0:03:16.099,0:03:17.134
Complete layers.

0:03:17.134,0:03:19.363
I couldn't even see[br]the other side of the city.

0:03:19.976,0:03:21.691
And this image made me really sad.

0:03:21.691,0:03:24.803
This is not the bright future[br]we envision here at TED;

0:03:24.803,0:03:25.961
this is the horror.

0:03:25.961,0:03:27.839
[We live five- to six-years shorter;]

0:03:27.839,0:03:30.429
children have lung cancer[br]when they're six years old.

0:03:30.892,0:03:33.497
And so in a weird, beautiful way,

0:03:33.497,0:03:37.563
I, at that moment, became[br]inspired by Beijing smog.

0:03:37.978,0:03:41.356
And the governments all around the world[br]are fighting their war on smog,

0:03:41.356,0:03:44.198
but I wanted to make something[br]within the now,

0:03:44.198,0:03:47.840
and so we decided to build[br]the largest smog vacuum cleaner

0:03:47.840,0:03:49.013
in the world.

0:03:49.275,0:03:50.609
So it sucks up polluted air,

0:03:50.609,0:03:51.606
cleans it,

0:03:51.606,0:03:52.696
and then releases it.

0:03:52.696,0:03:54.386
And we built the first one.

0:03:54.865,0:03:57.656
So it sucks up 30,000[br]cubic meters per hour,

0:03:57.656,0:03:59.089
cleans it on the nano level,

0:03:59.089,0:04:01.414
the PM2.5, PM10 particles,

0:04:01.414,0:04:03.502
using very litle electricity,

0:04:03.502,0:04:05.638
and then releasing the clean air

0:04:05.638,0:04:07.032
so we have parks,

0:04:07.032,0:04:12.487
playgrounds which are 55 to 75 percent[br]more clean than the rest of the city.

0:04:13.085,0:04:14.588
(Applause)

0:04:14.588,0:04:15.592
Yes!

0:04:16.271,0:04:20.558
And every month of so,

0:04:20.558,0:04:24.472
it opens like a spaceship --

0:04:24.472,0:04:26.409
like a Marilyn Monroe with the --

0:04:26.409,0:04:27.413
well, you know what,

0:04:27.413,0:04:28.408
anyway.

0:04:28.408,0:04:29.414
(Laughter)

0:04:29.414,0:04:30.888
So this ...

0:04:30.888,0:04:32.835
this is the stuff we are capturing.

0:04:33.271,0:04:35.215
This is Beijing smog.

0:04:35.760,0:04:37.283
This is in our lungs right now.

0:04:37.283,0:04:38.760
If you live next to a highway,

0:04:38.760,0:04:40.681
it's the same at 17 cigarettes per day.

0:04:41.010,0:04:42.022
Are we insane?

0:04:42.022,0:04:43.761
When did we say yes to that?

0:04:44.028,0:04:47.439
And we had buckets[br]of this disgusting material

0:04:47.439,0:04:48.840
in our studio,

0:04:48.840,0:04:50.836
and on a Monday morning[br]we were discussing.

0:04:50.836,0:04:53.028
We were like, "Shit,[br]what should we do with it?

0:04:53.028,0:04:54.240
Should we throw it away?"

0:04:54.240,0:04:55.444
Like, like, "help!"

0:04:55.444,0:04:56.629
And then we realized --

0:04:56.629,0:04:57.628
no, no, no, no, no,

0:04:57.628,0:04:59.268
waste should not exist.

0:04:59.268,0:05:01.646
Waste for one should be[br]food for the other.

0:05:02.422,0:05:04.574
So here, maybe show it around.

0:05:04.919,0:05:06.769
Do not put this in your coffee.

0:05:07.106,0:05:10.527
And we realized that 42 percent[br]is made out of carbon,

0:05:10.527,0:05:11.650
and carbon of course,

0:05:11.650,0:05:12.894
under high pressure,

0:05:12.894,0:05:14.918
you get ...

0:05:14.918,0:05:15.924
diamonds,

0:05:15.924,0:05:16.922
yes.

0:05:16.922,0:05:17.937
So, inspired by that,

0:05:17.937,0:05:20.633
we compress it for 30 minutes --

0:05:20.633,0:05:21.670
(Carbon compressing)

0:05:21.670,0:05:23.873
and making smog-free rings.

0:05:24.383,0:05:25.976
And so by sharing --

0:05:25.976,0:05:26.976
yeah, really --

0:05:26.976,0:05:28.540
And so by sharing a ring,

0:05:28.540,0:05:31.104
you donate 1,000 cubic meters of clean air

0:05:31.104,0:05:32.768
to the city where the tower is in.

0:05:33.070,0:05:34.066
(Applause)

0:05:34.066,0:05:35.319
I have one here --

0:05:35.319,0:05:36.522
(Applause)

0:05:36.522,0:05:39.389
A little floating cube.

0:05:40.233,0:05:41.337
I will give one to you.

0:05:41.337,0:05:42.533
I'm not going to propose,

0:05:42.533,0:05:43.528
don't worry.

0:05:43.528,0:05:44.527
(Laughter)

0:05:45.012,0:05:46.013
Are we good?

0:05:46.013,0:05:47.500
You can show it around.

0:05:47.500,0:05:48.698
And we put this online --

0:05:48.698,0:05:49.704
Kickstarter campaign,

0:05:49.704,0:05:50.702
crowdfunding.

0:05:50.792,0:05:52.605
And people started to preorder it,

0:05:52.605,0:05:53.630
but more importantly,

0:05:53.630,0:05:55.243
they started to prepay it.

0:05:55.459,0:05:58.852
So the finance we made with the jewelry[br]helped us to realize,

0:05:58.852,0:06:00.477
to build the first tower.

0:06:00.948,0:06:02.047
And that's powerful --

0:06:02.047,0:06:03.676
so [in a way it was the excavator]

0:06:03.676,0:06:04.760
it was the enabler.

0:06:04.760,0:06:06.392
Also the feedback from community;

0:06:06.392,0:06:08.126
this is a wedding couple from India,

0:06:08.126,0:06:11.067
where he proposed to her[br]with the smog-free ring

0:06:11.067,0:06:12.511
as a sign of true beauty,

0:06:12.511,0:06:14.034
as a sign of hope.

0:06:14.304,0:06:16.165
And she said yes.

0:06:16.165,0:06:17.174
(Laughter)

0:06:17.922,0:06:20.700
I love this image so much[br]for a lot of different reasons.

0:06:21.759,0:06:22.762
(Laughter)

0:06:22.762,0:06:25.179
And right now the project[br]is touring through China.

0:06:25.179,0:06:28.090
Actually, we have the support[br]of China's [central] government.

0:06:28.090,0:06:31.489
So the first goal is to create[br]local, clean-air parks,

0:06:31.489,0:06:33.372
and that works already quite well --

0:06:33.372,0:06:35.354
55, 75 percent more clean.

0:06:35.656,0:06:37.029
And at the same time,

0:06:37.029,0:06:38.450
we team up with the NGO's,

0:06:38.450,0:06:39.638
with the governors,

0:06:39.638,0:06:40.938
with the students,

0:06:40.938,0:06:41.986
with the tech people,

0:06:41.986,0:06:43.656
to say, "Hey, what do we need to do

0:06:43.656,0:06:45.329
to make a whole city smog-free?"

0:06:45.329,0:06:47.096
It's about the dream of clean air.

0:06:47.096,0:06:48.120
We do workshops.

0:06:48.120,0:06:49.348
New ideas pop up.

0:06:49.493,0:06:51.579
These are smog-free bicycles which --

0:06:51.579,0:06:52.577
I'm Dutch, yes?

0:06:52.577,0:06:54.763
I have this bicycle DNA[br]inside of me somewhere.

0:06:54.763,0:06:56.493
And so it sucks up polluted air,

0:06:56.493,0:06:58.031
it cleans it and releases it --

0:06:58.031,0:06:59.548
in the fight against the car,

0:06:59.548,0:07:01.453
in the celebration of the bicycle.

0:07:01.453,0:07:05.550
And so right now we're working[br]on a sort of "package deal" so to speak,

0:07:05.550,0:07:06.552
where we say,

0:07:06.552,0:07:09.031
"smog-free towers, smog-free rings,"

0:07:09.031,0:07:11.408
we go to the mayors[br]or the governors of this world,

0:07:11.408,0:07:15.563
and say, "we can guarantee[br]a short-term reduction of pollution

0:07:15.563,0:07:17.670
between 20 and 40 percent,

0:07:17.670,0:07:19.408
please sign here right now."

0:07:19.591,0:07:20.589
Yes?

0:07:20.945,0:07:22.695
(Applause)

0:07:22.695,0:07:23.815
Thank you.

0:07:25.545,0:07:30.247
So it's all about connecting[br]new technology with creative thinking.

0:07:30.496,0:07:32.370
And if you start thinking about that,

0:07:32.370,0:07:34.647
there is so much you can imagine,

0:07:34.647,0:07:36.291
so much more you can do.

0:07:36.291,0:07:38.197
We worked on dance floors

0:07:38.197,0:07:40.556
which produce electricity[br]when you dance on it.

0:07:40.812,0:07:42.095
We did a design for that --

0:07:42.095,0:07:43.259
2008.

0:07:43.450,0:07:45.333
So it moves eight or nine millimeters,

0:07:45.333,0:07:46.800
produces 25 watts.

0:07:47.035,0:07:50.803
The electricity that we generate[br]is used for the lighting or the DJ booth.

0:07:51.056,0:07:53.744
So some of the sustainability[br]is about doing more,

0:07:53.744,0:07:55.431
not about doing less,

0:07:55.431,0:07:56.941
but also on a larger scale,

0:07:56.941,0:07:57.941
the Netherlands --

0:07:57.941,0:07:58.938
where I'm from --

0:07:58.938,0:08:00.239
we live below sea level.

0:08:00.398,0:08:02.530
So because of these beauties,

0:08:02.530,0:08:03.639
the Afsluitdijk --

0:08:03.639,0:08:05.470
32 kilometers,

0:08:05.470,0:08:08.180
built by hand in 1932 --

0:08:08.180,0:08:09.971
we live with the water,

0:08:09.971,0:08:11.525
we fight with the water,

0:08:11.525,0:08:13.695
we try to find harmony,

0:08:13.695,0:08:15.596
but sometimes we forget.

0:08:16.163,0:08:18.384
And therefore we made WATERLICHT,

0:08:18.384,0:08:20.577
a combination of LED's and lenses,

0:08:20.577,0:08:23.084
which show how high[br]the water level would be --

0:08:23.084,0:08:24.930
global change --

0:08:24.930,0:08:26.291
if we stop.

0:08:26.478,0:08:29.133
If today we all go home and we say,

0:08:29.133,0:08:31.578
"Oh, whatever, somebody else[br]will do it for us,"

0:08:31.578,0:08:33.622
or we wait or government or whatever,

0:08:33.622,0:08:35.388
you know, we're not going to do that.

0:08:35.388,0:08:36.389
It goes wrong.

0:08:36.389,0:08:39.041
And we place this in public spaces[br]all around the world.

0:08:39.180,0:08:41.050
Thousands of people showed up.

0:08:41.050,0:08:42.046
(Applause)

0:08:42.046,0:08:43.098
Thank you.

0:08:44.133,0:08:45.713
You're too nice, you're too nice.

0:08:45.713,0:08:47.349
That's not good for [a designer].

0:08:47.702,0:08:49.834
So thousands of people showed up,

0:08:49.834,0:08:51.691
and some actually were scared.

0:08:51.691,0:08:52.685
And they left;

0:08:52.685,0:08:54.991
they experienced the floods in 1953.

0:08:54.991,0:08:56.287
And others were mesmerized.

0:08:56.287,0:08:58.240
Can we make floating cities?

0:08:58.240,0:09:01.621
Can we generate electricity[br]from the change in tides?

0:09:02.044,0:09:05.104
So I think it's so important[br]to make experiences --

0:09:05.104,0:09:09.089
collective experience where people[br]feel connected with a vision,

0:09:09.089,0:09:10.176
with a future,

0:09:10.176,0:09:11.946
and triggering what is possible.

0:09:12.916,0:09:14.216
At the same time,

0:09:14.216,0:09:16.714
you know these kinds of things,

0:09:16.714,0:09:18.433
they're not easy, yes?

0:09:18.782,0:09:20.059
It's a struggle.

0:09:20.059,0:09:21.674
And what I experienced in my life

0:09:21.674,0:09:24.125
is that a lot of people say[br]they want innovation,

0:09:24.125,0:09:26.867
and they want the next[br]and the new, the future,

0:09:26.867,0:09:29.927
but the moment you present a new idea,

0:09:29.927,0:09:31.703
there's this weird tendency

0:09:31.703,0:09:37.683
to reply to every new idea[br]starting with two words ...

0:09:37.683,0:09:40.044
which is ...

0:09:40.044,0:09:41.194
No, not "how much?"

0:09:41.194,0:09:42.304
It's more annoying.

0:09:42.304,0:09:43.304
(Laughter)

0:09:43.304,0:09:44.304
What is it, guys?

0:09:44.304,0:09:46.024
Or you are really blessed --

0:09:46.024,0:09:47.024
that's really good.

0:09:47.024,0:09:48.244
"Yes, but," very good.

0:09:48.244,0:09:50.544
"Yes, but it's too expensive,[br]it's too cheap,

0:09:50.544,0:09:51.934
it's too fast, it's too slow,

0:09:51.934,0:09:53.554
it's too beautiful, it's too ugly,

0:09:53.554,0:09:54.554
it cannot be done,

0:09:54.554,0:09:55.554
it already exists."

0:09:55.554,0:09:58.574
I have heard everything about the same[br]project in the same week.

0:09:58.574,0:10:00.714
And I got really, really annoyed.

0:10:00.714,0:10:01.984
I got a bit of gray hair,

0:10:01.984,0:10:05.324
started to dress in black[br]like a true architect --

0:10:05.324,0:10:07.624
(Laughter)

0:10:07.624,0:10:09.414
and one morning I woke up and I said,

0:10:09.414,0:10:11.144
"Daan, stop.

0:10:11.144,0:10:12.394
This is dragging you down.

0:10:12.394,0:10:14.064
You have to do something with this.

0:10:14.064,0:10:15.784
You have to use it as an ingredient,

0:10:15.784,0:10:16.804
as a component."

0:10:16.804,0:10:18.984
And so we decided to build,

0:10:18.984,0:10:23.274
to realize the famous "Yes, but" chair.

0:10:23.274,0:10:26.644
(Laughter)

0:10:26.644,0:10:28.844
And this is an existing chair[br]by Friso Kramer,

0:10:28.844,0:10:29.984
a Dutch design,

0:10:29.984,0:10:32.824
but we gave it a little "update,"

0:10:32.824,0:10:34.774
a little "hack," so to speak.

0:10:34.774,0:10:39.294
And so we placed a little voice[br]recognition element right here,

0:10:39.294,0:10:42.154
and so the moment you sit on that chair,

0:10:42.154,0:10:45.464
and you say those two horrible,

0:10:45.464,0:10:50.964
[creative-destructive,][br]annoying little words ...

0:10:50.964,0:10:52.754
you get a short,

0:10:52.754,0:10:55.974
but pretty intense

0:10:55.974,0:10:58.684
little shock on the back side[br]of your bottom.

0:10:58.684,0:10:59.864
(Laughter)

0:10:59.864,0:11:01.574
(Applause)

0:11:01.574,0:11:04.344
And that works --

0:11:04.344,0:11:05.344
yeah, that works.

0:11:05.344,0:11:06.764
So some clients have left us,

0:11:06.764,0:11:08.044
they got really mad.

0:11:08.044,0:11:10.124
Fortunately, the good ones have stayed.

0:11:10.124,0:11:12.534
And of course we also[br]apply it to ourselves.

0:11:12.534,0:11:13.844
But ladies and gentlemen,

0:11:13.844,0:11:15.484
let's not be afraid.

0:11:15.712,0:11:17.210
Let's be curious, yes?

0:11:17.425,0:11:18.593
And you know,

0:11:18.593,0:11:20.167
walking through TED in these days

0:11:20.167,0:11:21.642
and hearing the other speakers,

0:11:21.642,0:11:24.134
and feeling the energy of the crowds,

0:11:24.134,0:11:28.540
I was remembering this quote[br]of the Canadian author Marshall McLuhan

0:11:28.540,0:11:30.592
who once famously said,

0:11:30.592,0:11:32.571
"On spacecraft earth,

0:11:32.571,0:11:34.106
there are no passengers.

0:11:34.106,0:11:36.581
We are all crew."

0:11:37.026,0:11:39.379
And I think this so beautiful.

0:11:39.379,0:11:40.881
This is so beautiful.

0:11:40.881,0:11:42.178
We're not just consumers;

0:11:42.178,0:11:43.183
we're makers.

0:11:43.183,0:11:44.243
We make decisions,

0:11:44.243,0:11:45.365
we make new inventions,

0:11:45.365,0:11:46.705
we make new dreams.

0:11:47.076,0:11:52.470
And I think if we start implementing[br]that kind of thinking even more

0:11:52.470,0:11:54.551
within today,

0:11:54.551,0:11:57.536
there's still a whole new world[br]to be explored.

0:11:58.580,0:11:59.583
All right,

0:11:59.583,0:12:00.580
thank you.

0:12:00.580,0:12:02.235
(Applause)

0:12:02.235,0:12:03.241
Thank you.