Column by Jeroen Junte | DesignDigger.nl
“Designers ask the most existential question: not who, but what are we? Only with this self-examination can we protect our vulnerable bodies against viruses and other harmful invaders.”(…)
Of course, this preoccupation with our own bodies has also been fueled by digitalization. Far too often and for too long we sit in front of screens. Even sex and intimacy become devoid of physical contact. While this intimacy is (almost) as important as eating and sleeping. This is unequivocally confirmed by Laura A Dima’s Future Affair project in the Milk Factory. Visitors can touch each other without physical contact. A soft robotic arm with a very sophisticated push mechanism rubs a person’s arm just as long as another person presses a button. With the eyes closed it feels like a real caress. But if you look at the mechanical hand, the spell is immediately broken. Ultimately, we need not only our own body but also that of the other – no robot can change that (….)”