james auger - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by james auger

Temes de disseny, Jul 26, 2023

Exhibition commissioned and curated by Alexandra Midal for the Design Project Room, Haute Ecole D... more Exhibition commissioned and curated by Alexandra Midal for the Design Project Room, Haute Ecole D'Art et de design - Geneva University of Art and Desig

Chapman and Hall/CRC eBooks, Oct 6, 2022

Cumulus Conference 2021: Design Culture(s) Roma, 2021

This paper proposes and discusses planning approaches for the development and operation of renewa... more This paper proposes and discusses planning approaches for the development and operation of renewable energy systems for electrification. The approaches presented here are based on consumption pattern analysis. Consumption pattern of Madeira, Portugal is presented as an example. The proposed approaches include scenarios where electricity is fully supplied by renewable energy sources as well as a scenario where the objective is to increase the penetration of renewable energy systems.

The Afterlife project is intended to instigate a metaphysical dialogue, examining the cultural sh... more The Afterlife project is intended to instigate a metaphysical dialogue, examining the cultural shift from belief systems upheld by organised religion to the more factual basis of science and technology. The project proposes the harnessing of our chemical potential after biological death through the application of a microbial fuel cell, harvesting its electrical potential in a dry cell battery. Here, technology acts to provide conclusive proof of life after death, life being contained in the batter

The research and design of the Iso-phone: a total submersion telephonic experience was supported ... more The research and design of the Iso-phone: a total submersion telephonic experience was supported by the Human Connectedness Group Media Lab Europe. This project examines how tele-communications might exist from a perspective that prioritises quality of experience over notions of efficiency, often represented in multi-modal, omnipresent services and portable products. The Iso-phone is essentially a telecommunications concept providing a service that can be described as a hybrid of the telephone and the floatation tank. The user wears a helmet that blocks out all peripheral sensory input whilst keeping the head above the surface of the water. The water is heated to body temperature blurring the boundaries of the users body. In combination, a space is created providing a pure, distraction free environment for making a telephone call. The only sensory stimulus presented is a two-way voice connection to another person using the same apparatus in another location

Happylife was commissioned as part of the ‘IMPACT!’ research exhibition funded by the EPSRC. The ... more Happylife was commissioned as part of the ‘IMPACT!’ research exhibition funded by the EPSRC. The project brought designers and scientists together to explore the potential impact of engineering and physical sciences on the economy, public policy, culture, and our everyday lives. Auger collaborated with Aberystwyth University Computer Science Department (AUCS), whose research project, in partnership with the Home Office and HM Revenue and Customs, was to develop new informatics technologies to assist in the policing of national borders. Happylife speculated on how AUCS’s research could make the transition from the context of national security into a family home, examining how passive-profiling techniques could be employed to display and mediate the most private and emotive aspects of family life. The novelty of this approach lies in shifting design ‘upstream’ from where it normally operates, exposing technological research to critique much earlier in the developmental process. Happyl...

This was a solo show commissioned from design partners Auger-Loizeau comprising seven new artefac... more This was a solo show commissioned from design partners Auger-Loizeau comprising seven new artefacts. The motivation behind the project was to expose the dubious role of gadgets in contemporary life – examples of conspicuous consumption, the principal discernible function of which is to provide spectacle and titillation by exploiting the latest technological innovations. Once the spectacle becomes familiar, the gadget loses its value – they thus exist as highly ephemeral objects at a time when there is an increased awareness of the need for more sustainable approaches to consumption (Harrison et al. 2005, Barnett et al. 2010). By harnessing the notion of the romantic sublime combined with irony, ‘Sublime Gadgets’ aims to encourage contemplation on these observations by significantly expanding the lifespan of the gadget. This Sublime has been extensively explored in philosophy, literature and the fine arts. Here, Auger employs its ability to inspire awe and wonder within the domain of...

Journal of Futures Studies, 2021

This article explores the role of the future in contemporary technology design, and elaborates ho... more This article explores the role of the future in contemporary technology design, and elaborates how imagination can influence the present through the mechanism of speculation. Three applications of futures are introduced: extrapolation examines present data and trends to predict possible futures, reflecting on the present imagines possible futures for insights on current practices, while backcasting visualizes a preferred future and plots a trajectory from the present to achieve it. Design speculations for Ocean Wave Energy capture systems are presented that illustrate the shaping of the future with conceptual prototypes, and a future narrative when humanity has averted a climate catastrophe.

Journal of Human-Robot Interaction, 2014

This article begins by asking: "Why are robots not becoming domestic products?" In addressing thi... more This article begins by asking: "Why are robots not becoming domestic products?" In addressing this question the author borrows from the science of ecology and biological concepts of evolution and domestication to make an analogy between the shift of habitats that occurs when an organism successfully goes through the process of artificial selection (from natural to domestic). In addition, this paper explores the transition an emerging technology makes when coming out of the laboratory and becoming a suitable product for domestic use, concluding that the majority of proposed domestic robots are essentially maladapted to everyday life. The article then shifts the focus onto design research, primarily speculative design, to ask, "how could robots become domestic products?" The author uses a variety of design projects to describe how alternative approaches to robots can provide new perspectives on technological research and development.

Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Tangible and Embedded Interaction - TEI '09, 2009

This paper describes a group of objects produced as a collaboration between designers and scienti... more This paper describes a group of objects produced as a collaboration between designers and scientists/engineers. They explore an alternative approach to bringing robots into the domestic environment, exploring both the aesthetics and functionality that may elicit a symbiotic coexistence with humans in their homes. They are all based on the technology of biological fuel cells, which generate electricity by the

Digital Creativity, 2013

The article positions the author's work as speculative design but-like the term design fictions-i... more The article positions the author's work as speculative design but-like the term design fictions-is open to several interpretations. How is the fictional character of such work conceptualised and produced? What kinds of speculation are involved? The article considers the value of one particular approach and argues that speculative design serves two distinct purposes: first, to enable us to think about the future; second, to critique current practice. Methods are described through case studies, either of the author's own projects or projects completed by graduates of the design interactions course at the Royal College of Art. A key concept is the 'perceptual bridge'-the means by which designs engage their audience. The article argues that a vital factor in the success of a Speculative Design proposal is the careful management of the speculation, specifically what informs the use of technology, aesthetics, behaviour, interaction and function of the designed artefact.

Le Comportement des choses

In this paper we describe the Iso-phone, a telecommunications concept providing a service that ca... more In this paper we describe the Iso-phone, a telecommunications concept providing a service that can be described simply as a meeting of the telephone and the floatation tank. By blocking out peripheral sensory stimulation and distraction, the Iso-phone attempts to create a telephonic space of heightened purity and focus. By presenting an everyday product in a new configuration and context, using a typical product aesthetic, the Iso-phone offers both an experiential and visual experience. The project is intended to provide a space for analysis of technology and its application in everyday situations. Whilst it is acknowledged that the subject of this project is well discussed within the field of philosophy and other areas of academia, the premise for using a product language is to bring the debate to a wider audience. The Iso-phone explores the scenario in which a person wishes to engage completely in a remote conversation. Total immersion into telephonic space is facilitated by the r...