Fab Lab, take two

A Fab Lab is a collection of computerized fabrication equipment devised at MIT and deployed to the far reaches of the Earth. Since we have already visited the Fab Lab in Bondo, I will refrain from giving you the grand tour, but know that the equipment claims to be able to make “almost anything” on a small scale. Instead, I will show you some of the unique and innovative activities going on at the Fab Lab here at the University of Nairobi, operated by the visionary Dr. Kamau Gachigi.

The Fab Lab, still operating for under a year, has already undertaken a number of exciting projects. They are developing analogue-to-digital television kits to prepare the country for the digital transition, prototyping wind turbine blades, and are competing successfully in the nation’s annual robotics competition. They hope to commercialize many of the technologies developed here and turn as many as possible into businesses run by students or community members through business development services. The Fab Lab is open to everyone.

The Fab Lab brought in a community member recently discovered to have designed a computerized tea maker. He can send the machine—based largely on an old fryer—an SMS to start brewing a cup, so it’s ready by the time he gets home. Dr. Gachigi wants to help the inventor turn the technology into a business.

Dominic Wanjihia, a local engineer commonly featured on the blog Afrigadget, has recently set up shop here and unloaded his two hard drives filled with unrealized designs, such as this flat parabolic mirror! It seems he was just waiting for the right equipment all along. He now helps train students and community members in using the equipment.

One of the key features of the Nairobi Fab Lab that Bondo doesn’t have is this large piece of equipment, a Shop Bot. The Shop Bot is a CNC router that can carve any design from a computer into wood, from furniture to topographic maps. The staff are confident that by offering Shop Bot services, they can regain the entire cost of the Fab Lab (about USD96,000) within one year. Their most recent commission was carving The Last Supper into a coffin. The “death industry” (coffin makers, funeral homes, burial services, etc.) is unfortunately one of the most consistent and thriving industries in Africa.

A Member of Parliament recently asked the Fab Lab to see if it could automate the process of making soapstone figurines, a common local craft. Here’s the first attempt, completed with just one pass of the milling machine. It’s a bit rough, but the resolution will be greatly enhanced with a few more passes, as well as better 3D scanning technology to improve the original image. One does wonder, however, the value of removing the “handicraft” from a handicraft and putting so many artisans out of work!

Every Fab Lab has a set of videoconferencing equipment that allowa them to tap into the global Fab network. Every Wednesday evening, the team here logs in for the Fab Academy course led by Dr. Neil Gershenfeld all the way from Cambridge. The Fab Lab’s goal is to expand to many locations throughout Kenya, an exciting prospect. Kenya needs more innovation hubs where communities can come to solve their own problems.