This talk will describe a mechatronics engineer's journey from machines and robots to nature and society. Like a well-oiled machine, the natural habitat and all its components function in synchrony, each part contributing towards the bearing of the whole. However, unlike our machines, we are far from a complete understanding of how the natural system works. I argue that as members of the engineering community, it is our collective responsibility not only to design new technologies to uplift humanity, but also to understand the long-term effects that our interventions have on the environment and society. In this talk I will describe the layout of my research agenda developed over the past few years to pursue two main objectives. First, to understand the effect of human interventions on interacting natural, social and engineering processes. Second, to guide the synthesis of technological interventions to obtain desirable outcomes. In doing so, I use tools from systems and control theory, treating human behavior as a fundamental component of socio-ecological systems. I will discuss the use of the systems perspective to understand complex processes linked to the environment and the incorporation of human behavior in such settings. Next, I will go over the design of real-world observation systems and application of causal inference techniques for monitoring coupled human natural systems. Finally, I will talk about the development of mathematical notions of sustainability for incorporation in systems theoretic frameworks. I will end the talk on my vision for a research program to guide policy on disruptive technologies and human interventions in complex systems for the Pakistan region.