Nature holds in store a multitude of unexpected solutions that have developed throughout millions of years of evolution. With responsible technologies, we can put this wealth of biological knowledge to use in order to transform the global economy into a bioeconomy. A future worth living will only be possible in harmony with nature. As a learning company, Festo has been investigating bionics for many decades. This has given rise to future-oriented projects inspired by phenomena from the realms of flora and fauna. Bionic learning is now acquiring a universal character: the focus is increasingly on natural recycling principles, which serve as models for shaping production processes. The cell, the smallest unit of life, is thus becoming the factory of the future, in which the biological and physical worlds merge.