A new emerging trend of digital/social fabrication. Explore its social potential, not just technology.

1. SocialFab 2013
Digital Revolution 3.0
Emergence of Social Fabrication
BHN Seminar
2013.7.12
Izumi Aizu
<iza@anr.org>
Institute for InfoSociomonics
Institute for HyperNetwork Society

2. 2SocialFab 2013
Digital Revolution
 1.0 Personal Computer
 2.0 Internet/Mobile
 3.0 Social Fabrication

3. 3SocialFab 2013
What is “Social Fabrication”?
 Personalized Fabrications connected
over the Net
 Sharing of data/process/artifacts
 Made possible by:
 FabLabs
 Makers Movements
 Education
 Social Framework

4. 4SocialFab 2013
Three Books showing the future
Fab FabLife MAKERS
Niel Gershenfeld Hiroya Tanaka Chris Anderson

5. 5SocialFab 2013
How does Future Kitchen look like?
 Universal Cooking Machine?
 Self-build, not impossible.
 Sharing digital recipes
 Oven, food processor, pan together
with refrigerator
?

6. 6SocialFab 2013
Development of Information Society
 3rd Industrial Revolution x 1st Information
Revolution
 Prof. Shumpei Kumon
3rd Industrial Revolution
First Info Revolution
Present

7. 7SocialFab 2013
Digital Fabrication is Social Fabrication by nature
 Digitization of Fabrication
 ＝
 Informatization of Industry（“Makers ”）
 ↓
 2nd phase of Information Society: socialization
 Digitization enables Social Fabrication
 (Sharing the process and product together)
 Whole value chains transformed
 Fabnomics?
テキスト

8. 8SocialFab 2013
Rise of FabLab
 Prof. Niel Gershenfeld, (Director of
Center for Bits and Atoms, MIT)
 Some 150 Labs around the globe
 A new social movment
 “Fab9” Conf in Japan, Aug 2013

9. 9SocialFab 2013
President Obama promoting Fab/Makers
 2013 SOTU Speech:
 15 Innovation Centers nationwide
 1,000 3D Printers in Primary schools
 STEM（Science, Technology, Engineering,
Math) Education program
 Makers Movement

10. French PM Ayrault visited FacLab @University of
Cergy-Pontoise Gennevilliers. Paris
Jean-Marc Ayrault,
Prime Minister of France,
w/ 4 ministers 2013.2.28

11. PM Ayrault and 4 Minister and the Governor
visited FacLab near Paris, Feb 28, 2013 to
“catch up” the Netherland
This Thursday, February 28, 2013, the FacLab (at the
University of Cergy-Pontoise, Gennevilliers ) received the visit
of Jean-Marc Ayrault, Prime Minister, accompanied by Flower
Pellerin (Minister Delegate to the Minister of Recovery
productive, responsible Small and Medium Business,
Innovation and the Digital Economy), Geneviève
Fioraso (Minister for Higher Education and Research), Nicole
Bricq(Minister of Trade) and Victorin Lurel (Minister of
Overseas ), not forgetting Mr. Pierre-André Peyvel, prefect of
Hauts de Seine, in full uniform.
François Germinet, President of the University, has guided all
these people (and many other accompanying with a bunch of
journalists) to our magical den to pass the baton to
Emmanuelle Roux, Laurent and Olivier Ricard Gendrin.

12. 12SocialFab 2013
What is a “FabLab”?
 A fab lab (fabrication laboratory) is a small-
scale workshop offering (personal) digital fabrication
 A fab lab is generally equipped with an array of flexible
computer controlled tools that cover several different
length scales and various materials, with the aim to make
"almost anything"
 This includes technology-enabled products generally
perceived as limited to mass production
 While fab labs have yet to compete with mass production
and its associated economies of scale in fabricating
widely distributed products, they have already shown the
potential to empower individuals to create smart devices
for themselves.
 These devices can be tailored to local or personal needs
in ways that are not practical or economical using mass
production
 wikipedia

13. 13SocialFab 2013
Manufacturing process
in Industrial Society
Planning Design Mfg Sales UserUserUserMfg UserDesign Mfg UserPlanning Design Mfg Distributio
n
User

14. 14SocialFab 2013
Manufacturing process
in Information Society
FabLab vision:
We can make (almost) anything we want
Planning Mfg User Plannin
g
Mfg User

15. SocialFab 2013
FabLabs expanding globally
 234 FabLabs in Feb 2013; was 145 in Nov 2012
 One opened inside Paris in March 2013
 Many in developing world: India, Nepal, Ghana, Kenya,
South Africa etc.
http://fablabamersfoort.nl/nl/fablabs-globally

16. 16SocialFab 2013
FabLabs are Growing 20% /month
- similar to Internet traffic in 1990s
If this continues,
16,000 in 2015
1,000,000 in 2017

17. FabLabs in Asia (2012)
India Ahmedabad National Innovation Foundation
India Delhi Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology
India Kanpur Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
India Pune COEP FAB LAB College of Engineering
Japan Kamakura FabLab Kamakura, Kanagawa
Japan Tsukuba FPGA Cafe/ FabLab Tsukuba
South Korea Seoul TIDE Fab Lab Seoul
Indonesia Yogyakarta HONF House of Natural Fiber
Russia Moscow MHTCh FabLab
Russia St Petersburg
Taiwan Taipei Fablab Taipei
Taiwan Taipei Fablab Taiwan
Turkey Istanbul Cibali, Istanbul
Turkey Istanbul Camlica, Uskudar
Vietnam Hué Maison des savoirs
17

18. 18SocialFab 2013
Global Collaboration beyond borders
Networked globally, FabLabs collaborate each other
Sharing info via FabWiki, 24-h synchronization via Video Conf. system
FabLab operations are diverse: run by University, Research and Educational
organizations, Community Center, Cultural institutions, or individuals
Photo by FabLab Kamakura

19. 19SocialFab 2013
Some FabLab equipment
 3D Printer, Laser Cutting Machine,
CNC Milling Machine, etc.
3D Printer Laser Cutting Machine
CNC Milling Machine

20. 20SocialFab 2013
New Tools are coming up
3D Pen, using KickStarter 3D Knitting Machine
3D Cutter?Lunch Box Builder

21. 21SocialFab 2013
Fabulous Products
Photo by FabLab Kamakura

22. 22SocialFab 2013 Design by Youka Watanabe
Photo by FabLab Kamakura

23. 23SocialFab 2013
Photo by FabLab Kamakura

24. 24SocialFab 2013
Photo by FabLab Kamakura

25. 25SocialFab 2013
Potential of FabLab
 Build new type of Information Society
 Develop next generation of leaders
 Innovate not only manufacturing, but
the whole society together
 Creating “Sharables”/linkages instead
of products
 Combined with ICT, traditional
craftsmanship will leap
 Deeply rooted with community
 Global reach and collaboration

26. 26SocialFab 2013
Fields covered by FabLab
 Appropriate Technology
 Art
 Empower small factories
 New type of R&D
 Business and Commerce
 Empower local community
 Education

27. 27SocialFab 2013
Some Issues and Challenges
 Sustainable Development
 Human Resources
 Business base/model
 Education
 Legal Issues
 Open Source vs IPR
 Product Liability
 Licensing Schemes
 Standardization
 Global standard
 Global Policy Framework
 Governance