1. Changing Things 2: Fab Labs,
decentralized design, and production
of material products
Michael Shiloh
Teach me to make
michael@teachmetomake.com

2. Overview
I Introduction and Openmoko background
II Decentralized design
III What methods and equipment are available
IV Limitations
V Ethics and psychology
VI Education

3. Background
Hardware
Embedded computers and embedded software (Wind
River Systems)
Various professional and kinetic art projects (SRL,
etc.)
Openmoko: Community manager and advocate,
communications(public speaking, wiki, FAQ, etc.)
Teach me to make: Teaching art and technology via
hands-on tinkering workshops

4. Openmoko
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OPen source MObile Computing platform
●
More than a phone
●
“Killer Application” is that community will
determine what it is
●
All open: software, hardware, and mechanical
●
Ubiquitous computing device?

5. What came out of Openmoko
Oxford Archeology
Sureda
Bike?
Openmocast
Robotic helicoptor?

6. Where is Openmoko now
"… we've decided … to turn the future of the
Freerunner over to the community.
"… [community has] started redesigning the
Freerunner hardware ... using only Free Software tools.
“all the design information will be handed over to the
community along with openmoko.org (Wiki, GIT,
Trac, Planet, …)
"Openmoko Inc. will ... continue to fund ... server
infrastructure … components to build prototypes
- Sean Moss-Pultz, Openmoko CEO, 6/2/2009

7. Overview
I Introduction and Openmoko background
II Decentralized design
III What methods and equipment are available
IV Limitations
V Ethics and psychology
VI Education

8. Decentralized design tools
“... the design effort can be shared collaboratively
“... currently controlled at several points by closed
proprietary systems.
“... the mission is opening the design process to
allow for collaborative open source hardware
development.
- Steve Mosher, Openmoko VP Marketing, 6/10/09

9. Decentralized design goals
“The key breakthrough Openmoko achieved in my
mind was to kickstart a collaborative way to develop
consumer electronics.
- Wolfgang Spraul, VP Openmoko engineering, 6/9/09

10. Overview
I Introduction and Openmoko background
II Decentralized design
III What methods and equipment are available
IV Limitations
V Ethics and psychology
VI Education

11. Methods and equipment:
Services
Protomold: “From 3D CAD to injection molded
plastic parts as fast as the next day”
●
Firstcut: “CNC machined plastic parts at least as fast
as additive rapid prototypes”
●
Low volume printed circuit board services with free
CAD software (PCBExpress, etc.)
●

12. Methods and equipment:
Tools for small factories
and workshops
Lower priced industrial machines accessible to
smaller workshops
●3D printers (Z-corp, Dimension, etc.) ($20K, $30K)
●Laser cutters (Laser-pro, Epilog, etc.)
●Omax 55100 waterjet, work area about 1.4 m x 2.5 m,
water pressure about 50K PSI, about $240K (video)
●

13. Software
Low volume printed circuit board services with free
CAD software
●
Inexpensive or free versions of commercial CAD
software although (e.g. Eagle)
●
Free Open-Source Software (FOSS) CAD (both
mechanical and electronic) “on the verge of being very
good”
●

14. DIY
RepRap: Open Source plans for 3D printer that makes
copies of itself (video at 1:00)
●
CandyFab: “The revolution will be caramelized”
●
Makerbot: 3D printer kit for $750
●
Thingiverse: Open source library of ready-to-make
CAD files (somewhat like free clip art)
●Favorite: Theo Jansen inspired robot
●

15. Overview
I Introduction and Openmoko background
II Decentralized design
III What methods and equipment are available
IV Limitations
V Ethics and psychology
VI Education

16. Limitations
●
●
●
●
●
Software is free to reproduce, physical objects are
not
Software programs are based on text; no similar
language for schematics and other CAD (yet)
Consumer electronics is based on mass production:
Will small volume production be able to compete?
Parts not available in small quaitities
But e.g. Surface Mount Technology: developed for
mass production and robotic pick-and-place
systems, but hackers are doing SMT in toaster ovens

17. Overview
I Introduction and Openmoko background
II Decentralized design
III What methods and equipment are available
IV Limitations
V Ethics and psychology
VI Education

18. Ethics
We can choose what to make: consumerism no longer
an issue if high volume not issue
●Environmental responsibility: mixing plastics, toxicity
of components
●Designed to be repairable
●Designed to be hacked: when main function has
expired, or never to be used as intended even right
from the start
●Ownership of design, copyright, attribution, respect
●

19. Psychology
Our relationship to devices we have modified,
designed, and/or created
●
Ownership of design, copyright, attribution, respect
●
Line between art and industrial design gets blurred
●

20. Overview
I Introduction and Openmoko background
II Decentralized design
III What methods and equipment are available
IV Limitations
V Ethics and psychology
VI Education

21. Education
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How do we further this?
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What values do we pass on to children?
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The way people think about objects (“I didn't know
you could make that, I thought you had to buy it”)
Tinkering; taking things apart; repurposing