89 © Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018 A. Fritzsche, S. J. Oks (eds.), The Future of Engineering, Philosophy of Engineering and Technology 31, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91029-1_6 Chapter 6 Philosophy of Engineering and the Quest for a Novel Notion of Experimentation Viola Schiaffonati Abstract Epistemological issues in engineering knowledge have traditionally played a central role in the debate over the assessment of the philosophy of engi- neering as a disciplinary feld. However, only few works have explicitly focused on experimental methodology and attempted to systematically compare the traditional experimental method of the natural sciences to the kind of experimentation carried out in engineering research. In this paper, by investigating some areas of computer engineering, and in particular autonomous robotics, I claim that traditional experi- mentation cannot be always applied as such to computer engineering and that the notion of explorative experiment is a good candidate to be considered. Explorative experiments are a form of investigation of novel ideas or techniques without the typical constraints of rigorous experimental methodologies. They are driven by the desire of investigating the realm of possibilities pertaining to the functioning of a technical artefact and its interaction with the environment in the absence of a proper theory or theoretical background. Keywords Experimental method · Experimental computer science and engineer- ing · Technoscience · Explorative experiment · Autonomous robotics 6.1 A Methodological Investigation Epistemological issues in engineering knowledge have traditionally played a central role in the debate over the assessment of the philosophy of engineering as a disci- plinary feld. Foundational works, such as the classical book by Walter Vincenti (1990), have addressed both the design and the growth of engineering knowledge, while refusing the characterization of technology as applied science and promoting engineering knowledge as an epistemological species. More recently edited V. Schiaffonati (*) Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy e-mail: viola.schiaffonati@polimi.it