Dave Murray-Rust

Delft University of Technology, University of Kent, University of Edinburgh

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About

Dave Murray-Rust is a design researcher and artist whose work sits at the intersection of human-robot interaction (HRI), speculative design, and the future of work. His research critically examines how we imagine, build, and live with autonomous systems, moving beyond purely technical questions to explore the social, relational, and ethical dimensions of robotics. A key contribution is his co-founding of the First International Workshop on Worker-Robot Relationships (2024), which introduced the concept of "worker-robot relationships" (WRRs) for Industry 5.0, arguing that reciprocal, co-evolved partnerships between cognitive robots and human workers must be designed with care. His artistic practice is equally influential: through installations like *Lichtsuchende*—a society of static, autonomous robots that exhibit social behavior and creature-hood—he challenges designers to rethink agency, emergence, and the very nature of "relationship" with machines. Murray-Rust’s work has been cited in HRI, design studies, and STS communities, and his speculative, transdisciplinary approach offers students and researchers a powerful framework for imagining more humane, just, and surprising technological futures.