Wisdom for the augmentation revolution
Since the dawn of civilization, humans have built tools to shape the world. Today we can build technologies that shape the very essence of being human. Augmentation Lab exists to make sure that goes well.
Our purpose
Machines keep getting more capable. We think people should too.
Most of the world’s technical talent is working on the machines, building faster models, denser chips, and larger systems. That work is worth doing, but it leaves the other half of the equation strangely neglected: the people those machines are supposedly for. As the algorithms that shape human behavior grow more advanced, technology has to empower people, not manipulate them. A system that knows someone intimately should answer to them first: it should ask for consent, protect their privacy, and be honest about what it does.
Technology for the whole person
Augmentation Lab is an R&D lab for that other half. We build software and hardware that extend human minds, bodies, senses, and relationships: a supernumerary limb controlled through AR, a mask that turns brain signals into light, a role-play tool for rehearsing a hard conversation before it happens. Clothing, eyeglasses, and prosthetics are augmentations too. What has changed is how far augmentation can now reach. We are not an AI company or a biotech company. We sit deliberately between fields, because augmentation is a question about the whole person.
What if it goes right?
Most serious thinking about advanced technology studies how it could fail. Our standing brief is the other branch: what if it goes right? That is not blind optimism. It means refusing three easy stories: that the outcome is already settled, that more technology is always better, and that the future is a contest between humans and machines that one side must lose. Advancement is not progress unless it serves human flourishing. We build tangible prototypes of futures where it does, and where people and machines are stronger together.
The hammer and the pen
We cultivate what we call philosopher-builders: people who wield the hammer and the pen. A philosopher-builder asks whether something should be built before asking whether it can be, which is why the philosopher comes first in the name. Our summer residencies have brought philosopher-builders together in Cambridge maker houses to turn unconventional concepts into working prototypes and discuss their meaning and consequences. The residency model was documented in a CHI 2024 publication.
The record so far
2022
First experiments
A group of builders around Harvard and the MIT Media Lab begins prototyping together — LimbX, AtomXR, low-cost AR glasses, and agents for digital worlds.
2023
The first residency
Twenty residents share a Cambridge hacker house for ten weeks. The philosopher-builder frame takes shape, and the first zine goes to print.
2024
A published model, a public summit
The residency model is published at CHI. The Human Augmentation Summit draws 300+ people to the MIT Media Lab, with live demos from the second cohort.
2025
Rhizome Futurism
The third residency asks what it means to build for a future where AGI goes right. The summit returns with ten tracks and an exhibition floor.
2026
The lab continues
45+ fellows from 16 countries so far. The community keeps building, the archive grows, and the question stays the same: how should humans live with technology?
Questions, answered
Is the Augmentation Lab an academic research lab?+
We are an independent R&D lab and community, and therefore not governed by a university body. This allows us to support a wide variety of projects not limited to academic inquiry. Some of our members engage in academic research besides their involvement in the lab, or submit work they created with us to academic conferences, journals, or patent applications.
Are you affiliated with Harvard University or MIT?+
The lab was founded by students from Harvard and the MIT Media Lab. While both institutions have supported our efforts, we are not officially affiliated with them, and the lab does not represent their opinions, values, or practices. Participation in an Augmentation Lab activity does not equate to admission to any of these institutions whatsoever. That said, many of our members have built organic relationships with individuals from these institutions.
How can I join & participate?+
Start by joining the global community on Discord to share projects and find collaborators. Explore past Augmentation Residencies and Human Augmentation Summits on the events page. Contact the lab for information about future programs and ways to contribute.
Who runs the Augmentation Lab?+
The lab is entirely community-run — there are no employees making things happen. If you have an idea you'd like to run with the community as an organizer, propose it to one of the Core Organizers and we'll be in touch.
How can I donate to the Augmentation Lab?+
We take donations through our partner nonprofit, The Residency, via HCB (hcb.hackclub.com/donations/start/the-residency). Please note in the optional message that your gift is intended for the Augmentation Lab.
How can I support or partner with the lab?+
We offer several partnership options, from co-hosting events to sponsoring equipment or individual residency participants. Cash and expertise help us most — if you'd like to talk, write to the lab at contact@augmentationlab.org.