Been doing stuff like that around when I was 15, though with somewhat simpler formulas. The idea is pretty simple, and long known, pretty much. You take two different formulas describing closed loops (the simplest is for example a circle, x is cos, y is sin), and divide them into the same number of segments. Then draw a line between point 1 on the first loop and point 1 on the second loop, between point 2 on the first loop and point 2 on the second loop, etc. And you get exactly what they show there, really.
You can see it here explained without a program:
http://mathcraft.wonderhowto.com/ho...more-using-straight-lines-and-circle-0131356/
But doing it with a program of course makes it trivial. You can just punch in a different formula and see what you get in a couple of seconds flat.
Using programs to model surfaces also isn't a new idea, and in fact there are already programs that can just plot a 3d surface for you from a formula. You don't even need to write one yourself.
So basically, eh, another guy who thinks he invented the fart, and must tell everyone else about this amazing new thing that surely none of you ever knew about
Of course, the hard part is using them for something else than just line art. E.g., actually modelling an object that has any use beyond looking funky.