Fab Labs Research Articles

Assessing the impact of maker services in Barcelona and Milan towards the 15-minute city model through their accessibility

Re-organizing cities with proximity-based urban planning models such as the 15-Minute City model is an emerging and promising direction of policy, practice and research for sustainable cities. The planning of new urban spaces, infrastructures and mobilities requires planning and designing services that support citizens in their proximities. Along this direction, the emergence of the Maker Movement and its maker laboratories (Fab Labs, Makerspaces, Hackerspaces, DIYbio Labs, and so on) contributes to building the infrastructure for distributed design and manufacturing services in cities. How can we adopt the impact assessment of maker services in terms of potential accessibility for designing services towards the 15-Minute City model? We explore this issue within the context of the metropolitan areas of Barcelona and Milan by analysing 1) the 15-minute walking distance catchment areas of their maker service; 2) how to adopt this method for service design and impact assessment in the 15-Minute City model.

Making sense of making: bringing a design and making project to school

ABSTRACT This study focuses on a design and making project carried out in a Finnish school and situated within the schedules of a multidisciplinary learning module and English as a foreign language. A group of technology students led the project as part of their university studies. Design and making are a recent development at school that allows the ideals of maker culture and school to converge. In this study, we analyse the sense making that emerged from this convergence during the project. The school participants were ninth graders, approx. 15 years old, working in teams. During the project, the teams ideated, planned, and produced artefacts envisioned to promote entrepreneurial goals for their professional future. The primary research materials include video recordings gathered from students’ work in the classroom and the digital fabrication lab (Fab Lab) as well as group interviews. Field notes provided additional support for the analysis. The research advanced through the cycles of engaging, navigating and changing the nexus of practice. Nexus analysis shed light on how participants’ pasts, interactions and discourses in place were shaping design and making at school. The study provides implications for guiding the design and making projects at school and inquiry-driven collaboration more generally.

EXPLORING PHILIPPINE ENGLISH IN STUDENT PUBLICATIONS: PERSPECTIVES OF ENGLISH TEACHERS ON LANGUAGE USAGE AND ACCEPTANCE

The study used a quantitative descriptive research method to investigate the use of lexical features of PE in news articles of student publication. A content analysis of 31 news articles identified 38 instances of Philippine English, categorized into coinages (24), preservation of items infrequent or lost in other varieties (5), normal expansions (5), and borrowings (4). Questionnaires were administered to 21 English teachers to assess the acceptability of these terms. The majority of the Philippine English lexical features found in the student publication were widely accepted by the English teachers. The results showed that terms such as “Fab Lab” and “U-Days” were widely accepted (100%), while others such as “blastful” and “sophomostrial” met with high rejection rates (90.5% and 100%, respectively). The study recommends inclusive language teaching practices that reflect the linguistic diversity of the Philippines. This study not only contributes to the understanding of PE but also provides practical implications for language teaching and curriculum development.

Southern creative robotics – A collaborative framework to implement computational design, fabrication and robotics

Scientific knowledge, ideally neutral and impartial, is inevitably shaped by geographical, economic, and cultural contexts. This research contends that overcoming the constraints of human and economic scarcity, inertia, and limited funding access demands development of collaborative research networks. To this end, four university laboratories from Brazil and Chile - UFRJ, UBB, UTFSM and UAI - have united to advance robotics applied to architecture. The methodology begins with an analysis of Industry 4.0, Fab Lab implementations, and robotics in architecture in the region. They identify key research aspects by mapping each laboratory’s activities and technologies to pinpoint expertise and potential collaborative areas. The authors propose a summary table comparing the labs and a chronological overview to track regional robotics advancement. To raise awareness among peers, the initiative involves joint actions such as courses, workshops and technical visits. 1 Recognising the scarcity of robotic units and the inapplicability of procedures from wealthier contexts, the authors draw on their lab experience to propose guidelines for implementing robotics research units in academia within the region. This includes technological alternatives, installation considerations, and detailed configuration reviews. The deployment of additional robotic units is a means to foster collaboration and bolster the network. Anticipated outcomes encompass increased critical mass, collaborative research initiatives, faculty and student exchange across institutions, higher publication rates, knowledge acquisition, and improved access to global funding agencies. In summary, the Southern Creative Robotics network initiative aims to catalyse the creative integration of digital manufacturing and robotics technology within design in the Ibero-American context.

Let’s get them on board: Focus group discussions with adolescents on empowering leisure engagement in Fab Labs and makerspaces

Makerspaces and Fab Labs are growing in number all over the world, holding the potential to empower children and adolescents. They form an important pathway to provide young people with access to digital manufacturing technologies while fostering self-determination, collaboration, and creativity. We explore how the engagement in Fab Lab based leisure maker activities may be promoted, taking into account both the perspectives of adolescents and the potential of surrounding systems. For this, we conducted focus group discussions with N = 61 non-maker, adolescent girls and boys from 6th to 9th grade, to scrutinize hindering and promoting factors of their engagement in leisure maker activities, and to explore their preferences regarding the involvement of parents, teachers and peers while considering the ecological sustainability of the activities. A reflexive thematic analysis identified the hindering and promoting factors across different aspects of maker activities such as the purpose, location and setting, content, and learning processes. Implications for the promotion and design of maker activities, as well as implications for further research, are discussed.

Stuck in the playground: a (failed) organizational entrepreneuring process

ABSTRACT Collaborative spaces such as fab labs, incubators, and coworking spaces have become a worldwide phenomenon based on their promise of fostering creativity and entrepreneurship. Mature, large organizations have also tried to benefit from this by creating such spaces in-house. This paper studies a failed attempt to create one such space in a large bureaucratic organization. Our study shows that succeeding in actualizing a space for play, creativity, and entrepreneurship in the place of the office requires attention to organizational ‘common sense’. With our process perspective and its upgrading of the role of affect, our study’s contributions highlight (1) The potential for research in organizational entrepreneurship of an affect-based conceptualization of common sense, which also emphasizes the political, in understanding the failure of entrepreneuring, and (2) The importance of ‘spacing’ and the space-place dynamics for entrepreneuring in organizations.

Fab labs and digital manufacturing in Cameroon - Minimising work accidents through JSA and AS/NZS 4360:2004 standard

Fab labs and digital manufacturing in Cameroon - Minimising work accidents through JSA and AS/NZS 4360:2004 standard

Blue-Green Horizons: Redefining Alginate Bioplastics with Spirulina Dyes

AbstractThis study introduces a novel, eco-friendly approach for the extraction and application of Spirulina (Sp.) pigments in alginate bioplastics, representing a significant advancement over traditional dyeing methods. The research explores a zero waste model process in a Fab Lab setting, involving three stages, liquid dye preparation, fibre dyeing, and bioplastic dyeing, with a focus on utilizing all by-products sustainably. In the liquid dye preparation phase, vibrant blue-green pigments were successfully extracted from Spirulina powder. The colour depth depended on the Spirulina concentration and the precipitation method used, with pH playing a critical role in achieving a range of green–blue hues. The fibre dyeing phase tested Spirulina dyes on various natural fibres, examining the impact of alum mordant pre-treatment on colour absorption and stability. Optimal dyeing results were obtained with a 1:1 ratio of Spirulina-filtered powder suspension to alum acid precipitation solution at a pH of 4. The techniques optimized were then applied to alginate bioplastics, including bio-yarns and bio-films, yielding a wide spectrum from green to blue. Bio-yarns showed better colour retention compared to bio-films, possibly due to residual alum. However, challenges in long-term colour stability and structural integrity against environmental factors like oxidation and humidity were observed. The study contributes valuable insights into the application of natural dyes in bioplastics, particularly in achieving blue and green shades with a Spirulina zero waste model. This work is significant for future sustainable material science research and emphasizes the importance of balancing aesthetic, functional, and environmental factors in circular design. Graphical Abstract

Inclusive Production Capacity Building for MSMEs: Designing Open Source Machine Tools and the OLSK approach

By creating opportunities for formal employment and absorbing significant portions of the global workforce, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) can be potent catalysts for sustainable and inclusive economic growth while making supply chains more resilient. However, acquiring the digital fabrication machine tools necessary for manufacturing, primarily produced in a few industrialized nations, presents a significant financial challenge for many MSMEs in developing countries. Open source machine tools, where designers freely share machine designs online, challenge traditional intellectual property models, but they suffer from scattered and poorly documented designs. This paper introduces the Open Lab Starter Kit (OLSK) approach, aiming to design, develop, and document crucial open source machine tools (OSMT) commonly needed to establish fab labs. The OLSK follows open source principles, reducing costs and barriers by enabling local replication using local resources. This strategy aims to democratize access to OSMT, foster innovation in resource-constrained regions and contribute to the broader landscape of open source hardware and its transformative potential. The benefits of the OLSK for MSMEs are discussed, challenges are highlighted. Based on this, some solutions for the application of the OLSK approach to digital fabrication in MSMEs are derived which aim to increase its accessibility and sustainability.

Fab Lab Toys from a Second-Grade Industrial Design Studio: Expanding the Boundaries of Toy Design

Fab Lab Toys from a Second-Grade Industrial Design Studio: Expanding the Boundaries of Toy Design

Third place social infrastructure, after and in crisis: insights from a local case study

Following the 2008 global financial crisis, Digital Fabrication Laboratories (Fab Labs) have become a common feature of the urban landscape in cities throughout Europe. An emerging body of literature suggests that Fab Labs go beyond providing access to digital fabrication tools, and function as ‘third places’ as they enhance social connectedness. Drawing on a case study of a Fab Lab in the English city of Coventry, this article utilises the concept of ‘austerity urbanism’ to understand the changing nature of third places in England since the 2008 global financial crash. In doing so, we argue that a confluence of austerity urbanism and digital advancements has influenced both the emergence of new third places (such as Fab Labs) while simultaneously undermining long-established third places (such as libraries). As a result, vital aspects of social infrastructure are being shaped and reshaped in the contemporary era. The article reflects on what these changes mean for individual and community well-being.

Challenges in starting to design and make together: Examining family engagement in Fab Labs: A nexus-analytical inquiry

Making in a digital fabrication laboratory (Fab Lab) using Fab Lab processes is generally challenging for novice makers, particularly for families with young children. We conducted a qualitative study on family engagement in open-ended digital fabrication activities in an informal Fab Lab setting, where families engaged in 2D/3D designing, laser cutting, and 3D printing. We observed challenging transformations when families moved from brainstorming to digital designing and, subsequently, from digital designing to machine-making a physical object. Fab Lab instructors’ work, parental approaches, and oral discussions, which were all intended to facilitate children's participation in the activities, were central in and intertwined with these transformations, and led to the engagement or disengagement of children. Through this study, we shed light on the challenges families faced and provide insights into how to reduce the complexity of digital fabrication for families who have no prior experience of it as well as into how Fab Lab instructors can help enable young children's participation in the related activities.

Circular Maker Cities: Maker Space Typologies and Circular Urban Design

Maker spaces can contribute significantly to the circular economy of cities; they demonstrate not only the economic potential of inner loop circularity, but also provide tangible evidence of spatial and social integration of production into the urban context. This paper presents findings from a typological analysis of 326 maker spaces in seven European cities, with a focus on selected exemplar case studies to reveal design characteristics, principles, and opportunities for circular city development. The research shows that circular economy principles of ‘reduce-reuse-recyle’ are aligned with maker spaces such as repair cafés, secondhand shops, and fab labs, but requires additional definition with respect to material flow and spaces for recycling to underpin circular making. In the context of cities, circularity is revealed by a spatial tightening of resource cycles that close the loops of product life cycles. Furthermore, urban maker spaces demonstrate social engagement and a relationship to local production that inherently includes maintenance, repair, reuse, and redistribution. This paper defines five maker typologies, presents exemplars of each from different urban contexts and posits hybrid design strategies for the transition to circular maker cities. Through the adoption of these findings into urban planning policy, it is possible accelerate circular urban production and close the sustainability gap between small-scale local and large-scale regional manufacturing.

GLOBALIZATION OF EDUCATION: VITAL APPROACHES IN STEM EDUCATION

The article deals with the contemporary situation in education sphere in terms of globalization process, describing the key aspects of the globalization of education, as well as the main aspects of STEM implementation. The article highlights various technologies of STEM system that are widely used all over the world. Among the most common are augmented and virtual reality, artificial intelligence, internet of things and others. Much attention is paid to recourses needed for implementation of STEM into learning process. Online Courses, Educational Websites, Open-Source Platforms, STEM Education Kits, Maker Spaces and Fab Labs, STEM Competitions and Challenges as well as many others were viewed in the article. The process of implementation of these resources and technologies was considered on the basis of “Smart Heat” educational project that can serve as a perfect example of successful combination of these approaches into educational process. It's worth noting that the selection of technologies and resources for STEM learning should align with the educational goals. They introduce practical knowledge and emphasize the importance of hands-on, experiential learning that promotes critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity.

Speaking of Sex: Critical Reflections for Forensic Anthropologists

Forensic anthropologists have a responsibility to appropriately relay information about a decedent in medicolegal reports and when communicating with the public. The terms ‘sex’ and ‘sex estimation’ have been applied with numerous, inconsistent definitions under the guise that sex—a broad, complex concept—can be reduced to a female/male binary. This binary does not reflect biocultural realities and harms those whose bodies do not meet social expectations of maleness or femaleness. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Laboratory (UNLV FAB Lab) advocates for the use of the term ‘assigned sex at birth’ (ASAB) to highlight that binary sex is not biologically inherent to the body, but rather, assigned by society. Additionally, we call for the use of disclaimers in case reports to denote the limitations of ASAB estimation methods, the differentiation between those with mixed trait expression (i.e., indeterminate) and those on whom an ASAB analysis cannot be performed (i.e., unknown), and the included consideration of gender in forensic anthropology research and case reports. Such applications challenge biological normalcy, allowing forensic anthropologists to actively advocate for those whose bodies do not meet biocultural expectations.

The Medical Right to Repair: Intellectual Property, the Maker Movement, and COVID-19

This article considers the strengths and limitations of the use of 3D printing and additive manufacturing for the production of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 public health crisis. It explores the role of the Maker Movement in addressing the shortfall in medical equipment during the public health pandemic. Taking a comparative approach, this article evaluates the responses of both the commercial and amateur sides of the 3D printing community to the COVID-19 public health crisis. In the EU, the Fab Lab Network sought to overcome a breakdown in supply chains. In the US, Dale Dougherty of Make Magazine promoted Plan C, in which volunteers have worked together to produce PPE. In Australia, 3D printing has been used to augment supplies of PPE. In this context, a key issue across jurisdictions has been the tension between intellectual property rights and the right to repair—particularly when 3D printing has been applied to deal with shortages in PPE. Senator Ron Wyden put forward the Critical Medical Infrastructure Right-to-Repair Act of 2020 (US) to try to resolve these tensions. Open licensing has proven to be a helpful mechanism to enable open collaboration and sharing of 3D printing designs for the purposes of health care. Nonetheless, it is argued that there should be stronger recognition of the right to repair—particularly in the context of health-care and medical devices. The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted that there needs to be a broader array of intellectual property flexibilities to deal with public health emergencies—including in respect of the right to repair. As such, this article supports a broad vision of a TRIPS Waiver which includes the right to repair. The recognition of a right to repair will help promote the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals and a COVID-19 recovery. The topic of the medical right to repair has larger implications for sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in respect of responsible production and consumption (SDG 12), as well as good health and well-being (SDG 3), innovation (SDG 9), and partnerships for the goals (SDG 17).

Enabling children’s genuine participation in digital design and fabrication: instructors’ perspective

Digital fabrication laboratories (Fab Labs) are accessible to the public, including children and families. However, a variety of technical skills, tools, and expertise are needed in these spaces, and Fab Lab staff—instructors working there—are in a key role in helping Fab Lab users. There is, however, a lack of research on how these instructors can inspire children's genuine participation in Fab Labs. We analyze the challenges faced by four instructors during two months of Fab Lab workshops with 7–12-year-old children. The children worked in child-only or child-parent groups on informal digital design and fabrication activities. Based on genuine participation principles derived from the literature, we designed our workshops, which included the creation of instructor guideline. At the end, we developed a post-workshop framework in which the instructors provided feedback about their performance and experiences. We provide recommendations to help instructors support children's genuine participation in digital design and fabrication.

Uso de los FAB LAB en el desarrollo de capacidades de innovación en los docentes de Educación para el Trabajo

ABSTRACT This opinion article entitled: Use of FAB LAB in the development of innovation skills in teachers of Education for Work, aims to make known the importance of the use of FAB LAB in the development of innovation skills in teachers of Education for Work. To this end, a review of the emergence of FAB LAB and some examples of how they operate are presented. If such technologies are used by citizens, they would have the capacity to co-design their material culture, Malinowski (2021). It is concluded that it is necessary to boost innovation through technology.

THE STRENGTH WITHIN LAYERS: ANALYZING PLA TENSILE STRENGTH IN 3D PRINTING

One of the most popular Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques is Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM), sometimes referred to as 3D printing. It is based on the extrusion of a thermoplastic filament. Lightweight items can be constructed utilising a variety of infill procedures and ratios thanks to layer wise technology. Furthermore, components with varied properties can be produced by adjusting other factors like temperature, printing speed, or layer thickness. Since Polylactic Acid (PLA) is a biobased and biodegradable plastic, it is one of the least expensive and most environmentally friendly materials for 3D printing. It is commonly used in 3D printing among amateurs and in communities like the Fab lab or the Makers movement. In order to determine how key 3D printing factors affect the tensile strength of PLA products, Design of Experiment (DOE) is used in this work. In order to accomplish this, a 4x3 factorial plane with one replication was built and utilised to 3D print tensile PLA material samples. The findings of the tensile test demonstrate that for the resistance of PLA products, the layer thickness is more important than the infill. According to the values of these four factors, a regression model is also suggested to enable the user to forecast the final tensile strength of PLA products

Love Letters to Lichen

Love Letters to Lichen