In assessment 3 we were asked to construct a prototype that could be found in our future scenario in 2050 which we established in assessment 2.

After the discussion with my interviewee, I was determined to build a prototype that was focused on bringing people together. Kathryne spoke about the dishwasher being brought into her family home for the first time when she was a child. She mentioned, “the kids didn’t have to wash up anymore”. This made me realise how washing-up actually brings the kids together and perform chores with each other. Instead of building a technology that completes tasks for you so children can disperse back into their bedrooms, I wanted to physically bring people together through food.

As a group, we made a list of 20 potential prototypes that focused on changing the way we do things socially, this is an interesting aspect as it made us really push our boundaries and collaborate our ideas so we could receive useful feedback. As our tutor said, “no ideas are bad ideas”, this guided us to begin experimenting with our materials.

My initial sketches were simply combining objects with already existing technologies like a basket to a drone, or a computerised voice to a trolley. I looked back on lectures to view speculative design prototype examples for inspiration. ‘Respiratory Dog’ uses an actual dog and medical equipment to convince others of its process, I need to consider this convincing material use for my prototype.

(Cohen, R. & Van Balen, T. 2008)

In our second lecture, I learned that speculative design involves generating futures (our future scenario), evaluating futures by developing sketches and prototypes and then enlisting futures whereby designers convince others about the possibilities they have created. Our prototypes need materials that look convincing.

The first prototype I built was a system of placing people on stools, they were asked to ‘build your own bowl’ as a group and then dine together. The food would come up through the centre of the design and then split into individual bowls. When I discussed this design with my tutor we stumbled across many problems like making a group decision with strangers and the possibility of a fussy eater. I abandoned this idea and went back to my working with my materials.

This is my own photograph

I eventually discovered the concept of the ‘lego bowl’, the idea that you cannot eat out of something unless it is attached to something else. Through many attempts and designs, I finally built my final prototype.

This is my own photograph

My design ‘La Bowle’ acts as a vehicle for physically bringing people together and can only be used and eaten out of when it is locked into place. It cannot stand upright unless it is secured in a specific metal holder. I had collaborated with a member from my group who discovered my bowl design could fit into one of his plate designs. Once I had made the design draft, I purchased the appropriate materials for the specific elements of the prototype.

This is my own photograph

 

My prototype diagram

 

 

Blog Post 4 References:

Cohen, R. & Van Balen, T. 2008, Respiratory Dog, Revital Cohen & Tuur Van Balen, viewed 14 October 2018, <http://www.cohenvanbalen.com/work/life-support#&gt;.

 

 

I have interviewed Kathryne Aldis, she works in business administration whilst also managing properties. Born in 1965, Kathryne has seen several technologies develop significantly overtime and remains excited for what future technology will bring. She admits the rate of new technology has decreased compared to what had been invented when she was young. I was introduced to this idea in Professor Tonkinwise’s lecture in week 4, he discussed the thought experiment of people from 1900-1950 would be amazed by the technology whereas people from 1950-2000 would be more amazed by the social changes that have occurred. Since 1950 not a significant amount of technology has been introduced, instead it has been constantly updating and improving.

 

(Tonkinwise, C, 2018)

 

However, when new technology was introduced in the early 19^thcentury, people like Kathryne were immediately impacted by these products. The dishwasher was a vast change to the household, “it meant that the kids didn’t have to wash up anymore, we just had to chuck it in this box, it was fantastic.” The way my interviewee was talking about her family’s first dishwasher was quite incredible to hear, calling it a “box” conveys how dramatically it changed people’s lives. It is now considered a basic component of today’s kitchen, something that I take for granted every day.

 

When I asked Kathryne to imagine the dishwasher in 20 years time, her response was much quicker than expected, perhaps this was not her first time imagining something that could make stacking and unstacking the dishwasher easier. “Maybe you don’t have to physically take something out of the dishwasher and put it away, maybe there will be a rotational device where it will clean things and then rotate it to another section where it is dry.” As someone who also dislikes dishwasher duties, this seems like an excellent idea. However, conducting this interview has made me wonder if we are becoming too reliant on technology to complete tasks for us, are we becoming significantly lazier than those who didn’t get a chance to use the dishwasher?

 

This brings me to my next topic of artificial intelligence, the way of the future according to Kathryne. Computers were also an amazing technology introduced to Kathryne when she was first entering the workforce. For me, it is difficult to imagine a computer “the size of an office room that crashed at least 4 times a day”, it is difficult to imagine life without them. By contrast to today’s extreme acceleration of computing power, Moore’s law states “processor speeds, or overall processing power for computers will double every two years”, therefore it is difficult to envision the future when the rate of technology is this high. This fact is overwhelming, “machines themselves are turning into workers, and the line between the capability of labor and capital is blurring as never before” (Ford, M. 2015). Kathryne is aware of this rate and understands that her administration job will eventually be taken over by computing softwares, however she believes the sales component in property management will not change that much, “sales will always need a level of human interaction as purchasing a property is an emotional investment and will need a human to push them over the line”.

 

Blog Post 3 References:

  

Ford, M. 2015, Rise of the Robots, Basic Books, New York.

 

Moore’s Law, n.d. Moore’s Law, viewed 14 October 2018, <http://www.mooreslaw.org>.

 

Tonkinwise, C. 2018, ‘Speculative Designing (for Transitions)’, UTS Online Subject 85202, PowerPoint presentation, UTS, Sydney, viewed 14 October 2018, <https://online.uts.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-3042573-dt-content-rid-36394835_1/courses/85202-2018-SPRING-CITY/Lab%20A%20SCD.pdf>.

The future is a scary concept, there are often moments where I find myself wondering what kind of world my children will live in. Will they be assisted by their own personal robot and commuting to work via drones? Or will they be living on an entirely different planet because our old world became too polluted and global warming killed our mother nature? My vision of the future has been influenced and adapted through my research of films, articles and statistics that reveal possible states for our future. I have reached a new understanding whereby my research has guided me to be more environmentally aware.

I have recently watched the film ‘Interstellar’ featuring Mathew McConaughey which portrays concerning ideas about the Earth’s future. Figure 1 portrays scenes of crop blights and dust storms show the climate’s damaging impact on agriculture and the threat of human existence. Although the film is fiction, this idea does not seem impossible. Statistics show “more than 30% of Australia’s agricultural land is considered ‘severely degraded’” (coolauatralia.org), which means our food crops are at a high risk. We need to focus on food security and make sure we can secure our agricultural land for the next generation.

Figure 1 (Interstellar, 2014)

 

In the animated film ‘Wall-E’ we are introduced to the idea of an abandoned and extremely polluted world, see figure 2. Similar to Interstellar, this notion is a possible future. The alarming rate of the pollution our world produces has extremely negative impacts on our environment. The film also portrays a plausible future of robot figures. With the rate of our growing technology, it is clear that artificial intelligence lies within the probable category for our future.

Figure 2 (WALL-E, 2008)

An interesting but slightly chilling website calculates the chance of your job being taken over by a robot – my result was a 67% chance of this happening. Of course robots are nothing new, they have aided us in the industrial department for many years, they are incredibly proficient, precise and quick however, “they are, for the most part, blind actors in a tightly choreographed performance”, (Ford, M. 2015). A human will need to engage in some point of the production process as robots are designed to suit only one job, they cannot see what the human brain can.

If we design robots to complete a specific job with no mistakes, this would be a very positive thing. In the film ‘I, Robot’, Will Smith is pictured (see figure 3) in a self-driving car traveling at a fast pace in a tunnel before the evil robots try to kill him and then he switches to manual mode. Australia is already testing this artificial intelligence on our roads. Self-driving cars with zero faults could mean no car accidents and deaths on the road, no traffic and the elderly could get around with ease. Although there are many positives to this probable future, we must consider the reduction of employment in the car industry, this decrease will affect thousands of people around the world. The risk of redundancy revolves around artificial intelligence, we need to ensure new jobs are created to cater for this way of the future.

Figure 3(I, Robot, 2004)

 

Blog Post 2 References:

Byrd, J. Spraggon, B. O’Neill, M. & Liddy, M. 2017, Could a Robot do your Job?, ABC, Australia, viewed 14 October 2018, <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-08/could-a-robot-do-your-job-artificial-intelligence/8782174&gt;.

Coolaustralia.org, 2018, Pollution is Everywhere, Australia, viewed 14 October 2018, <https://www.coolaustralia.org/pollution-is-everywhere-primary/&gt;.

Ford, M. 2015, Rise of the Robots, Basic Books, New York.

Interstellar, 2014, motion picture, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. United States and United Kingdom.

I, Robot, 2004, motion picture, 20^thCentury Fox, United States.

WALL-E, 2008, motion picture, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, United States.

 

The mass production of food plays an important role in our future as we begin to face extreme climate change conditions that negatively impact our world’s agriculture. Our authorities need to take action and start researching and designing technologies to assist our farmers in response to the earth’s concerning climate. The dangers of droughts, floods, cyclones and other natural disasters expose farmers to a high risk of losing their food crops.

Throughout history, it is obvious to researchers that technology has made a detrimental impact on the Earth since the evolution of mankind. The impact of “humans and lo-technologies can after a long enough time effect large environmental territories” and, “the same effects can occur more rapidly in more technologically maximal and hi-tech contexts” (Ihde, D. 1993). In recent times, our scientists have produced alarming reports that expose how our human behaviours have caused a negative impact on our environment, figure 1 shows the rate of the Earth’s growing temperatures. Scientists have recently published this report, “many low-laying countries say they may disappear under the sea if the 1.5C limit is breached.” By observing our past human behaviours and the damaging consequences they had on the environment, we need to acknowledge this factual and historical evidence and design technologies that can aid farmers and improve our agricultural systems.

Figure 1 (M. McGrath, 2018)

We need to act nowto save our food crops as a response to climate change, we could be facing a change in popular homemade dishes like spaghetti bolognaise. The rate of our climate means we face droughts and hot temperatures which “adversely affect the carrot’s flavour, texture and physical structure” Rebecca Huntley states in an ABC ‘Future Tense’programme. Are we nearing the death of carrots?

Not only does climate change mean our temperatures are getting higher, it also means we are suffering from a lack of rain and are often faced by droughts which can harm our agricultural systems. The introduction of irrigation systems to farming is considered critical to our global food security however there has been an increased demand for non-agricultural uses which has “led to changed water flows, land clearing and therefore deteriorated stream water quality” (Hanjra, M. A. & Qureshi, M. E. 2010). If we address this environmental issue and discontinue the use of irrigation systems, the world will face threats to future global food security.

Today our world consists of “ ‘high’ technologies such as earth observation systems that can provide more accurate weather forecasts, or crops that are based on genetically modified organisms.” (UNFCCC, 2006). We need to keep thinking like this and design more technologies that will respond to the climate extremes. Our governments need to take responsibility and start focusing on legislations that will guide us to a healthier planet.

Hanjra, M. A.  & Qureshi, M. E. 2010, ‘Global Water Crisis and Future Food Security in an Era of Climate Change’ Food Policy,Elsevier,  Australia, viewed 14 October 2018, <https://ac-els-cdn-com.ezproxy.lib.uts.edu.au/S030691921000059X/1-s2.0-S030691921000059X-main.pdf?_tid=8356380a-631f-4520-bfda-c1564b832d2f&acdnat=1539909955_747025ba59d42f4c9ad53fdb1772a4d8&gt;.

Blog Post 1 References:

How to make Spaghetti Bolognese2016, radio program, Future Tense, ABC, Sydney, 4 December.

McGrath, M. 2018, ‘IPCC Scientists Consider ‘Life Changing’ report’, BBC, viewed 14 October 2018, <https://www. bbc.com/news/science-environment-45653099>.

Philosophy of Technology: An Introduction, 1993, ‘Technology’, Paragon House, New York, pp. 47-66.

UNFCCC, 2006, ‘Technologies for Adaptation to Climate Change’, UNON Publishing Services Section, Bonn, Germany.

 

The mass production of food plays an important role in our future as we begin to face the extremes of climate change which can negatively impact the world’s agriculture. In particular, we need to begin researching and designing technologies that will assist farmers in responding to the earth’s climate. The dangers of droughts, floods, cyclones and other natural disasters, farmers face the challenge of losing their food crops that need to feed the rest of the world.

Throughout history, it is obvious that technology has made an impact on the Earth since the evolution of mankind. The impact of “humans and lo-technologies can after a long enough time effect large environmental territories” and, “the same effects can occur more rapidly in more technologically maximal and hi-tech contexts” (Ihde, D. 1993). However, let’s not forget the positive progression of technology which has led to a, “standard of health which is relatively disease-free” (Ihde, D. 1993). Through researching our past human behaviours and the technological impacts on the environment, we need to be aware of these historical events and design technologies that instead, improve the environment, therefore improving our agricultural systems.

The organization ‘Forum for the Future’ focused on the future of fashion. I can directly relate this to food as both categories face similar challenges of “climate change, resource shortages, population growth” and many more. Their team developed scenarios that were “designed as a tool to challenge companies’ strategies”. This resulted as a successful module as is now being used worldwide. Food, like fashion, is a necessity of our culture, we need to build scenarios and plan for the future.

Perhaps we need to look at the bigger picture and see what we can do nowfor food crops as a response to climate change, we could be facing a change in popular homemade dishes like Spaghetti bolognaise. The rate of our current climate extremes means we face droughts and hot temperatures which “adversely affect the carrot’s flavour, texture and physical structure” Rebecca Huntley states in an ABC ‘Future Tense’programme. Are we nearing to the death of carrots?! However, what if researchers and designers can create a technology that can assist food crops in climate extremes in the future? Is there the possibility for the mass production of carrots to survive?

I have recently watched the film ‘Interstellar’ featuring Mathew McConaughey which is set in the future and displays ideas about the Earth’s future agriculture. Scenes of crop blights and dust storms show the climate’s damaging impact on farming and the threat of human existence. Although the film is fiction, this idea does not seem impossible. People need to understand how damage to food crops can negatively affect the mass production of food.

Climate change plays a serious role in the future therefore humans need to design technologies that will aid farmers in times of extreme temperatures. Statistics show “each of the last three decades has been successively warmer at the Earth’s surface than any preceding decade since 1850” (Climate Change Australia, 2016). The mass production of food in the future needs technology to help our agriculture survive.

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