“The Extrapolation Factory is an imagination-based studio for design-led futures studies, founded by Chris Woebken and Elliott P. Montgomery. The studio develops experimental methods for collaboratively prototyping, experiencing and impacting future scenarios.”
Living Tweaks
Autodesk Research has worked with The Extrapolation Factory on a collaborative initiative to examine a series of future scenarios in which synthetic biology and nano-engineering practices are easily accessible to non-experts. This research project was intended to collect, investigate, and visualize diverse potentials of synthetic biology and nanotechnology.
Custom-made research kit contains tools, props, and snacks for each extrapolation session. Respondents explore the world of synthetic biology and nanotechnology, and imagine new and unexpected future needs. Every extrapolation process yields a visual narrative using the kit.
Participants start by picking several cards from a database of existing scientific technologies. Using these technologies as a starting point, participants imagine scenarios to use these new technologies in their own futuristic field of interest. Using several tools like clay, stickers or dry erase markers, participants illustrated their future technological scenarios and explained how the new science could impact their fieldwork.
After interviewing the participants, the new scenarios were created into short films showcasing the new possible futures.
Role: research kit design, instance database card design, and user interview and testing.
2014
For more about The Extrapolation Factory, click here.