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RIR-3017 · Logged 13 July 2026
Evaluating Public Engagement Outcomes Through Speculative Design of Emerging Artificial Womb Technologies
Speculative design serves as a critical tool for facilitating public discourse regarding the societal implications of emerging biotechnologies. Future studies could assess the long-term impact of these design interventions on public policy awareness.
In plain words
Artificial wombs are a technology still being developed. When designers make imagined objects about such technologies to get the public talking, does that lead to lasting public interest, or shape what policymakers discuss?
Primary research question
To what extent does speculative design influence public understanding and policy discourse regarding artificial womb technology?
Knowledge gap
What remains worth asking
It remains useful to test whether speculative design artifacts effectively translate into sustained public engagement or policy influence over time.
Potential contribution
Why it may matter
This research helps bridge the gap between technological development and societal readiness through creative engagement.
Academic placement
Academic fields and topic tags
Study frame: Public engagement initiatives and technology assessment frameworks. · Method signals: Qualitative interviews, Delphi method, Design ethnography
Possible study pathways
One question, different levels
Postgraduate diploma
Speculative design and technology assessment
Doctoral
Societal impacts of reproductive technologies
- originality
- Moderate
- methodology
- Moderate
- Data access
- Accessible
- ethics
- Moderate
Quality and audit
78/100 quality
Safeguard-based audit was not recorded under the prior standard.
- Requires careful ethical consideration regarding sensitive reproductive technologies.
- Open-access scholarly source and DOI metadata verified
This older record can be checked against the current standard on request. It changes only if every academic gate and independent safeguard passes.
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Research Idea curation
- DOI and bibliographic metadata independently resolved
- Open-access status verified
- The research direction is transparently marked as AI-inferred
The public contributor code contains no name or account email.
APA 7 source
Nabuurs, J., Heltzel, A., Willems, W., & Kupper, F. (2023). Crafting the future of the artificial womb - speculative design as a tool for public engagement with emerging technologies. Futures, 151, 103184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2023.103184
Paper abstract and discussion context; AI-inferred direction
This is an AI-inferred direction. The source authors did not state it as a recommendation.
Open source ↗