"I don't know if it wanted me to dance":on leading and being led in human-eGate interaction

Automated border controls, such as eGates, have become an everyday experience when travelling. Other than their divisive nature as a biometrical border, these access control systems are generally either taken for granted when functioning smoothly, or are seen as forcing humans into a scripted sequence of actions. Based on a technographic study of laboratory eGate-testing in Germany, we argue for a different approach in understanding this specific human-machine interaction. Drawing on Pickering's (2012) "dance of agency", we will show that the reciprocal interaction of using an eGate comprises facets of routine, anticipation, and mimicry. By becoming more attuned to the oscillation of agency, where leading and being led is reciprocal, we must recognize that even automated systems rely on human beings, their bodies and their senses to make adjustments. Our analysis suggests that both entities are interwoven in an asymmetric way, providing a new perspective on border technologies that incorporates usability and STS-perspectives. In doing so, our (laboratory) testing demonstrates that it is possible to return and retain human agency within interactions with border technologies.