Ned Barker
Papers
8
Total Citations
66
H-Index
4
About
Ned Barker is a sensory ethnographer whose research sits at the intersection of human-robot interaction, touch, and industrial labor. Their work explores how new waves of industrial and collaborative robots—from fourth-generation factory arms to biohybrid machines—are reshaping tactile experience, affective dynamics, and social relations in the workplace. Barker’s most-cited paper, “Filtering Touch: An Ethnography of Dirt, Danger, and Industrial Robots” (2021, 22 citations), offers a vivid ethnographic account of how touch operates in extreme industrial settings, revealing the sensory politics of automation. Their broader contributions include theorizing “tactile-affects” in collaborative robotics and developing innovative methods for moving sensory ethnography online during COVID-19. With a growing body of work that also extends into speculative futures—such as substituting animals with biohybrid robots and critically imagining disability futures through Cybathlon spectatorship—Barker is shaping how we understand digital touch as both a technological and deeply human phenomenon. Their research is essential reading for anyone interested in the sensory dimensions of Industry 4.0.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Filtering Touch: An Ethnography of Dirt, Danger, and Industrial Robots22 citations · 2021
- 2
- 3Collaborative Robots and Tangled Passages of Tactile-Affects11 citations · 2022
- 4Becoming in Touch with Industrial Robots through Ethnography7 citations · 2020
- 5Moving Sensory Ethnography Online3 citations · 2022
- 6Sensory Explorations of Digital Touch3 citations · 2023
- 7
- 8