SHOT Panel on Bodies and Technology

Hello,

I’m interested in putting together a panel on “bodies and technology”

for this year’s SHOT meeting in Copenhagen, which runs from October 4–7. This is an old topic, and it is well-trod territory in some respects. Instead of narrowing the topic prematurely, I’d be interested in hearing about new and developing research on the relationship between human bodies, the science and medicine thereof, and technological design (or non-design). Perhaps, we can narrow the theme and find a jazzy title later if we find that people are working on topics near enough together.

My paper, “Bodies at Unrest: The Birth of Impact Biomechanics,”

examines studies of how physical forces affect bodies and how this “regulatory science” shaped government policy. Researchers dropped human cadavers and living non-human animals, including dogs and pregnant baboons, down elevator shafts; they smashed skulls with rotary hammers; and in the process, they examined the effect of impacts on flesh and bone and learned about the dynamics of concussion and other biological processes. While this research was centered in universities and the Air Force, it eventually entered debates around federal automotive safety regulations. This science came to influence the design of vehicles, bicycle helmets, and other objects that many of us live with every day. The paper concludes with some reflections on the present moral implications of past research.

Looking forward to hearing from any and all of those interested.

All best,

Lee

Lee Vinsel

Postdoctoral Fellow

Harvard University,

Kennedy School of Government Program on STS & School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

79 John F. Kennedy Street, Box 17

Cambridge, MA 02138

Tel: +1 412 310 2450

Email: lee.vinsel@gmail.com