Abstract
This introduction to the volume “Early engagement and new technologies: Opening up the laboratory” sets out how recent policy developments have demonstrated a growing interest in early engagement with technology, and identifies the various ways in which scholars from the social sciences and humanities have responded to these policies. The five main approaches elaborated in this volume are introduced: Constructive Technology Assessment (CTA), Value Sensitive Design (VSD), Socio-Technical Integration Research (STIR), Network Approach for Moral Evaluation (NAME), and Political Technology Assessment (PTA). A range of broader issues related to technology engagement is identified and an outline of the volume chapters is presented.