CyborgCamp Archive

Welcome to the CyborgCamp Web Archive!

CyborgCamp is an unconference dedicated to exploring how technology extends human capability. Held either twice yearly or every two years around the world. The purpose of the conference is to gather people at the underground of a concept in a space to play with the future before it happens. Since 2008, various CyborgCamps have been convened in order to discuss wearable computing, augmented reality, cyborg anthropology, calm technology, and the social implications of always-on connectivity.

The format is deceptively simple and open-ended, which confuses the wrong audience and delights the right one: show up, propose a session, go to or lead that session, and during the session, vote with your feet (you may leave at will to explore other sessions). Typically the conference includes some morning speeches to get the conversation going, and always includes a suprise guest (usually a behind the scenes luminary of some point (example: wiki-inventor Ward Cunningham). In ideal scenarios, every attendee is also participant, which is much more encompassing than a traditional "sit and watch" conference. Sessions range from technical demos of wearable prototypes to philosophical discussions about identity in networked spaces.

This archive preserves session notes, photos, videos, and recaps from each year of CyborgCamp. The goal is to keep these conversations accessible for anyone interested in the history of how people thought about human-technology interaction during a formative period in mobile and wearable computing.

If you attended a CyborgCamp or have materials to contribute, visit the "Run your own" page for information on how the events are organized and how to host one in your community.

Past Events

CyborgCamp 2008 -- The first gathering, held at CubeSpace in Portland. Sessions covered topics including prosthetics and identity, lifelogging, and the ethics of ambient location tracking.

CyborgCamp 2010 -- Seattle Edition with an expanded attendance with sessions on RFID Implants, data portability, and the concept of the "calm interface." Featured a hands-on Arduino wearables workshop.

CyborgCamp 2011-2014 -- Continued annual events exploring evolving themes in wearable technology, quantified self, attention design, and the social dynamics of smartphone culture. Held in Seattle, Vancouver BC, Toronto, CA and Cambridge, MA.

Spin-off into Web 1.0 Conference 2016-2017 - Held in Portland, Oregon and MIT Media Lab

CyborgCamp 2018 - A very large CyborgCamp event held at PNCA in Portland, Oregon

Covid-Era 2020-2021 -- Spin-off into Future of the Web, Future of Water and Future of the Browser

CyborgCamp 2022-2024 -- A more frequent series of CyborgCamps held at a private house in upstate New York, averaging 20-40 participants twice yearly