A New Day, A New Creation

Lately I've been thinking about the best ways to incorporate art across the curriculum in my classes. I am constantly amazed by the ingenuity of the human mind in design, as well as science and math.
A couple of weeks ago the game show Jeopardy had human contestants competing against an IBM super-computer named Watson. From what I understand Watson and his 'superior intellect' have moved on from what was basically a parlor trick broadcast on TV to diagnosing patients at the University of Maryland. This is both fascinating and disturbing. Very reminiscent of the movie I, Robot.

So what is missing from Watson? Biomorphic movement.
Dutch sculptor Theo Jansen is in the process of solving this little problem.
Jansen uses technology in order to replicate the movements of living beings. He calls his creations "animals", presumably because they are self fueling, can store energy, and avert perceived threats. Mr. Jansen even gives his creations faux-scientific names like the Animaris Umerus, and claims that each animal will become extinct when a better design 'evolves'. Eventually Jansen claims that he would like herds of these beasts to roam the beaches of his home country.
The question is: At what point will these two technologies merge? When will we create an 'animal' that can self-diagnose , repair and (dare I say it) replicate?
And just as important, what are our options for using this technology?