Michael Stead

Lancaster University | LU · Imagination Lancaster

This paper presents a design fiction created by the author-the Toaster For Life. The design is an initial prototype that seeks to embody Sterling's concept of spimes which when viewed simply, are a class of near future, sustainable, manufactured objects designed to make the implicit impacts of a technological product's entire lifecycle more explici...

There are numerous loud and powerful voices promoting the Internet of Things (IoT) as a catalyst for changing many aspects of our lives for the better. Think healthcare, energy, transport, finance, entertainment and in the home – billions of everyday objects across all sorts of sectors are being connected to the Internet to generate data so that we...

The rhetoric that surrounds the Internet of Things (IoT) contends it will bring about utopian transformative change throughout society, particularly in regards to sustainability. Little discourse however, recognises the intrinsically unsustainable nature of IoT devices themselves. Under a façade of innovation, the IoT is a breeding ground for super...

A spime describes a device that could generate data about itself throughout its entire life-cycle and this 'metahistory' would be saved and remain searchable and mineable. Given growing Internet of Things (IoT) device e-waste and material scarcity issues, the concept of spimes provides a useful approach to addressing the current lack of considerati...

Vaunted as the next frontier within the scope of the Internet of Things (IoT), Edge Computing (EC) is seen as a means to improve efficiency and privacy across IoT infrastructures. This is because it enables data to be processed where it originates, that is, at the so-called 'edge' of the network, this being within, or close to, individual Internet-...

From industry through policymaking to academia, much prevailing sustainability discourse focusses on transitioning to a so-called ‘Net Zero future’. Central to this vision is mitigation of human-driven climate change through the decarbonisation of industrial society, principally via increased innovation and adoption of emergent technologies. This p...

While prosocial behaviour is often described as behaviour intended to help and benefit others, it is primarily considered through an anthropocentric lens in that the others in question are principally humans. In this research, we consider designed systems whereby the prosocial benefits relate primarily to non-human actants, and although people may...

Electronic waste (e-waste) has become the fastest growing waste stream in the world. So called ‘smart’ Internet of Things (IoT) devices, now ubiquitous in our homes, are increasingly contributing to this waste stream, due to their lack of repairability and consumer cycles driven by planned obsolescence. However, other electronic household products,...

The Repair Shop 2049 was a pilot research project which explored the limitations of current Right-to-Repair legislation which does not account for the repair of 'smart' Internet of Things (IoT) devices. It is estimated that by 2030, there will be over 30 billion 'smart' Internet of Things devices in active use worldwide. Unfortunately, with their l...

Given the climate emergency, the growing environmental challenges that come with increased adoption of digital technologies are rightly beginning to come under greater scrutiny. Yet, it is not our devices nor systems that have led us into an era of unsustainability, but how we have continued to design them to deplete precious natural resources, gen...

A more-than-human right-Abstract: Whilst the recent introduction of the Right-to-Repair to European citizens is undoubtedly a step forward in tackling planned obsolescence, and the resultant deluge of electronic product waste-the efficacy of this new legislation is reliant on consumers availing themselves of this right. Given that repairing and mai...

Waste infrastructure is largely non-digital and resists mapping and datafication. Waste itself can be seen as material information, revealing of its creators, which is lost along with the material resources that are thrown away. Design and HCI can unlock this information.Most people’s engagement with waste begins and ends at the domestic dustbin, w...

For almost two centuries, design, manufacturing and consumption models have exploited Earth’s valuable resources (elements, minerals, flora and fauna) on a profound scale. As resources become depleted, there is a desperate need to develop new approaches for how materials are utilised and fabricated with to reduce or even reverse waste and pollution...

In an effort to stymie electronic product obsolescence, the UK government introduced the Eco-design for Energy Related Products and Energy Information regulations, commonly referred to as the Right-to-Repair, in July 2021. Mirroring the European Union's 2020 Circular Economy Action Plan, manufacturers are now required to integrate a degree of repai...

Edge Computing is being promoted as a more secure, private, and an increasingly better sustainable option for data generation and processing. Nevertheless, the rapid surge in the number of Internet of things (IoT) devices being integrated into networks and accompanying Edge Computing devices to process data closer to the source creates more opportu...

The smart tractor is just one of thousands of machines and devices that have come to feature an additional layer of software on top of their traditional functions. By maintaining control over that software, manufacturers are afforded power over our devices long after the moment we purchase them. Hacking tractor software is the latest example of th...

Alexa enquiries, Spotify listens, Netflix binges. Our everyday interactions with smart devices, digital services and the internet are generating huge amounts of data. How this data is created, processed and stored is increasingly affecting the planet’s natural environment as well as leading to cyber-security issues. Generating huge amounts of data...

Sunrise doesn't last all morning A cloudburst doesn’t last all day… All things must pass All things must pass away George Harrison’s 1970 song ‘All Things Must Pass’ could easily be seen to be his sonic lament to the passing of The Beatles. Heavily indebted to Timothy Leary’s 1966 transcendental poem All Things Pass – itself adapted from the pa...

There are numerous loud and powerful voices promoting the Internet of Things (IoT) as a catalyst for changing many aspects of our lives for the better. Healthcare, energy, transport, finance, entertainment and in the home – billions of everyday objects across all sorts of sectors are being connected to the Internet to generate data so that we can m...

The manifesto focuses on strategies for incorporating sustainability into the design of Internet of Things (IoT) devices. We hope it helps to galvanise product designers, interaction designers, creative technologists and makers into action - the people who have the skills and know how to use materials and technologies to design future sustainable...

With ever increasing demands on healthcare around the world, ensuring adequate provision for patients is becoming more and more challenging. In this paper, we focus on future healthcare provision, specifically looking at how Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Medical Devices might become widely adopted. Our motivation is to move beyond current debates, which ten...

We posit that as aging populations grow, so too will the demand for wearable devices that help people manage their chronic health conditions autonomously, at home, without medical supervision. Although healthcare providers are now integrating wearables into frontline services, the regulatory journey from consumer use to patient use for these device...

This paper discusses the creation of a design fiction that seeks to embody Sterling's (2005) spimes concept-near future, Internet-connected, manufactured objects. HealthBand is a fictional open-source wearable device born in a future where public healthcare has become increasingly privatised. Social equity and citizen empowerment sit at the forefro...

This paper unpacks Sterling's concept of spimes and outlines how it can be developed as a lens through which to speculate and reflect upon the future of more preferable and sustainable technological products. The term spimes denotes a class of near future, sustainable, manufactured objects, and unlike the disposable products, which permeate our soc...

Design Fiction has garnered considerable attention during recent years yet still remains pre-paradigmatic. Put differently there are concurrent,but incongruent, perspectives on what Design Fiction is and how to use it. Acknowledging this immaturity, we assert that the best way to contribute to the establishment of an evidence-based first paradigm,...

Tyrell: Is this to be an empathy test? Capillary dilation of the so-called blush response? Fluctuation of the pupil. Involuntary dilation of the iris... Deckard: We call it Voight-Kampff for short. Design fiction is a broad term that occupies a space within the wider miscellany of speculative design approaches and is appearing as a nascent method f...

This paper unpacks Sterling's concept of spimes and outlines how it can be developed as a lens through which to speculate and reflect upon more preferable and sustainable technological product futures. The term spimes denotes a class of near future, sustainable, manufactured objects, and unlike the disposable products that permeate our society toda...

To those of a certain age the concept of the mix-tape holds fond memories, and generally not of the musical content they contained, but rather the emotional and physical connection they represented with either its creator or recipient. They provided an embodiment of the time and effort it its creation and thus presented the same qualities of other...