The Yawa technology is an example of best practice in the circular economy. Materials used to build the machine are recyclable. The technology is even being adjusted to local air quality, a response to the challenges caused by air pollution. But most importantly, the technology can be used, owned and repaired by the communities it serves, even if they are not clear on the science behind it.

“When I was first testing this technology in different rural communities, I spent a lot of time explaining the technical aspects of it,” Hidalgo said. “At one point a woman stopped me and looked me in the eye and said, ‘Young man, I just want water.’ And that changed something inside of me, and I knew that I had to keep things simple.”

Hidalgo finds that getting out of the lab and into communities is vital for anyone seeking to produce environmental change. “We have to listen to what communities want and respond to their needs. That is where the winds of creation take us.” he said.

“We showed it’s possible for animals to live in an environment they are not used to: microgravity,” Poynter says.

In 2014, Poynter and Maccallum achieved another first. They led the engineering team that helped former Google exec Alan Eustace skydive from the edge of the stratosphere. That’s when it hit them: The balloon-parachute system they designed for Eustace could be transformed for tourism and research. So they formed World View, with MacCallum serving as chief technical officer.