Towards a Shared Vision for South End Computer Center and Community Design/Fabrication

Neil:

Project at MIT on Personal Fabrication
* Basic research on how to make a printer that produces working motors
* Have brought in fancy fabrication machines to Media Lab, which led to a class on how to make almost anything
* Inundated by hundreds of people who wanted to take the class,  and they made fun things (web browser for parrots, personal space to scream, etc.)
* Personal expresssion is the "killer ap" -- the opposite of mass marketing
* Then question about what personal fabrication would look like outside of MIT
* Have begun to set up fab labs around the world -- in response to issues that came in unplanned -- rural india for environmental monitoring and health care; Northern Norway on tracking heards
* The idea is not just bringing computers to the masses to bridge the digital divide, but bringing IT capability
* Mel is creating one of these extraordinary places
* People here assemble computers -- with the idea of building capability
* This is a step further -- not just assembling parts, but creating the parts

What is possible here:
* Anticipate in 10 years a single machine on your desk that can print physical objects
* Space and time are less expensive with new technology -- microns and microseconds are more available
* In the approximate order of ramp up, here are the tools:

The Laser Cutter:
* The first machine is the laser cutter -- $10,000 and so far hasn't burnt things down -- many have had problems along these lines -- this is 40 watts, MIT as a 200 watts -- at low energy it marks and at high energy it cuts -- a mill is a thousanths of an inch and the mill can cut parts which can then be press fit together
* It is an art more than a science -- parts have to right within a thousanth of an inch and then parts will stay together -- too little and they won't fit, too much and they come appart
* Assignment to build a library of shapes -- beginning with cardboard -- cardboard is amazing -- Sweedish company builds kits furnature that way -- Belay from the Media lab has been here working with others on this
* It is an art, not a science to know how much to score, versus cut
* Scrap plywook and cardboard can make shapes 
* Think beyond the box -- so to speak -- it can have curvey shapes and it can be the container for a computer

The Vynl Cutter:
* An exato knife that is controled by a computer
* This will plot with copper
* Consider wanting to make a wire harness for something for your car -- you can print the whole selection of wires here and then attach to interface devices
* Example of a wireless attenna with regular products
* Like the patch attennas that extend the range of cell phone
* So this can make any wiring -- including flexible circuit boards
* Kids could design their own games and interfaces -- to replace the joy sticks with controlers that do what they want

The Modela:
* This is a three dimension cutter for any material up to easy metals, such as alluminum or brass
* You can make complex items
* The key think is that it can make circuit boards
* This can machine away the copper with high resolution down to the resolution of advanced circuit boards 
* This is beyond three-D shapes to working computational devices

Putting the Pieces Together:
* Up to now this is all about "space" being cheap -- we have high resolution control over space in that we can inexpensively control things to small dimensions
* Key is a small micro computer that costs a few dollars -- with six pins -- two for power -- and rest for counting, memory, etc. -- an important part in that it counts time in units of a millionth of second -- so can send a signal through a phone line or do other things that can work at speeds that need input at speeds up to this speed -- this can support programs for small parts that sense things -- and it is not fragile
* Examples of this is that you could make a simple $10 computer with a modem

Comment from Mel:
* We have 6 kids who are 10-14 years old and are interested in this -- especially around their computer games -- every time they come here, they say: "when?"

Further input on "How" and then the "When:"
* This is open source hardware if you will, which needs open source software -- not usually available for engineering applications
* One open source software is "S" draw for 2-D and "Blender" for 3-D and "Eagle" for circuit boards (which is freely available, but not open source -- this is free for a two-layer board up to a few inches it is available, and you pay for higher capability)
* Software is free for use from MIT, but not for business purposes
* One program is called "CAM PY" for how to turn what you design into what the machine speaks -- this reads the formats we design in and speaks to the machines we use for fabrication (written by Neil)
* See web site:  fab.media.mit.edu for a class on the use of all these machines -- you learn to use machines as you need them for projects -- during a six month window while you are riding up a learning curve, you are excited and ready to share -- grap people as they are learning and document it as it is being learned -- with additonal students editing the side
* A part of the fab site at MIT will let you edit the web site from a web page
* The cost for all of this is to use this site and write up what you are learning -- using the site editing tool -- connecting India, Norway, etc.
* These are the tools

Next Steps:
* Bringing things up to capability is key
* Test projects are key 

Discussion:
* Interest to connect to locations in Africa -- there is one person, Quaynor in Ghana who might be such a contact -- equipment can come from MIT
* There is also "e-core" as a contact in Africa
* There is strong interest at the World Bank, NSF, National Accademies, etc.
* This is all piggy backed on NSF support -- in fact it is too advanced for aid organizations, so it doesn't have an easy home for funding
* This needs micro VCs -- at around $10,000 funding
* Jewlery with micro-chips -- very appealing as a way to focus energy of kids -- or have tags to keep track of where they are
* Note:  Making jewlery that can communicate position is hard because it has to be connected to a big tranmitter -- so this would have to connect to existing wireless and paging networks
* Yet, wireless companies are always looking for ways to attract people to new applications
* A related project -- internet signals go in ether net cables which need hubs and other things -- but a project at MIT called Internet Zero that is scalling along these lines -- to connect antennas with each other and create a community network
* 75 community technology centers in Boston
* One issue is around self-sufficiency on economics 
* There is PCB rapid proto-typing business opporutunities, but home-grown interest in design is closer to the vision
* Issues of access and ensuring it works for the community
* Motivation will be passion that drives people -- such as the earings example
* Personalized pencils and other projects around that
* Issues of making it sustainable

What I want to do next:
* To advance the use of the tools in different ways -- mesh network deployment
* Making sure the ideas in these forums come into the communities -- and serve as a resource for this -- so that something made here reaches into the community -- with all sorts of materials
* Personal interest in video games -- would lead a project on video game controllers (even with "found" everyday materials)
* Future work on making the fabrication machines themseleves
* Personalization -- as a link to a business in the computer -- personalizing baseball bats
* Take space and making it smaller -- data bases for games for example
* There are many ideas for companies here -- idea of building a game box at a fraction of the price -- community based gaming environment with inexpensive components
* Like the idea of connections to jewlery
* Interest in helping to see these projects be sustainable -- here and elsewhere (background with a photo coop in Jamaica Plain and Community Garage)
* Learn about how these machines work
* Be a test for this -- as someone who is a techno-peasant -- so if I can do it, it can be taught to others
* Higher level interest in how to empower people to engage in their own creative acts and connect with one another -- such as shared interest in Jewlery that connects to electronics so you learn more about that too
* Interested in connecting this to Ghana -- finding a champion such as Mel and making the connection
* This is really cool -- I want to learn how to use these machines
* Interest to learn more about the range of uses with these machines -- with easy entry paths
* Getting involved with people who are intimidated by technology
* See the ideas that come here and come to life
* Helping the children learn more about technology
* I didn't have these opportunities and I want to help provide them to others
* Really see what people are doing and help out
* This is very exciting and a good way to start
* Really want to see people continue -- with the time set aside -- such as Saturday from 6:00am to Midnight -- and have it be really accessable
* It does sound like it is possible for this to do what everyone wants it to be
* Open question on how to design this -- with a new floor and new furnature and color coding -- so we need to think about this -- it is flexible



Present Today:


Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld (joelcg@mit.edu) 617-253-5777
Manu Prakash (manup@media.mit.edu) 617-253-0620
Gabe Gershenfeld (gabriel_gershenfeld@milton.edu) 617 965-9725
Wyatt Cole (christopher_cole@milton.edu) 617-361-5001
Chris Cole (chris@questrel.com) 617-361-5001
-Rich Fletcher (fletcher@media.mit.edu) 617-694-1428
Hieu Bui buih1@wit.edu (857)204-5585
John Pope johnp@mit.edu (617) 290-2479
Bradley Edwards bte@mit.edu (617) 225-7306
Etienne Toussaint etienne@mit.edu (617) 225-7421
Joe Brown jobro85@mit.edu (617) 225-7426
Mitchel Resnick mres@media.mit.edu
Elisabeth Sylvan sylvan@media.mit.edu
Amon Millner millner@media.mit.edu
Robert Baafi rbaafi@yahoo.com
Sherry Lassiter, lass@media.mit.edu
Edward Baafi freeone23@netzero.com (617)501-2243
Francisco Toro tororican@comcast.net