Electronics world has become more accessible to everyone. North, South, East, West, the entire world, all communities are getting more capable to acquire tools to make whatever they need, and technology is offering each day new opportunities and techniques that are not only cheaper than they used to be, but also more understandable by kids and adults. For example, who would have imagined that nowadays we can make and program circuit boards instead of buying them in a store?

Our good friend Shawn Wallace has published great posts informing everybody about what we are able to create in Fab Labs, about press-fit works and softwares used, about people from everywhere designing, machining, soldering and programming circuit boards, about components we use, and much more. This interesting information can be read in Makezine, a famous blog/magazine/forum/community about technology in our time. Let's have a nice reading: Part1 and Part2.

With the improvement of technology, people have been able to change their lifestyles. Many years ago, construction tools and ways to generate energy were limited, whereas in the present, we have solar panels, softwares, and laser cutters to create almost whatever we want. Organic and futuristic shapes are not so far away.We have already begun the future societies. FabLabBCN proved that it is possible to develop anything we think and dream of.

Last Thrusday 21st, Neil Gershenfeld (Director of the Center for Bits and Atoms), Javier Nieto (Iaac President), Vicente Guallart (Iaac Director), and Jorge Gonzalez (Project Director of Schneider Electric) attended to the 'Launching Fabrication' Ceremony that took place in the Institute for advanced architecture of Catalonia (Iaac). After building the prototype, the Solar House parts will be taken to Madrid, Spain in June for the Solar Decathlon where colleges and university teams design, build, and make work energy-efficient solar powered houses.

Who knows? Maybe someday everybody will be able to build their own houses, shelters, or tents where solar energy is a crutial source for living.

FAB ACADEMY PICTURES HERE

From January 5th until 11th, students from FabLabBCN and people from other countries such as Peru and Colombia were part of a new workshop. How can we take advantage of all the energy we produce in a playground? This involves many things: mechanisms, electronics, design, and kids culture. For example, while playing with the famous 'merry-go-round', why couldn't we turn the rotation movement into energy through dynamos or piezo systems? Maybe the kid's father could charge his movile or laptop while the kid is playing! Cool, isn't it?

The final result was interesting since the research was about looking for all possible movements, different kinds of games, how to storage the energy and a LOT more. To find out all the information from the workshop related to the future of playgrounds click here.

Which could be the result when mixing soda, fruits, fabric, leaves, paper, MDF, acrylic, a laser cutter, people from different countries and careers that don't know each other, and creativity? The result is a nice FabLab open house session! On Thursday 10th, FabLabBCN was the place where people had the chance to create things and learn about digital fabrication...all free. The requisites? Bring materials and have fun.

At the end, everybody got to know each other and helped to turn ideas and imagination into something touchable. Examples? Paper cut with a fruit shape, some butterfly wings, musical instruments related to love, and more...

Last Saturday, kids between 9 and 16 years old owned FabLabBCN and, together with their parents, had a great experience fabricating a simple and funny lightened-eyes gremlin. With an easy assembling system made of felt and foam, and electronic components such as LEDs, 3-volt batteries, connectors, and some cables, everyone had the chance to learn about the use of the laser engraver, electronics and soldering.

Ok, the truth is that they also ran all over the institute screaming, having cookies and chips, laughing, making fun of each other...Well, they are kids. It's their right to behave like that. But, which was the best part of this 4-hour workshop? Everybody, kids, parents, known or unknown had fun, and helped each other to finish the gremlin. Isn't it a nice end/goal for every project?

Students present press-fit construction kits

Last Wednesday, students from FabLabs showed very interesting works. The best part of it is that everybody had different interpretations of the assignment by using many types of materials (plywood, cardboard, acrylic), shapes (furniture, architectural structures, toys, scaled stuff), and opting to make their kits fixed, foldable, or movable...by the way, one almost flew!

Some people were lucky enough to have their proposals cut in the 'first chance'. Others had to try many times, learning softwares, how to use the laser cutter, changing speeds, power, etc. For both cases, students also had to document their learning process (failures, what they wanted to do, how they did it, what they learned, everything) in order to let next generation of students learn from them. So, what a better way to learn than making what you want?

Once upon a time there was a kid who wanted some character figures from his favorite cartoons; however, he couldn't get or find the one he really wanted... Yes, he got kind of frustrated. Since then, he decided to design his own toys, his own characters, but the tools were not the appropriate ones, so he couldn't give them the shape he wanted. Fortunately, technology evolved and became more accessible. He found a place named FabLab Kids that had everything: 3D printers, vinyl and laser cutters, great teachers, new softwares, etc. He also met friends with similar thoughts and ideas! They created walking dinosaurs, flower stickers, 3D printed monsters, and more. Their fantasies became real, and they had so much fun that their world changed forever!

Here we have a first look at the upcoming world of FabLab Kids Barcelona's new season.

Enjoy kids!!

Heads from Addis Ababa University visit FabLab Barcelona.

Important challenges, such as location, education, community, ease of use and advantages of having a FabLab, were discussed in a meeting where students, principals, and members of FabLab BCN were part of. New techniques of digital fabrication and communication are emerging and spreading in the planet, and Ethiopia will be part of it pretty soon in the year of 2010 thanks to 2 students on training in FabLab BCN and to be future managers of FabLab Ethiopia.

Class began with all the presentations and corrections from the 3D modeling of the final projects, followed by the introduction to computer-controlled cutting machines by Neil Gershenfeld giving architects, engineers, artists, designers, EVERYONE a wider range of possibilities to let our desires and/or needs become real in some minutes. The new assignment? A press-fit construction kit!

Welcome back Laser cutter and Vinyl cutter!!!

Fab Academy started on September 16th with more than 12 participating labs.

Participation was more than expected. There was a cue outside the MCU server to "enter" to the classroom, now we are going to 30 ports for video conference connections, but by September 16th the 12 ports were not enough to receive participation for all the labs and remote sites in the world. From Amsterdam to Kenya, and from India to San Diego, students attended to the first class of the year one of the first distributed university campus in the planet. This is not distance education, this is education placed locally at Fab Labs and connected globally to a larger community.