This week we got a chance to see what the MakerLab at IU was like. It was pretty cool to see how others interpreted the maker mindset and built their own space for making. Also this week everyone focused on progressing with their final semester projects. It was great to see how all the other projects were coming along and how everyone is tackling different problems in their own unique way. I really liked the idea of an auto-tuner for a stringed instrument as my pitch isn’t quite perfect enough for me to tune a guitar by hand after re-stringing it.

As previously mentioned, Pri, Steven, Toheeb, and I are currently trying to bring wheelchair racing gloves into the 21st century by enabling data connectivity and analytics. The team really has no data at the moment, so even the most basic information about stroke depth or frequency would be invaluable for training.

For our next steps, we’re working on code for the actual collection of data. We’ve already created our first mockup that is supposedly ready for basic accelerometer and force readings. Hopefully it holds through our tests this week and we can get ahead on making it somewhat presentable and into a legitimate object!

It was great to be back in the MakerLab this week. Sat in the corner was our incomplete 3D printer from the Build a Printer event, which brought about a twinge of regret because I wished I had more time to spend on it. But it was still refreshing to be back in the lab, learning about new software again. This week, we were working with MeshMixer and a 3D scanner. There were two types of scanning. One utilized a more commercial type apparatus dedicated to scanning 3d objects, and the other was a peripheral for an iPad. Both seemed to work reasonably well, however the commercial 3D scanner seemed to pick up too much noise from the surrounding room and people. It was particularly interesting to see how the scanners needed to be finessed a certain way to work. Of course, the technology isn’t like the sci-fi devices we see in films that can quickly model or analyze a 3d object in seconds, but the technology still has cutting edge applications in the health industry.

It was also briefly touched on in class how Gwen, a fellow classmate had been using similar technology and the MeshMixer software to try to model the cardiovascular system, particularly the heart. Ariella Rausin was also on-site to teach us the ins and outs of MeshMixer, and gave us on a rundown on how to simplify a mesh and other functionalities.

The software was amazingly versatile and powerful, and could definitely be used for a lot of different practical applications. Especially in applying the maker mentality, making minute and large changes in iterating projects could not be easier in MeshMixer. I hope to get to work with the software more in the future and see strong applications ahead in my final project.

This class session marked our final week in the Fab Lab. Previously, my group had worked with arduinos and laser cutters. Coming back to the Fab Lab was a breath of fresh air for me. It was a chance to get away from dull theory work in my other classes and a chance for me to work with my hands. This week the focus was on digital embroidery. Again, it was great to see how simple it was to get a working design from scratch to a real product on fabric. I started with a personally designed logo and quickly worked it through the SewArt software. After processing the stitches and removing excess colors, I brought it over to the embroidery station and set about stitching a patch together. After a short wait, I had a real embroidered patch, ready to be adhered any blank I had lying around, be it a hat or t-shirt or coach jacket.

Altogether the process was so simple I did a second patch and started a third. In experimenting with different textures and thread colors, I quickly realized the potential for the designs my partner and I in our brand were coming up with. It would be so easy to put a couple down as mockups to see how our lines would hold up in an embroidery process. Of course, with more professional manufacturing and printing, we could do much more, but the fact that I could do a mockup for less than 5 dollars and maybe 30-45 minutes was still amazing.

While this technology in itself may not have huge implications for the future or my final project, it’s true that the idea of transferring a design from the virtual realm into a real object is highly appealing to those who’d like to personalize their belongings or create other personalized mock ups to guard their IP. Such a technology can greatly benefit anyone with similar intentions, or creatives who would like to start their own brand.

Earlier this week, our class took part in a Build-a-3DPrinter event. I took part in the event by helping build out the extruder head and part of the box frame. Most of the pieces from the kit were either metal or plastic, with various metal parts scattered throughout. Even though the process was a lot of following instructions, there were complexities that surprised me. Instructions weren’t always thorough, and parts were often hard to find. Additionally, sometimes pieces wouldn’t fit quite right, or required unorthodox methods of fastening together. For example, in creating the sliders for the extruder, I had to used the handle of a wrench as a makeshift hammer to get multiple wooden pieces to fit around a copper tube. Nevertheless the whole process was largely enjoyable.

Towards the end of the session, a rather interesting problem presented itself. We were missing a small rectangular piece. After much hubbub about where it might have gone or where we should find another one, a maker-esque solution was reached. Kyle and I measured the specs of an identical wooden piece, and modeled one in Fusion 360. We brought it up to the Maker Lab on the 3rd floor and printed a replica out in under 4 minutes. Unfortunately our time with the kit was at an end, but I’d say the Maker mentality was alive and kicking throughout the whole day!

This week’s class was one of my favorite’s so far, because not only did we get a chance to build with our hands, but we also got a chance to see what teamwork and maker ingenuity could produce. This makes me even more excited to get started on our semester project, and working with my peers in the future.

Prior to this class session, I only had an extremely basic theoretical understanding of what it meant to solder. However, it became clear that it required relatively little engineering background to become somewhat proficient with the process. Soldering is extremely important if someone wants to begin exploring DIY electronics, and is crucial to the actual creation of components.

Learning to solder in class only serves to further the maker mindset that has been so prevalent in the last couple class sessions. Students have been able to create with their own hands and use their own ideas to bring some sort of component of end product to life.

Moving forward, applying the soldering skill will be absolutely required in creating a final product in our semester project. Simple components will need to be connected and secured in a housing that could also be fabricated using skills we’ve learned in this course. Looking forward to learning more every class session!

This class session marked our second week in the Fab Lab. Previously, my group worked with laser cutters and found great enjoyment in getting to see a digital design come to life through rastering and cutting. This week we switched gears and worked with some arduinos. The arduino boards were simple enough to work with that our entire group caught on rather quickly. Before we knew it, we had the basic functionalities mapped out and began exploring additional possibilities with the hardware lying around us.

In experimenting with circuits and capacitive sensing, a few others and I unconsciously began ideating with regard to a semester final project. Before we knew what had happened, we had constructed a crude force sensor. However, at this point it does not directly measure the amount of force applied, but can give us implied data points regarding the distance between contacts and frequency of impacts. It was at this point when we formalized our group’s members and began actually working towards that goal.

What we experienced this week was the maker mindset really coming together I think for the first time since the start of this course. Three individuals who have had little to no previous interaction prior to Monday came together and quickly managed to come out with a crude capacitive sensor, complete with shielded assembly. This happened for no reason other than the fact that we were all genuinely interested in applying what we had just learned, and in seeing random bits and pieces of brainstorming coming together in a final output. It was truly exciting to see how we could consider alternatives to what we were doing, and immediately experiment and witness results.

This kind of iterating was only made possible because of the Fab Lab, a place I hope to go back to even after my time in this course.

This week marks the beginning of a 3-session stint in the Champaign-Urbana Fabrication Laboratory (FabLab). It’s been my favorite class session by far, as not only were we allowed into a space that truly embodied the maker mindset, but also were allowed a glimpse into what was possible with the resources available to us. It also made me feel a pang of regret, not venturing out and finding this space earlier in my college career.

Duncan, our guiding hand in this lab session, walked us through the basics of a software called Inkscape, which is an open-sourced vector based graphics software much like Adobe Illustrator or iDraw. This led up to using the laser cutter machinery to raster or Because I’m fairly competent with Illustrator already, picking up Inkscape was a walk in the park and I was ready to laser cut almost instantly. Again, because my experience within the FabLab this week was so intuitive, I couldn’t help but reflect on how much I could have learned if I had discovered the people and the resources here before my ultimate semester.

Because I’m in the process of starting a clothing brand, I thought it might be a good idea to see how a potential logo would look on a physical item. I chose a remix of a the Cupertino helmet and applied it to a simple sketch notebook and it resulted in the following:

I’m pretty happy with the result, and look forward to return to the FabLab in my free time as well as the next class session. I’m also very excited to try my hand at arduinos. I’ve been in a rut so far, in trying to figure out what my semester project will be about, and am hoping that more hands on experience will free up my thoughts.

The last two class sessions have been primarily focused on gaining proficiency with Fusion 360. In the first class session, we started with the basics of the software and made our first 3d model, a pen tip. It was a great learning experience and led to new insights about how objects are designed as well as how those designs tie in with construction. After class, I went home and re-created the model I printed a couple weeks prior.

(Head and body are separate entities)

This past week,we did more work with more complicated structures. The session guided us through the modeling of a simple lamp. By doing so, I gained a deeper understanding of the tools within the software and more complex uses.

I’ve very much enjoyed these hand on experiences and am looking forward future classes at the FabLab. Every learning experience so far has broadened my horizons regarding making and creating, whether it be the introduction of new ideas and knowledge, or reaffirmation of previously gained concepts. Thinking in the terms of maker requires a large mindset change, but I feel that I am making good progress towards that end.