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
It's unboxing day for DEGREES OF FREEDOM from @mitpress.bsky.social! :D
November 23, 2025 at 5:44 PM
It's unboxing day for DEGREES OF FREEDOM from @mitpress.bsky.social! :D
1. STEMProv: a local (Black woman led!) improv group that will be reforming to do their first show since before the pandemic: a longform improv set inspired by a monologue from Naomi Fitter, with periodic interventions from a robot from my lab!
November 22, 2025 at 3:47 PM
1. STEMProv: a local (Black woman led!) improv group that will be reforming to do their first show since before the pandemic: a longform improv set inspired by a monologue from Naomi Fitter, with periodic interventions from a robot from my lab!
2. Subtext Improv (yes that's me in the back --- my profile picture is from the same photoshoot!) improvising a sci-fi novel! With two new members performing for their first time!
November 22, 2025 at 3:47 PM
2. Subtext Improv (yes that's me in the back --- my profile picture is from the same photoshoot!) improvising a sci-fi novel! With two new members performing for their first time!
3. My Mines colleague @estellesmithphd.bsky.social, a longtime singer and comedian, roasting AI in song.
November 22, 2025 at 3:47 PM
3. My Mines colleague @estellesmithphd.bsky.social, a longtime singer and comedian, roasting AI in song.
4. Robot themed improv group Not My Robot, who have previously come to my robotics classes to help teach student improv-based robot design principles, doing an even more roboty set than normal 🤖
November 22, 2025 at 3:47 PM
4. Robot themed improv group Not My Robot, who have previously come to my robotics classes to help teach student improv-based robot design principles, doing an even more roboty set than normal 🤖
The show will feature (in reverse order):
5. Headliner Naomi Fitter from @oregonstate.edu doing standup with her robot, who autonomously adjusts its joke delivery (all human written jokes!) based on audience response. Naomi gave a killer seminar on her robot comedy research yesterday at Mines.
5. Headliner Naomi Fitter from @oregonstate.edu doing standup with her robot, who autonomously adjusts its joke delivery (all human written jokes!) based on audience response. Naomi gave a killer seminar on her robot comedy research yesterday at Mines.
November 22, 2025 at 3:47 PM
The show will feature (in reverse order):
5. Headliner Naomi Fitter from @oregonstate.edu doing standup with her robot, who autonomously adjusts its joke delivery (all human written jokes!) based on audience response. Naomi gave a killer seminar on her robot comedy research yesterday at Mines.
5. Headliner Naomi Fitter from @oregonstate.edu doing standup with her robot, who autonomously adjusts its joke delivery (all human written jokes!) based on audience response. Naomi gave a killer seminar on her robot comedy research yesterday at Mines.
I'm wildly excited for tonight.
Why?
I'm running my first ROBOT COMEDY event tonight and it's already SOLD OUT!
Check out this lineup 🤩🧵➡️
Why?
I'm running my first ROBOT COMEDY event tonight and it's already SOLD OUT!
Check out this lineup 🤩🧵➡️
November 22, 2025 at 3:47 PM
I'm wildly excited for tonight.
Why?
I'm running my first ROBOT COMEDY event tonight and it's already SOLD OUT!
Check out this lineup 🤩🧵➡️
Why?
I'm running my first ROBOT COMEDY event tonight and it's already SOLD OUT!
Check out this lineup 🤩🧵➡️
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.