Leo Westerlund

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About

Leo Westerlund is a forward-thinking researcher whose work sits at the intersection of robotics, digital transformation, and the future of human labor. His scholarship critically examines how emerging technologies — particularly robotics and automation — are reshaping work life and organizational structures in profound and complex ways. Westerlund's most recognized contribution, "Futures of Robotics: Human Work in Digital Transformation" (2017), has garnered significant academic attention, accumulating over 70 citations across its documented versions. In this work, he evaluates pivotal trends driving the evolution of robotics, maps out diverse scenarios for the future relationship between humans and automated systems, and presents a comprehensive roadmap spanning both industrial and service robotics. Rather than offering a purely technological perspective, Westerlund grounds his analysis in the human dimension — asking not just what robots *can* do, but what that means for workers, organizations, and society at large. His research is particularly valuable for scholars and students grappling with questions about automation, workforce disruption, and policy responses to technological change. By blending futures studies methodology with robotics analysis, Westerlund offers a uniquely interdisciplinary lens for understanding one of the defining challenges of the twenty-first century.