If she is joining them, and becoming involved, then the type of research would be called participant observation.
Technology has always been closely linked to the ways in which people have lived. Before the development of civilization, humans lived for many millennia with tools and techniques that allowed them to live successfully in a wide variety of environments. From primitive stone implements to fairly sophisticated and specialized tools, prehistoric humans developed technologies that allowed them to increase their control over the natural world. In return, the tools that they used increasingly changed their way of life.
