Join TRGS on February 9th (3:30-4:30 pm in the AHG Seminar Room) for this invited talk by Dr. Elliott Hauser and Dr. Samantha Shorey from Good Systems!

“Loose Threads” is a collaborative conversation that engages participants in imagining and redesigning the systems where technology is embedded. What are the compromises, considered actions and embedded values we impart on the path to automation? How might we hold open the possibility of meaningful work at its edge?

The elimination of human labor underlies many conversations about automation. Yet, every innovation begets new types of work that are constituent of its success. Situated at the human-technology frontier, there are new jobs made possible by automation. Kevin Kelly, the founding editor of Wired, calls these the jobs that “machines dream up.” Here human collaboration and oversight increases, not decreases, in value. Yet, this oversight can come at a grueling cost. Dystopian futures are already present in the seemingly automated places where human hands still assemble the iPhone and human eyes moderate online content. When we look more closely at automated processes, we begin to see both the glimmering and dark future of technology work.

Students gathered for pizza and some TRGS shirts to celebrate the new semester. Spot one of our faculty advisors, Dr. Joydeep Biswas, in the photo!

In November, TRGS visited Apptronik, an Austin-based robotics startup founded by UT alums. We got to check out some of their latest projects, from robotic arms to humanoids. In the spirit of the Halloween season, we even encountered a few (exo-) skeletons! TRGS is very grateful to Apptronik for the opportunity to visit, and for Apptronik’s continued relationship with Texas Robotics.

TRGS aims to bring students on a tour of a local robotics company once per semester. Who should we visit next? Please reach out to us on Slack with your ideas!