Date of Award
Spring 5-30-2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Industrial Design
Department
Industrial Design
First Advisor
Tim Maly
Second Advisor
Brian Kane
Third Advisor
Ryan Bardsley
Abstract
Over the past decade, rapid advancement in the fields of artificial intelligence and machine learning has led to an abrupt shift in the skills we designate as “human” and the skills we delegate to machines. This shift can be characterized, to some degree, by the transformation of tacit knowledge–knowledge that is difficult to transfer or quantify, into explicit knowledge–a language that machines can both understand and act on. An adjacent surge in democratized education platforms has made it possible for anyone to begin learning a new skill. Mastering a skill however, especially hands-on skills, often requires a level of tacit knowledge and expertise that a static YouTube tutorial cannot deliver. This thesis explores a future in which tools act as educators–a medium to transmit the tacit knowledge of expert tool users to novices. Experiments with homemade flamethrowers, exoskeleton gloves, and a hacked pottery wheel have helped me draft a framework for successfully embedding digital augmentation into tools while avoiding the pitfalls of digital dependency.
Recommended Citation
Ferguson, Ryan, "Retooling : experiments in digital apprenticeship" (2017). Masters Theses. 140.
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/140
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