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About

Smart city systems can help solve urban challenges. But when collecting data, what public values are involved? The Responsible Sensing Lab explores how to integrate social values in the design of sensing systems in public space.

In January 2021 the Responsible Sensing Lab was officially launched during an interactive livestream event. In essence the Lab is a testbed for conducting rigorous, transparent, and replicable research on how our smart technologies placed in public space can be designed in a way that makes the smart city ‘responsible’.

Our projects

Robots to keep public spaces clean. Is this the future for smart cities?

Amidst Amsterdam’s vibrant canals and historic streets, the need for efficient waste management is a pressing concern. Imagine a combination of human know-how and robot magic, working together to keep our city clean. Two MSc students explored how robotics can successfully reshape our urban landscape.

Shutterring

The Shutterring project aims to make smart doorbells more responsible by ensuring the privacy of bypassers and owners while keeping the main functionality of the device intact.

Design sprint tools for third-party scrutiny

Cities increasingly use algorithms to govern daily life and support decision-making. At the same time, algorithmic decision-making can harm people’s fundamental human right to autonomy. Can we develop AI that is open and responsive to dispute? Our team designed a speculative dashboard for people to scrutinize a specific algorithmic system.

Re-imagining navigation software to support exploring

The rapid spread of GPS-enabled smartphones since the early 2000s has fundamentally changed navigation in the city. Interaction Designer Laura de Groot explored the potential downsides of mobile navigation software and re-imagined navigation software to support exploring.

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