Students of “Introduction to Engineering Studies” made as a part of their project work cool prototypes in FabLab. Students built their own LED flasher and programmed it to flash the way they wanted. Based on this, a product and a business idea were designed as a group work around the flasher. The project combines several fields of the ITC faculty as well as entrepreneurship and innovation topics. In FabLab teams can prototype designs based on their own business idea. More commonly, students made the case by using 3D printing or laser cutting.
Project work culminates in “The coolest LED flasher”. This year, FabLab will award the most inventive LED flasher.
FabLab has co-operated with the course since 2017. University Lecturer Erja Sipilä, one of the teachers in charge of the course, has received positive feedback from the students, especially about constructing part of the assignment.
-Cooperation with FabLab goes smoothly! I was thinking about the potential self-employment effect as we started, but this imagination has proved unfounded. FabLab’s staff is excellent, they assist with the digital fabrication machines, Sipilä says.
– Just go for it – if you’re still thinking about starting a FabLab collaboration! Summarizes Sipilä.
FabLab is already involved in several university courses. If you are considering the possibility of utilizing FabLab in your own course, please contact hanne.lehtola@tuni.fi.
FabLab is digital fabrication Lab for learning and innovation.