Cyborg Preparedness: Incorporating Knowing and Caring Bodies into Emergency Infrastructures.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Sociology of Science and Technology
• Emergency Management

Background:

• Biopreparedness exercises are widely considered essential for managing infectious disease outbreaks.
• Existing research often focuses on the technical aspects of preparedness, overlooking the socio-material dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze how biopreparedness exercises function in practice.
• To explore the continuous mobilization and stabilization of emergency infrastructures through these exercises.
• To introduce and define the concept of "cyborg preparedness."

Main Methods:

• Conducted a 4-year multisited ethnography in Frankfurt and London.
• Observed and analyzed biopreparedness exercises and their impact on infrastructure.
• Focused on embodied knowledge, participant training, and the integration of human and technical elements.

Main Results:

• Exercises act as continuous rehearsals, mobilizing past and present events to stabilize emergency infrastructures.
• Infrastructures depend on participants' embodied knowledge and continuous investment and training.
• Emerging forms of urban governance arise from the integration of human bodies, clinical architectures, and technical artifacts.

Conclusions:

• Biopreparedness exercises are not just drills but active processes of infrastructure stabilization.
• The concept of "cyborg preparedness" highlights the entanglement of humans, technology, and governance in managing health crises.
• Preparedness requires ongoing attention, investment, and training to maintain functional emergency infrastructures.