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Of late, there has been a renewed and reinvigorated exchange of ideas across science and technology studies and participatory design, emerging from a shared interest in 'publics'. In this article, we explore the role of participatory design in constituting publics, drawing together recent scholarship in both science and technology studies and participatory design. To frame our discussion, we present two case studies of community-based participatory design as empirical examples. From these examples and the literature, we discuss the ways in which the concepts of infrastructuring and attachments are central to the constitution of publics. Finally, through an analysis of our case studies, we consider the differences between the practices of enabling participation and infrastructuring, calling attention to the ways that constituting publics foregrounds an engagement with authority structures and unknown futures through the participatory design process.

AB S T RAC TF or elders who remain independent in their homes, the home becomes more than just a place to eat and sleep. The home becomes a place where people care for each other, and it gradually subsumes all activ ities. This article reports on an ethnographic study of aging adults who liv e independently in their homes. S eventeen elders aged 6 0 through 90 were interv iewed and observ ed in their homes in 2 Midwestern cities. The goal is to understand how robotic products might assist these people, helping them to stay independent and activ e longer. The ex perience of aging is described as an ecology of aging made up of people, products, and activ ities tak ing place in a local env ironment of the home and the surrounding community. In this env ironment, product successes and failures often hav e a dramatic impact on the ecology, throwing off a delicate balance.

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