10/02/2007

Class Structure

- Eight 3-hour class sessions starting week of October 15. Every week participants will develop short projects to learn a new process or concept while working towards a final project. The last week will allow participants to integrate all the processes into a final project with a concrete functionality.

The processes that will be taught will include (may change based on class interest and lecturer availability):

- Week 1: Intro to the Fab Lab and design process


The design process can come from desires or needs to be covered by a user of an object/machine/device/etc. The user could be the designer or can produce a design for end users. The designer consideration to develop a project could come from aesthetics or functionallity.

Traditional process of design could be: Research > Thought > Modeling > Adjustment > re-Design

Approaches of the design process:
- User Centered Design > Needs, wants and limitations
- Use Centered Design > How it will be used?
- Keep it simple: No unnecesary complications.

Task for this class: Develop and propose projects for the final presentation according to the capabilities of productions found in the labs by the designers.

- Week 2: 3D modeling, animating, rendering

Sofware: any cad or vector generator software like Illustrator, AutoCad, Rhino, 3DMax, Inkscape, Cad.py, Scratch, etc.

- Week 3: circuits and programming


In this class you will be introduced to microcontroller programming. Using the Modela milling machine, circuits will be printed on copper boards or vynil. Once you have the board printed you will sold the components like resistors, connectors, microcontrollers, etc. that will allow to your design to have a "brain".

- Week 4: sensors and other inputs

Interactivity is one of the main scopes of modern design. Light, sound, movement or other sensors could be placed as inputs in the design to create the interface between the machine and the user.

- Week 5: motors and other outputs

The ouput is the response of the object to an action of the user, is the answer to the interactivity. It could be through LCD screens, motors, servo motors, etc.

- Week 6: hacking stuff to re-purpose existing products


This week we will look at how we can dismantle existing electronic devices to re-purpose its electronic components.

- Week 7: 3D fabrication from 2D materials and surface contour (2.5D) machining


Usage of Laser Cutter and CNC Milling Machine. Creation of the main body of the projects from 2D to 3D joining pieces coming for the abstraction of the 3D model.

- Week 8: Preparation of final projects


· All sessions taught in English)

· Open Fab Lab access time (SETC in Boston, IAAC in Barcelona)

· Locally (independently) arranged lab times with local TAs and facilitators

· Open house final presentation of projects simultaneously in Boston and Barcelona.

· Some funding is available for modestly scaled final projects. Materials for weekly mini-projects

Instructors

Amy Sun (MIT CBA) - Boston
Tomas Díez (Fab Lab Bcn) - Barcelona
Victor Vina (Fab Lab Bcn) - Barcelona