The FabLab Explained

This week, we had the privilege of having class in the FabLab with their employees walking us through the lab and introducing us to some of the tools. I have actually been to the FabLab many times before for a project in an RSO on campus. However, I have always stuck to the machinery I needed for that project, and had no need to branch out. Even though I have walked past this variety of equipment before, I had never used a lot of it. It has definitely put the lab in a new light for me. Emilie, Duncan, and Brandon did a great job giving a plethora of examples of projects that they have worked on or that they have helped others work on in this space.

The space itself is very welcoming and I appreciate their commitment to community programs and being open to not just students. The university is a huge resource to the surrounding community, but a lot of times it is “roped-off” to non-university residents. The FabLab is a part of a network of FabLabs that are really democratizing the maker movement and making it accessible to everyone, not just those who spend thousands on equipment.

One interesting project that I had seen some articles about was wearables. 3D printing onto mesh-like fabrics to create wearable garments is a new-er “trend” but it yields many applications especially in the medical world. Having a 3D printed brace that perfectly forms to you and goes on like fabric would transform a lot of recovery programs.

Variety of gadgets and projects at the FabLab.

The project they had us work on to introduce us to some of the tools was a motion-sense watch. Essentially, a prototype of something that could monitor someone’s arm movements, which could be applied to someone completing out-patient physical therapy. Being able to track these movements would yield more accurate data on how effective the treatment is with and without the proper physical therapy. This was a fun project to work on and we will be completing it this coming week.

At the end of class, we participated in a brainstorming activity. The teams were to sketch ideas for their opportunities given different constraints: Design for the elderly, for children, with $0, and with $1B. These constraints definitely help you think outside the box and think with more tact for different users!

Some of our group’s sketches.

Finally, Jenna visited class at the end so that we could talk to her about our sketches and what she thought would work best for her. We learned that she does not mind if it doesn’t resemble a foot at all – as long as it works! We also got some necessary measurements for our design which we will be able to use when we start modeling our prototype in Fusion360.

New Resources: A Fabulous Lab

FAB-TASTIC.

This week, we got a formal introduction to the Fab Lab. The director of the Fab Lab had previously been a guest speaker in the class, but this time we had a chance to host the class there and use their facilities. We first started with a tour of the place and the different tools they had there. They first went through their policies for use, which was surprisingly accessible. Most tools were only priced at $1 for use, and they allowed people to use their own materials while also having some for sale.

In terms of the tools, the staff went through the multiple applications of the electric cutter, which could not only be used to cut vinyl stickers, but also precision paint things if the knife part was replaced. Next, they showed us the screen printing and embroidering/sewing areas. They also introduced us to the concept of 3D printing on top of meshed fabric, which has been used a lot in the fashion industry recently (seen green scales picture for an example). Next, they showed us the milling, soldering, and electronics area, where they showed some applications, such as milling your own circuit board or working with microcontrollers. Finally, they brought us to the 3D printing and laser engraving workstations. Overall, it was really inspiring to see all these different technologies consolidated in a single area as well as to hear about many of the different projects that have been created at the lab. I was shocked to find out about such an untapped resource that I had not known that I could take advantage of as a resident of the Champaign-Urbana area.

FABRICATION IN PROGRESS.

After our brief but thorough tour, we were split into two groups to attend workshops run by the staff of the Fab Lab. I attended the workshop relating to using the laser engraver as well as the program used to vector model what we want to engrave, Inkscape. Inkscape is an open source program which is quite similar to Adobe Illustrator and allows people to vector model their illustrations; I found it really fascinating that the Fab Lab intentionally uses a lot of open source software so that when they teach people how to use their programs, the skills will continue to be applicable outside of the Fab Lab.

Within Inkscape, we started modelling an exercise watch made out of wood which would be able to track if outpatients are performing their exercises correctly. There will be motion sensors inside the watch, where if the face is facing one way, it would detect bicep curls and facing another way, wrist twists. We first modelled the watch face together while the instructors introduced us to the program, and once we started to become more familiar with Inkscape, the staff released us to add our own designs to the watch. We were instructed to keep the user base in mind and make our unique designs while thinking of certain groups, such as children or elderly outpatients.

With the last 45 minutes of class, we started brainstorming prototypes for our team products. While brainstorming, our TA Mehmet wanted us to think of new ideas quickly, never spending too much time on a single idea. We were instructed to brainstorm in different rounds with different restrictions. For example, one round we had to think as if we had a $0 budget, another if we had an unlimited budget, and yet another if we had to think of our product with children in mind. In the end, we then had to decide which prototype we thought would be the most feasible, easiest to implement, and most effective and decide based on individual team members’ decisions which prototype to make a crude 3D prototype of. In the end, Solestice decided to go with a sole that is attachable by Velcro strips to a shoe, and we will be making this prototype before the next class.