Tom Williams
@tomwilliams.phd
Human-Robot Interaction researcher, Associate Professor of Computer Science at Colorado School of Mines.
Author of "Degrees of Freedom: On Robotics and Social Justice", forthcoming at MIT Press.
Personal: tomwilliams.phd
Lab: MIRRORLab.mines.edu
Author of "Degrees of Freedom: On Robotics and Social Justice", forthcoming at MIT Press.
Personal: tomwilliams.phd
Lab: MIRRORLab.mines.edu
Thank you @umich.edu Robotics for hosting me today to talk about my forthcoming book!
One of the most rewarding campus visits I've ever had in terms of sheer number of identified collaboration opportunities for proposals and papers!
One of the most rewarding campus visits I've ever had in terms of sheer number of identified collaboration opportunities for proposals and papers!
November 13, 2025 at 1:47 AM
Thank you @umich.edu Robotics for hosting me today to talk about my forthcoming book!
One of the most rewarding campus visits I've ever had in terms of sheer number of identified collaboration opportunities for proposals and papers!
One of the most rewarding campus visits I've ever had in terms of sheer number of identified collaboration opportunities for proposals and papers!
*Degrees of Freedom* from @mitpress.bsky.social will be on shelves ONE MONTH FROM TODAY!
To celebrate, I have a new newsletter post out (tomwilliamsphd.beehiiv.com/p/degrees-of...) re: how to get 30% off the book on release, and 20% off the book any date thereafter.
To celebrate, I have a new newsletter post out (tomwilliamsphd.beehiiv.com/p/degrees-of...) re: how to get 30% off the book on release, and 20% off the book any date thereafter.
November 9, 2025 at 7:38 PM
*Degrees of Freedom* from @mitpress.bsky.social will be on shelves ONE MONTH FROM TODAY!
To celebrate, I have a new newsletter post out (tomwilliamsphd.beehiiv.com/p/degrees-of...) re: how to get 30% off the book on release, and 20% off the book any date thereafter.
To celebrate, I have a new newsletter post out (tomwilliamsphd.beehiiv.com/p/degrees-of...) re: how to get 30% off the book on release, and 20% off the book any date thereafter.
New version of our lab's robot TTRPG /Hello World, I'm Sorry/ launching soon!
October 3, 2025 at 9:48 PM
New version of our lab's robot TTRPG /Hello World, I'm Sorry/ launching soon!
Very excited for our lab's forthcoming #IROS2025 paper! Extremely cool work from @renazhu.bsky.social et al.
"That’s Iconic! Designing Augmented Reality Iconic Gestures To Enhance Multi-modal Communication For Morphologically Limited Robots"
mirrorlab.mines.edu/publications...
🧵
"That’s Iconic! Designing Augmented Reality Iconic Gestures To Enhance Multi-modal Communication For Morphologically Limited Robots"
mirrorlab.mines.edu/publications...
🧵
August 15, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Very excited for our lab's forthcoming #IROS2025 paper! Extremely cool work from @renazhu.bsky.social et al.
"That’s Iconic! Designing Augmented Reality Iconic Gestures To Enhance Multi-modal Communication For Morphologically Limited Robots"
mirrorlab.mines.edu/publications...
🧵
"That’s Iconic! Designing Augmented Reality Iconic Gestures To Enhance Multi-modal Communication For Morphologically Limited Robots"
mirrorlab.mines.edu/publications...
🧵
We now have a cover for my forthcoming book, *Degrees of Freedom: On Robotics and Social Justice*! (@mitpress.bsky.social, 2025)
In this newsletter post, I talk about the cover, and explain its significance: tomwilliamsphd.beehiiv.com/p/degrees-of...
Pre-order: mitpress.mit.edu/978026255402...
In this newsletter post, I talk about the cover, and explain its significance: tomwilliamsphd.beehiiv.com/p/degrees-of...
Pre-order: mitpress.mit.edu/978026255402...
August 11, 2025 at 2:14 PM
We now have a cover for my forthcoming book, *Degrees of Freedom: On Robotics and Social Justice*! (@mitpress.bsky.social, 2025)
In this newsletter post, I talk about the cover, and explain its significance: tomwilliamsphd.beehiiv.com/p/degrees-of...
Pre-order: mitpress.mit.edu/978026255402...
In this newsletter post, I talk about the cover, and explain its significance: tomwilliamsphd.beehiiv.com/p/degrees-of...
Pre-order: mitpress.mit.edu/978026255402...
Diolch y'n fawr iawn Christopher Wallbridge for hosting me for a seminar at @cardiffunilib.bsky.social to discuss Degrees of Freedom (@mitpress.bsky.social)! So much amazing work going on at Cardiff HCC right now --- looking forward to finding ways to collaborate!
July 23, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Diolch y'n fawr iawn Christopher Wallbridge for hosting me for a seminar at @cardiffunilib.bsky.social to discuss Degrees of Freedom (@mitpress.bsky.social)! So much amazing work going on at Cardiff HCC right now --- looking forward to finding ways to collaborate!
I've received final proofs from @mitpress.bsky.social for Degrees of Freedom!
To celebrate, I've published a newsletter post exploring the full timeline to write this book.
Read the post: tomwilliamsphd.beehiiv.com/p/degrees-of...
Pre-order: mitpress.mit.edu/978026255402...
To celebrate, I've published a newsletter post exploring the full timeline to write this book.
Read the post: tomwilliamsphd.beehiiv.com/p/degrees-of...
Pre-order: mitpress.mit.edu/978026255402...
July 22, 2025 at 10:24 AM
I've received final proofs from @mitpress.bsky.social for Degrees of Freedom!
To celebrate, I've published a newsletter post exploring the full timeline to write this book.
Read the post: tomwilliamsphd.beehiiv.com/p/degrees-of...
Pre-order: mitpress.mit.edu/978026255402...
To celebrate, I've published a newsletter post exploring the full timeline to write this book.
Read the post: tomwilliamsphd.beehiiv.com/p/degrees-of...
Pre-order: mitpress.mit.edu/978026255402...
Excited to join the AI-tocracy pod's summer speaker series! On 6/5 at 9AM MT I'll be discussing my book "Degrees of Freedom: On Robotics and Social Justice" from @mitpress.bsky.social.
Check ai-tocracy.org next week to learn more, and subscribe on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!
Check ai-tocracy.org next week to learn more, and subscribe on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!
May 27, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Excited to join the AI-tocracy pod's summer speaker series! On 6/5 at 9AM MT I'll be discussing my book "Degrees of Freedom: On Robotics and Social Justice" from @mitpress.bsky.social.
Check ai-tocracy.org next week to learn more, and subscribe on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!
Check ai-tocracy.org next week to learn more, and subscribe on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!
Robotics friends: Will you be at #icra? Curious about my forthcoming book, Degrees of Freedom from @mitpress.bsky.social?
Come to the Robot Ethics Forum tomorrow, which we'll be kicking off with a Book Preview Talk on Degrees of Freedom!
Come to the Robot Ethics Forum tomorrow, which we'll be kicking off with a Book Preview Talk on Degrees of Freedom!
May 19, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Robotics friends: Will you be at #icra? Curious about my forthcoming book, Degrees of Freedom from @mitpress.bsky.social?
Come to the Robot Ethics Forum tomorrow, which we'll be kicking off with a Book Preview Talk on Degrees of Freedom!
Come to the Robot Ethics Forum tomorrow, which we'll be kicking off with a Book Preview Talk on Degrees of Freedom!
I'm extremely proud of Dr. Alexa Bejarano for winning this year's Dr. Bhakta Rath and Sushama Rath Research Award: the Colorado School of Mines' for the dissertation with the greatest perceived potential for future societal impact. 1/
May 7, 2025 at 12:29 AM
I'm extremely proud of Dr. Alexa Bejarano for winning this year's Dr. Bhakta Rath and Sushama Rath Research Award: the Colorado School of Mines' for the dissertation with the greatest perceived potential for future societal impact. 1/
Finally got my copy of Ericka Johnson's "How that robot made me feel" from @mitpress.bsky.social!
Grateful for the opportunity to review+blurb this wonderful book!
Grateful for the opportunity to review+blurb this wonderful book!
April 30, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Finally got my copy of Ericka Johnson's "How that robot made me feel" from @mitpress.bsky.social!
Grateful for the opportunity to review+blurb this wonderful book!
Grateful for the opportunity to review+blurb this wonderful book!
Thanks to the lab for a great year of research!
April 28, 2025 at 4:22 AM
Thanks to the lab for a great year of research!
"Degrees of Freedom: On Robotics and Social Justice" from @mitpress.bsky.social is available for pre-order... and on sale thru Friday!
The PDF will be *free* at launch, but if you want a physical copy I strongly recommend you preorder through @barnesandnoble (bit.ly/dof-bn) with code PREORDER25.
The PDF will be *free* at launch, but if you want a physical copy I strongly recommend you preorder through @barnesandnoble (bit.ly/dof-bn) with code PREORDER25.
April 23, 2025 at 6:03 PM
"Degrees of Freedom: On Robotics and Social Justice" from @mitpress.bsky.social is available for pre-order... and on sale thru Friday!
The PDF will be *free* at launch, but if you want a physical copy I strongly recommend you preorder through @barnesandnoble (bit.ly/dof-bn) with code PREORDER25.
The PDF will be *free* at launch, but if you want a physical copy I strongly recommend you preorder through @barnesandnoble (bit.ly/dof-bn) with code PREORDER25.
Page Proofs for *Degrees of Freedom: on Robotics and Social Justice* from The MIT Press are done!!! All 346 pages reviewed and final proofreading changes made, after a ton of work over this past week. 😴
There's even bigger news about the book, but I'm not allowed to share it until tomorrow. 😊
There's even bigger news about the book, but I'm not allowed to share it until tomorrow. 😊
April 22, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Page Proofs for *Degrees of Freedom: on Robotics and Social Justice* from The MIT Press are done!!! All 346 pages reviewed and final proofreading changes made, after a ton of work over this past week. 😴
There's even bigger news about the book, but I'm not allowed to share it until tomorrow. 😊
There's even bigger news about the book, but I'm not allowed to share it until tomorrow. 😊
This is vile. NIH declaring grant recipients must agree not to operate, unrelated to the grant, any programs that advocate for DEIA, and not to engage in Israeli Boycotts.
Blatantly illegal.
Will universities sue?
Blatantly illegal.
Will universities sue?
April 22, 2025 at 12:33 PM
This is vile. NIH declaring grant recipients must agree not to operate, unrelated to the grant, any programs that advocate for DEIA, and not to engage in Israeli Boycotts.
Blatantly illegal.
Will universities sue?
Blatantly illegal.
Will universities sue?
Finishing proofing the penultimate chapter of Degrees of Freedom from @mitpress.bsky.social. This chapter, End Effector, is probably my favorite, and goes the hardest, as it calls for an abolitionist robotics.
April 21, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Finishing proofing the penultimate chapter of Degrees of Freedom from @mitpress.bsky.social. This chapter, End Effector, is probably my favorite, and goes the hardest, as it calls for an abolitionist robotics.
Proofed Chapters 3-5 of "Degrees of Freedom" (tomwilliams.phd/book) on this very snowy day (cc @mitpress.bsky.social!)
A wild shift in weather from yesterday, but #ThatsSoColorado for ya.
53 pages of main text left!
Next up is the chapter I focused on at the IUPRA Symposium two weeks back...
A wild shift in weather from yesterday, but #ThatsSoColorado for ya.
53 pages of main text left!
Next up is the chapter I focused on at the IUPRA Symposium two weeks back...
April 18, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Proofed Chapters 3-5 of "Degrees of Freedom" (tomwilliams.phd/book) on this very snowy day (cc @mitpress.bsky.social!)
A wild shift in weather from yesterday, but #ThatsSoColorado for ya.
53 pages of main text left!
Next up is the chapter I focused on at the IUPRA Symposium two weeks back...
A wild shift in weather from yesterday, but #ThatsSoColorado for ya.
53 pages of main text left!
Next up is the chapter I focused on at the IUPRA Symposium two weeks back...
Two chapters of /Degrees of Freedom/ proofed, five to go.
I'm so excited for people to read this book!
Book: tomwilliams.phd/book
Newsletter: tomwilliamsphd.beehiiv.com/
I'm so excited for people to read this book!
Book: tomwilliams.phd/book
Newsletter: tomwilliamsphd.beehiiv.com/
April 18, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Two chapters of /Degrees of Freedom/ proofed, five to go.
I'm so excited for people to read this book!
Book: tomwilliams.phd/book
Newsletter: tomwilliamsphd.beehiiv.com/
I'm so excited for people to read this book!
Book: tomwilliams.phd/book
Newsletter: tomwilliamsphd.beehiiv.com/
Another example for your list: I made the GPT = Frankfurtian Bullshit argument in 2020. Technically this paper was submitted in 2019.
mirrorlab.mines.edu/publications...
mirrorlab.mines.edu/publications...
April 18, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Another example for your list: I made the GPT = Frankfurtian Bullshit argument in 2020. Technically this paper was submitted in 2019.
mirrorlab.mines.edu/publications...
mirrorlab.mines.edu/publications...
The park next to my house is a beautiful place to sit and review page proofs that critique AI ❤️
April 17, 2025 at 8:10 PM
The park next to my house is a beautiful place to sit and review page proofs that critique AI ❤️
Proud of the MIRRORLab undergrads who presented at the @coschoolofmines.bsky.social Undergrad Research Symposium today!
April 16, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Proud of the MIRRORLab undergrads who presented at the @coschoolofmines.bsky.social Undergrad Research Symposium today!
I normally keep this type of stuff off of Blue Sky, but this one's big! If you have friends in Denver, tell them to get tickets to Sat's LGL before they run out!
It's our new monthly musical comedy variety show, with stand up, clown, and of course, improv!
risecomedy.crowdwork.com/shows/let-s-...
It's our new monthly musical comedy variety show, with stand up, clown, and of course, improv!
risecomedy.crowdwork.com/shows/let-s-...
April 14, 2025 at 1:07 PM
I normally keep this type of stuff off of Blue Sky, but this one's big! If you have friends in Denver, tell them to get tickets to Sat's LGL before they run out!
It's our new monthly musical comedy variety show, with stand up, clown, and of course, improv!
risecomedy.crowdwork.com/shows/let-s-...
It's our new monthly musical comedy variety show, with stand up, clown, and of course, improv!
risecomedy.crowdwork.com/shows/let-s-...
Page proofs are in from @mitpress.bsky.social for "Degrees of Freedom"!
Time to start the final read through these ~215 pages of content and ~140 pages of references and notes!
Time to start the final read through these ~215 pages of content and ~140 pages of references and notes!
April 11, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Page proofs are in from @mitpress.bsky.social for "Degrees of Freedom"!
Time to start the final read through these ~215 pages of content and ~140 pages of references and notes!
Time to start the final read through these ~215 pages of content and ~140 pages of references and notes!