The Good Robot

Hosted by Dr Kerry McInerney and Dr Eleanor Drage

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Episodes

125

Latest episode

Sep 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Join Dr Eleanor Drage and Dr Kerry McInerney as they ask the experts: what is good technology? Is ‘good’ technology even possible? And how can feminism help us work towards it? Each week, they invite scholars, industry practitioners, activists, and more to provide their unique perspective on what feminism can bring to the tech industry and the way that we think about technology. With each conversation, The Good Robot asks how feminism can provide new perspectives on technology’s biggest problems.

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60 recent

October 27, 202643 min

Genomics, NFL Players, and Public Health with Chelsey Carter

Why is public health struggling to make its technologies good? In this episode, Yale public health scholar and medical anthropologist Chelsey R. Carter joins Eleanor Drage to explore the technologies of public health. They discuss how eye-gaze devices can help people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) communicate, and why assistive technology can fail when users don’t receive the training and support they need. Chelsey also tells us about racial bias in neurological care that National Football League (NFL) players receive after injuries, and shares how the Black Genome Project approaches representation and lived experience in genomics. From COVID-19 and public health policy to precision medicine and the ethics of health technology, this conversation asks who benefits from innovation, and what it takes to make healthcare more equitable. Essential listening for anyone interested in disability justice, Black health, medical anthropology, health equity, and the relationship between technology, race, and care. Reading List: Chelsey’s website The Difference of Black ALS Anti-Bodies for Survival Weathering Anti-Blackness Priorities and Recommendations to Make ALS a Livable Disease Emanating from the 2024 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Report Living with ALS Are diverse databases actually creating equity in genomics? Hope tempered by caution: Public beliefs in the United States about the benefits and drawbacks of using epigenetic technologies in clinical care. Interpersonal associations in mental health outcomes of people living with ALS, caregivers, and dyads: Implications for the role of clinicians Examining relationships between multifactorial health beliefs and beliefs about the social implications of genetics The Difference of Black ALS Anti‐Bodies for Survival Anti‐Bodies, Anti‐Body: A Black Feminist Call and Response: Introduction St. Louis enhancing engagement and retention (STEER) in HIV/AIDS care: a participatory intersectional needs assessment for intervention and implementation planning Strengthening the US Health Workforce to End the HIV Epidemic: Lessons Learned From 11 EHE Jurisdictions Patients as knowledge partners in the context of complex chronic conditions Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research in Cardiovascular Care: Opportunities in the Coming Decades Psychological distress and life satisfaction among Black working adults in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic Past Is Prologue: Dismantling Colonial Legacies to Advance Black Health Equity in the United States “They need people to actually show up in their lives:” deploying community health workers to improve mental health and substance use outcomes among PLWH The Weather of Anti-Blackness: Is Health Equity Enough? Inclusive Recruitment Strategies to Maximize Sociodemographic Diversity among Participants: A St. Louis Case Study Gaslighting: ALS, anti‐Blackness, and medicine Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo

September 29, 202650 min

Navigating Disability in Russia with Cassandra Hartblay

In this episode of The Good Robot, Eleanor Drage speaks with Cassandra Hartblay, anthropologist, writer, playwright, and author of Access Vernaculars: Disability and Accessible Design in Contemporary Russia . They explore disability, accessibility, technology, and inclusive design in contemporary Russia, examining how the unique political context shapes coping mechanisms for disabled people living in inaccessible and poorly maintained cities. We also discuss the Sochi 2014 Olympics and Paralympics, disability advocacy, and the relationship between war and disability. Through stories of wheelchair users, activists, architects, and everyday experiences of inaccessible environments, the episode asks what it really means to create technology and design that enables people to move, participate, and live with greater freedom. Reading List: Access Vernaculars: Disability and Accessible Design in Contemporary Russia Gleaning for Communism: The Soviet Socialist Household in Theory and Practice by Xenia Cherkaev Unmaking Russia's Abortion Culture: Family Planning and the Struggle for a Liberal Biopolitics by Michele Rivkin-Fish Keywords for Ethnography and Design, Cultural Anthropology website The Question of Access: Disability, Space, Meaning by Tanya Titchkosky Friction: An Ethnography of Global Connection by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo

September 15, 202636 min

Sperm banks and palliative care with Kelly and Anne McGuire

What does it mean to care for people and worlds that cannot simply be “fixed”? In Part 2 of this conversation, Eleanor Drage speaks with Kelly Fritsch and Anne McGuire, authors of Broken Worlds, Disabled Kin: Strategies for Collective Survival, about disability justice, collective care, maintenance, palliation, reproductive technology, and risk. They explore how mutual aid and disability culture offer alternatives to social abandonment, why palliation can help us live with loss and uncertainty, and how ideas about genetic and psychiatric risk can reinforce ableism and eugenic thinking. The episode asks how we can move beyond “fixing” individual bodies toward building more accessible, supportive, and just worlds. Reading List: Broken Worlds, Disabled Kin: Strategies for Collective Survival by Kelly Fritsch & Anne McGuire “Crip Technoscience Manifesto” by Aimi Hamraie & Kelly Fritsch “Crip Technoscience” by Kelly Fritsch and Suze Berkhout War on Autism: On the Cultural Logic of Normative Violence by Anne McGuire Disability Injustice: Confronting Criminalization in Canada edited by Kelly Fritsch and colleagues Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo

September 1, 202633 min

Sustaining life in crisis with Kelly Fritsch and Anne McGuire

What does it mean to live in a world that is already broken, and what can disability justice teach us about creating more livable futures? In this episode of The Good Robot, Eleanor Drage speaks with Kelly Fritsch and Anne McGuire, authors of Broken Worlds, Disabled Kin: Strategies for Collective Survival, about disability, technology, accessibility, care, maintenance, and collective survival. They explore how technologies from ramps to genetic medicine are shaped by social, political, and economic systems. The conversation takes us from why mainstream tech innovation can distract us from maintenance and repair, how "brokenness" is experienced unevenly, and what AI means for accessibility and disability justice. At its heart, this episode asks a powerful question: What are we maintaining, what are we repairing, for whom, and toward what kind of world? Reading List: Broken Worlds, Disabled Kin: Strategies for Collective Survival by Kelly Fritsch & Anne McGuire “Crip Technoscience Manifesto” by Aimi Hamraie & Kelly Fritsch “Crip Technoscience” by Kelly Fritsch and Suze Berkhout War on Autism: On the Cultural Logic of Normative Violence by Anne McGuire Disability Injustice: Confronting Criminalization in Canada edited by Kelly Fritsch and colleagues Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo

June 30, 202631 min

Fugitive Sensing with Michele Friedner

What happens when we treat hearing as an economic duty, and global tech corporations turn assistive devices into a lifetime commitment? In this episode of The Good Robot, Eleanor Drage sits down with medical anthropologist Michele Friedner (University of Chicago) to discuss her groundbreaking book, Sensory Futures: Deafness and Cochlear Implant Infrastructures in India. Together, they dismantle the normative project of "normalization" and expose the immense, hidden labor required to keep assistive technologies up and running. From the strict boundaries placed on mothers in auditory-verbal therapy sessions to the global shadow economies keeping obsolete devices "on-air," Friedner shares a deeply personal and poignant look at what happens when tech forces a narrowing of the human experience. Ultimately, she points us toward a more beautiful alternative: "fugitive sensing", where multi-sensory care, touch, and love actively resist an ableist failure of the imagination. Reading List: Valuing Deaf Worlds in Urban India Deaf and Incarcerated in the U.S. The Obsolescence Issue Feminist, Queer, Crip Activist Affordances: How Disabled People Improvise More Habitable Worlds Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo

June 16, 202633 min

The Rise, Fall, and Rise of TikTok with Crystal Abidin

Most companies unwittingly undermine their biggest growth opportunities by ignoring the complex morality of social media—where good technology depends on who controls it, and who benefits. Hosted by Eleanor Drage, this episode features Crystal Abidin, Professor of Internet Studies at Curtin University, who exposes the hidden power plays behind platforms like TikTok, revealing how what’s 'good' or 'bad' technology is often a matter of perspective—and power. This eye-opening episode, Eleanor and Crystal explore how social media’s ambivalence shapes youth cultures and influence—covering TikTok’s surprising origins, from climate activism to viral animals, and how state bans and geopolitical tensions transform global online communities. Crystal breaks down how content creators, from neurodivergent communities to cultural niche groups, leverage memes, humor, and subcultural capitals to forge solidarity and push back against systemic inequities. Reading List: https://wishcrys.com/ TikTok Cultures Research Network Her work: Abidin, Crystal. 2026. TikTok and Youth Cultures . Emerald Publishing. Abidin, Crystal. 2026. Child Influencers: How Children Become Entangled with Social Media Fame . Polity Press. Abidin, Crystal, and Natalie Pang (eds). 2025. Internet Popular Culture and (Everyday) Politics: Methodological & Ethical Critiques from Southeast Asia . Routledge. Gurrieri, Lauren, Jenna Drenten, and Crystal Abidin (eds). 2025. Influencer Marketing: Interdisciplinary and Socio-Cultural Perspectives . Routledge. Tiidenberg, Katrin, Natalie Ann Hendry, and Crystal Abidin. 2021. tumblr . Polity Press. Warfield, Katie, Crystal Abidin, and Carolina Cambre (eds). 2020. Mediated Interfaces: The Body on Social Media . Bloomsbury Academic. Leaver, Tama, Tim Highfield, and Crystal Abidin. 2020. Instagram: Visual Social Media Cultures . Polity Press. Abidin, Crystal, and Megan Lindsay Brown (eds). 2018. Microcelebrity Around the Globe: Approaches to cultures of internet fame . Emerald Publishing. Abidin, Crystal. 2018. Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame Online _. _Emerald Publishing.

June 2, 202633 min

Community technology is the future with Dave Griffiths

In this episode of The Good Robot, Eleanor Drage sits down with David Griffiths, founding director of the nonprofit Then Try This. Inspired by a childhood spent coding pixels next to his mother’s traditional floor loom, Dave unpacks the deep historical links between textiles and programming, arguing that technology is never neutral and that true innovation relies on grassroots, participatory design. They explore brilliant local projects like Sonic Kayaks, which use underwater soundscapes to map marine data for visually impaired paddlers, and Nergal, an accessible game tracking public health trends using specialized audio cues. Finally, they reveal the hidden, feminist histories of computing, showing how modern microchips directly owe their legacy to the complex creativity of Navajo weavers. Tune in to discover why the future of tech belongs to frugal, community-led innovations rather than just the next iteration of GPT. Reading List: Then Try This Indigenous Circuits: Navajo Women and the Racialization of Early Electronic Manufacture Queer In AI: A Case Study in Community-Led Participatory AI Sensing Bodies: Engaging Postcolonial Histories through More-than-Human Interactions Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo

May 19, 202632 min

The Battle Over Data Centers with Tara Merk

Join host Eleanor Drage and guest Tara Merk as they explore how community-owned data centers can revolutionize digital ownership. Discover innovative models that challenge big tech's dominance, promoting sustainability and local empowerment. Learn from Germany's success in renewable energy and cooperative governance. This episode reimagines internet ownership, focusing on community needs for a fairer, greener future. Reading list: Tara Merk’s LinkedIn Community Data Centers The making of critical data center studies Data infrastructure studies on an unequal planet Getting into fights with data centers: Or, a modest proposal for reframing the climate politics of ICT Data Center Opposition Report Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo

May 5, 202627 min

The Future of Data Centers and Digital Sovereignty with Friederike von Franque

Can cloud infrastructure be owned and governed by the people, and not just Big Tech? Friederike von Franqué, policy advisor at Wikimedia Germany, reveals how feminist principles and decentralized infrastructure are transforming the internet from a corporate service into a public commons. In this episode, we explore Friederike’s work with Wikimedia Germany. From the energy-intensive data centers of Frankfurt to Stockholm’s municipally owned fibre infrastructure, we examine the struggle to build technology that prioritizes the common good over corporate profit. Friederike explains why hyperscalers are not always the solution, and why we need environmental accountability and community-driven design. This conversation pulls back the curtain on the hidden data systems powering our lives, offering a provocative roadmap for a more equitable and sustainable digital future. Reading List: Friederike von Franque website "Enough of the Billionaires and Their Big Tech. 'Frugal Tech' Will Build Us All a Better World": An article by Eleanor Drage. Wikimedia Foundation / Wikimedia Germany “ Wikipedia Is Running On Its Own Metal: The Power and Limits of Self-Hosted Infrastructure ”by Wikimedia Europe Data centres are reshaping the global investment landscape by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo

April 21, 202629 min

The Revolutionary Microscopes Powering Global Tech Equality with Richard Bowman

Why do we often overlook the transformative power of open licensing in technology? Richard Bowman, a researcher and advocate for open source innovation, reveals how open licensing and frugal tech principles are not just ideas but powerful tools for global change. In this episode, we delve into Richard's journey from developing innovative microscopy to championing open source scientific hardware that challenges traditional tech ownership and promotes accessibility. Discover how these principles are reshaping global health and education, inspiring new ways to think about technology's role in society. Richard dismantles the myth that technology is neutral, illustrating how it can be a force for justice and empowerment. From creating locally repairable microscopes to developing community-driven scientific tools, this conversation uncovers the potential of open technology in crafting a more equitable and sustainable world. Reading list: Richard Bowman’s GitHub https://github.com/rwb27 OpenFlexure Official Website https://openflexure.org/ The Humanitarian Technology Trust https://httrust.org/ We need to break science out of its ivory tower – here’s one way to do this by Jenny Molloy https://theconversation.com/we-need-to-break-science-out-of-its-ivory-tower-heres-one-way-to-do-this-76354 The Open Source Hardware Movement by Andre Maia Chagas https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000014 Making hardware open source can help us fight future pandemics by Richard Bowman and Julian Stirling https://theconversation.com/making-hardware-open-source-can-help-us-fight-future-pandemics-heres-how-we-get-there-153280 Microscopy for everyone: how the OpenFlexure microscope is changing global healthcare https://www.theiet.org/membership/member-news/member-news-july-august-2025-issue/microscopy-for-everyone-how-the-openflexure-microscope-is-changing-global-healthcare OpenFlexure in MagPi Magazine (Issue 158, p. 112) https://magazine.raspberrypi.com/issues/158 Sharing of hardware is a missing link in the open science puzzle via SPARC https://sparcopen.org/impact-story/often-overlooked-sharing-of-hardware-is-a-missing-link-in-open-science-puzzle/ Open Science Hardware Policy by Julieta Arancio https://osh-policy.org/ Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo