maker works, geek heaven

Maker Works is a geek heaven.  and not just for geeks, either!

this is the place you go if you have an invention in mind that you want to try making.  or a craft project that needs good tools.  or some ideas you want to throw around with like-minded people.  a 3-D sign you need to make.  personalized labels at high volume.  welding.  circuits.  CAD/CAM software.  etc, etc.

it's an 11,000 sq. ft. workshop with four main studio areas, hundreds of hand and power tools, a computer section with every conceivable software, and classes on how to use everything.  the four studio areas are Metal, Circuits, Wood, and Craft.  there's also a great conference room to accomodate many groups of entrepreneurs, inventors, and small groups, including ATC.  basically, you can walk in at any time and find creative, supportive people who will probably be interested in what you are doing and are willing to help if you need/want it.

at the risk of losing my audience, i want to list some of the heavy-duty tools they have.  if you have an interest in any of the four areas, you will be impressed.

Metal --  CNC Mill; Bridgeport Mill; CNC Plasma Cutter; various lathes; several different band saws; Sheet metal shear; Sheet metal brake; Grinders; Mig/Tig welding; Spot welder; 45 ton Ironworker.

Circuits -- Oscilloscopes; IBC Boardmaker; PCB Engraver; function generators; soldering stations; hot air rework; LEGO Mindstorms^tm

. 

  

Wood -- CNC router; table saw + extension table; Miter saw + extension table; Panel saw; Jointer; Planer; Band saw; Drill press; Drum sander; Disc sander.

Craft -- laser cutter; 16-thread CNC Embroidery Machine; Vinyl Cutter; several high-end sewing machines; Serger; MakerBot 3-D Printer; Vacuum Former; Plastic bender;

it also happens to be right around the corner from where i live, and ATC have a couple of open memberships i could use.  time to start thinking...

(btw, there's another shop like this one in Detroit/Allen Park, called TechShop and a new one in Ann Arbor called All Hands Active.)

Spinning Wind-powered Itinerant eFficienct Turbine (SWIFT)

a gem from the mini maker faire – I met Niraj Patel, a high school student who created a portable wind turbine. 

we all know that wind power is a great possible alternative energy source, though it still has some issues with efficiency and practicality to be worked out for widespread use.  the issues for small-scale use are the cost of the generators (which can be over $1000) and the overall efficiency (which is generally around 30%).

Niraj’s solution was to make a vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) that uses a special generator containing a permanent magnet alternator.  this alternator, unlike the regular ones on cars, works at very low speeds and loads and does not require any kind of starting mechanism.

  

he decided to use a vertical-axis turbine instead of a horizontal-axis (HAWT) one for several reasons.  they are quieter, and are omnidirectional, meaning they can catch wind from almost any direction, including gusts.  VAWTs are also more efficient in wind farms because they do not slow down the wind as much as HAWTs do, so can therefore be installed closer together, using less space.

the turbine can charge cell phones, small mini-USB-run appliances, and even regular rechargeable batteries!  it was already set up for all three.  the blades were made from styrofoam, and his ultimate idea was to cover them with mesh and fiberglass, leaving them sturdier but still lightweight.  the base was made from PVC and some basic erector-set-like pieces.  it was a terrific prototype with room for optimization.

Niraj mentioned the possibility of using such a wind turbine for camping, but I have an even better idea… doesn’t this sound like something that could fit in perfectly with ATC’s portfolio of designs to help people in poor areas?!  Niraj sounds like he’s interested in meeting and working with ATC on this and possibly other designs.  he’ll be entering Michigan to major in physics this fall, and he’d be a perfect addition to our group!

ps – he also gave me a contact for a student who designed a low-cost water filter, another possible ATC-like project.

the mini maker faire!

the ann arbor mini maker faire was great!  what a bunch of fun!  i even got 3-d scanned.  which means i can be printed out in your living room if you have the right equipment.  when the file comes, i'll post a picture.

here are a bunch of pictures and descriptions about some of the projects.

3-d printer, which can now be used to
make a copy of me right in your own home!
(more on these some time in the future)

dry ice bubbles, which transform into
a puff of smoke when popped

a giant game of operation!

paper art

robots moving golf balls -- very
similar to a project i had to do in college

robotic frisbee chucker
made by high school students

an old breadboard, used even
before my colleagues at college
had full briefcases for their work

weather bike, with all the bells
and whistles

air cannon

modular architecture designing

teaching kids to pick locks
i should have done this!  fun!

not part of the faire,
but a solar trash
compactor at WCC

you can now borrow tech tools from the library!
voltmeters, thermal imaging device, boroscope, etc

and of course, the ATC booth!

the detroit maker faire -- a very big deal -- will be held at the henry ford in dearborn the last weekend in july!  make plans to attend!
(and a big shout-out to my friend Kat McGraw who came to see me.  thanks, Kat!)

opportunity for TRAVEL!!

so guess what?!

ATC is sponsoring another trip to Guatemala in august!  and YOU can be there!

i can't even tell you what a great time i had when i went in march -- and i will go again in the future!  it was a fabulous life experience and a thrill to experience another culture.  since ATC did all the planning and covers ALL the logistics, it was a brain-free, stress-free trip.  all i had to do was purchase a plane ticket.  you can arrive from anywhere, it's all the same.  and the work is so rewarding!

Join us this August 3rd to learn natural building techniques working with bamboo, earth, stones and fiber to build a medical clinic on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. We promise lots of work, lots of cultural activities and an experience you will never forget.

Quick Details:
dates:  August 3-11
cost:  $1100-1350
covered:  accomodations, transportation in country, all meals, guides, cultural activities
not covered:  plane fare to Guatemala City, extra drinks

Overview:

Come join The Appropriate Technology Collaborative for the experience of a lifetime. This trip will focus

on a hands-on workshop on natural building practices on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. Recent participants report ATC volunteer work projects as “life changing” and “the best vacation we ever had.” (Note: we promise hard work but most people call it fun) While most tourists never experience Guatemala up close you will work hand-in-hand with local talent and gain insight into an indigenous Latin American culture. You will work with an English speaking professional natural building expert, Charlie Rendall, local Mayan natural building teachers and your ATC project manager.

The personal rewards from this experience in an indigenous Mayan region are incalculable. Your

perspective on life and the world around you will be changed. We will start the project with a historic

walking tour of Antigua Guatemala, a World Heritage site and former capital of Latin America, and end

our trip with a tour of the ancient Mayan city Iximche. If you are game for hard work, daily hikes in the

mountains, riding in the back of a pick-up truck and making new friends, this trip is for you. Some ATC

volunteers will be coming back from previous projects to work with us again. We suggest you contact us

soon at: info@apptechdesign, please include in the subject line “Travel August 2013.” 

Natural Building

About Guatemala:

Guatemala is located in Central America. It borders the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea located just

south of Mexico. Guatemala is rich in natural beauty and travel opportunities; it's a country that offers

much to those willing to step off the beaten track for a little while.

Antigua Guatemala is often regarded as the traveler's hub, a picture-perfect Central American town

ringed by volcanoes. La Antigua is a great place to learn Guatemalan history or simply sip some coffee in

a street-side cafe and watch the world go by.

Antigua

Lake Atitlan (or Lago de Atitlan), where our project is located, is another frequent stop on any visitor's

itinerary. Lake Atitlan is a volcano-rimmed lake considered by many world travelers to be one of the most

beautiful places on earth. The lake also is one of the world's top coffee growing regions.

Guatemala is small with an estimated population of 13 million. It hosts a tropical climate along the lower

elevations and cooler weather in the mountains where our project is located. The country is full of rich

indigenous culture and Spanish traditions. However, Guatemala also has a nearly 80 percent poverty rate.

Lake Atitlan

Itinerary:

Day 1 - Greeted at the airport by ATC Guatemala staff, a shuttle to Antigua.

Day 2 - (Sunday): AM, Breakfast then a walking tour of Antigua with local historian Elizabeth Bell or her

staff; travel to Lake Atitlan; dinner at our Hostel / Hotel with families and ATC staff;

Days 3-7 - (Work days, Monday-Friday): Breakfast served at 8:00 AM before traveling by boat (or pickup) to work sites; work from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. with lunch on-site; free time after work to clean up; supper

served family style; time for team activities and socializing.

Day 8 - (Saturday): Travel to Mayan Ruins at Iximche; travel to Antigua; free time; walking tour of the

Antigua Market (optional); overnight in Antigua.

Day 9 - (Final day, Sunday): Departure day, ATC provides transportation to Guatemala City Airport.

Note: Trip includes special events throughout the week, including cultural experiences, visits to local

NGOs, market tours, boat rides, etc. All food and travel is covered in the Program Cost. Beverages other

than coffee or tea at breakfast and safe drinking water all day are not covered in the Program.

Accommodations:

Hotels / Hostels include double- or triple-occupancy rooms and are simple, clean and typically located

near the project site. Guatemala's climate can be hot during the day and cool at night. Hot water is

provided but will probably not work 100% of the time. Hotel rooms will be cleaned and maintained

daily. Lake Atitlan is at an altitude over 5,000 feet so mosquitoes are rare. If you are staying in a Hostel

room please check your valuables with ATC staff or the Hostel desk.

Program cost: (airfare not included)

US $1,250.00 Based on Double Occupancy, Hotel Room

US $1,350.00 Based on Single Occupancy, Hotel Room

US $1,100.00 Based on staying in Hostel / Dorm Room style

Team leaders:

Charlie Rendall will be the Project Leader, Monika Goforth is the ATC Project Manager. John Barrie will

be nearby in San Juan and visiting the project on a regular basis. John is the founder of The Appropriate

Technology Collaborative; he is an Architect and Industrial Designer. John works about 25% of the time

in Guatemala and Nicaragua. Monika has been a project manager for ATC, she speaks Spanish and she

has extensive experience in the area where this project will take place. If interested please contact

info@apptechdesign and include "Travel August 2013" in the subject line.

Inventing Affordable Insulation with an Indigenous Guatemalan Family

the latest ATC trip brought four different teams down to Guatemala and Nicaragua in May.  the different projects involved helping a rural maternal medical clinic in Nicaragua with a lightweight exam table, providing low cost warmth in a village that is known for freezing, building a solar hot water heater that will be a model for others via our online design library, and building a wind turbine made from woven fabric so that local women weavers can earn more money while bringing electricity to rural areas.  ultimately, i'd like to tell you a little more about each.  for today, i have a ton of info on the insulation project.

we met Monika, now an ATC project manager, when we were down there in March doing the natural building project.  little did we know that she would become a part of ATC!  what follows below is her summary of the insulation project. 

from Monika Goforth, ATC Project manager:

I need to preface this with a note that the village elder who helped us find a suitable project location, Don Victoriano, chose a local family who really needed this project to keep warm and to upgrade their home. Don V. in his egalitarian fashion did not choose a member of his family to receive the work, rather he chose the family who could benefit most from our work.  

The mission of our project was to invent and implement a low-cost, sustainable and replicable solution to insulate concrete and tin-roofed homes in the extreme highlands of Guatemala.

              Back Yard of Family Home

Nueva Santa Catarina Ixhuacan (NSCI) is a small indigenous community that lost their traditional homes (made of adobe or mud) to a landslide over 10 years ago. International development funds went to a quick rebuild of the small town using concrete and tin to provide basic shelter. Years later, doctors are finding severe illnesses in the community and argue that the severe cold – inescapable even indoors – has been weakening the immune systems of the young and old. This town is known to have snow and frequent frosts over the winter, and during our week-long stay in early May the team experienced 3 hailstorms and a constant chill. Our personal experience with the cold (and desperately huddling over our hostmother’s cookfire) was a constant motivator to succeed in our project.

Prior to arrival in NSCI, the team of four engineering students from University of Michigan ran tests on various materials to study the effectiveness of insulation materials available in the developing world. In Guatemala, John Barrie and I referred to their findings and sourced out recycled corn sacks at the bustling city market in Xela.  The seller of these sacks was an old indigenous woman whose stall was packed to the ceiling with ‘bags of bags’  - selling us 300 costales at 2 Quezales each – that’s about 25 cents a bag. Of course, these bags can be easily collected for free from wholesalers, but for the purpose of our project, time was of the essence.

Jeremy, Teresa, Jackie and JC

Also important in an insulation project is aesthetics. Nobody wants to look up and see bare insulation in their home. We decided to use traditional handmade reed-mats to cover the corn sacks, offering one more layer of insulation with a natural, sustainable resource that is locally available and affordable.

Up in Nueva Santa Catarina Ixhuacan, the team of students and myself introduced ourselves to Manuel and Juana, a middle-aged couple with three daughters who work together in a family weaving business. The best room in the house was dedicated to their giant wooden loom, for which Juana coordinates the design and Manuel weaves as instructed. Juana speaks almost no Spanish, and does not know how to read or write. But she was clear and opinionated about the aesthetic of our project, and often poked her head in the door to ask what we were doing and why. Her husband, Manuel, translated from my Spanish to Quiche and she would nod in approval or give a blank face if we had more work to do before we reached her satisfaction. Manuel was raised by his grandmother after his mother died and his father moved to the coast to make a living picking fruit.  At age 14 his grandmother passed away and Manuel dropped out of school to work in various jobs. It turns out carpentry was one of them, and Manuel came to the rescue through the course of the project.

This leads us to the most magical moments of our insulation project. Manuel and Juana, welcoming hosts as ever, started the first day by offering us a hot cornmeal drink called atole, a welcome treat after a chilly day of sealing up the holes in their wall. The next day, they helped us fold the 300 corn sacks while we asked each other questions – how did Juana and Manuel meet? At what age do people get married in the United States? What about divorce? It was a rich moment of cultural exchange from both sides.

Next, the students installed the folded corn sacks over a network of string tied up along the slant of the ceiling. Several neighbors stopped by and asked about what we were doing. One young man asked detailed questions about the price of the corn sacks and said, “Huh, I could do this at my house.” And by the look on his face, I truly think he will.

Jeremy and Teresa Paint Room With Finished Ceiling

The day after, Manuel worked closely with the students to resolve some installation issues – it seemed that no matter what we did, the reed mats sagged! Frustrated and in despair, we started brainstorming other materials to use – but the expense! Manuel came into the room, jokingly commented on our sad faces, and announced that we can definitely install the reed-mats correctly and after lunch he would dedicate all his time to show us how. Within two hours of four people standing on various raised surfaces (including a table, an oil drum, a wooden ladder, a stool and fancy A-frame ladder) we tugged those mats in place while Manuel staple-gunned it all in. We celebrated with more atole from Juana. Manuel was our hero that day.

One more important detail needed to be done: window insulation. The thin window panes did not close tight, letting out any heat the ceiling insulation would keep down. The students came up with a brilliant simple design – quilting 3 layers of corn sacks between fabric, chosen and provided by Juana.  A student, Teresa, and I were led up the hill to Juana’s sister’s house – another Teresa! The two Teresas and I worked on a pedal-powered Singer sewing machine to quilt the insulating curtains so that they would lay flat and tight onto the window in the evening and easily roll up for the daytime. They looked fantastic.

Monika With Window Quilt

Saturday rolled around and it was time for a goodbye party at Manuel and Juana’s house. The guests were our host family from around the corner; the village spiritual leader, Don Victoriano; Juana’s extended family; and various neighborhood women and children. Soft drinks and thank-you speeches were exchanged and we had the funniest group photo-shoot ever. Juana wanted a photo with the “American boys,” then so did their daughters, Manuel wanted a photo with the girls, then with the boys… it went on and on with lots of laughter and funny poses. The week of working so closely with this family filled all our hearts. And feeling them respond with the same affection for us made all our work ever more fulfilling.

Monika Goforth - ATC Project Manager

is leapfrogging real?

as much as I love the concept of leapfrogging, there are those who say it’s basically a myth. 

over several things i have read, the doubts are there.  and they make some good points.  without particular writing style or priority, below are some of the points made by these articles:

• industrial countries have already picked the low-hanging fruit (provided basic social high-return projects like sanitation, education, etc).  only after this have we gone on to emerging technologies (risky and expensive with less social value returned).  leaving the first step undone to invest larger sums of money in lower-return investments doesn’t make sense.
• if older, simpler techs are not maintained (which they generally are not), it is less likely more advanced ones will be.
• more advanced tech has more complexity to manage and needs more resources (policy, tech knowledge, etc.) – better for developing countries to wait and let industrial countries iron out problems and drive down costs first.
• most leapfrog examples have not yet led to widespread adoption or transformation.
• there may be resistance built into the situation – old government mandates, cultural incompatibility, lack of coordinated progress forward, dearth of educated/qualified people to sustain it.
• literacy is required for many new techs (unlike cell phones).
• walk before you crawl – many new techs rely on the intermediate or basic techs that came before them ($100 laptops without electricity, advanced systems without solid education system, advanced medical devices without basic sanitation and disease prevention).  would money not be better spent on teacher training and basic infrastructure?  tech is more glamorous, but electrical grids, sewer systems, transportation, safe water, schools are more important to raise the level of the people living there.
• World Bank data indicate early adopters lead to tech diffusion fairly reliably in developed countries, but do not do so in poorer countries.  although technology is spreading to emerging markets faster than it ever has before (think of the spread of railways  (120 years) vs. radio/tv (60 years) vs. computers/cell phones (16-20 years)), the rate of diffusion among the overall population is stunted. 
• in china and india, the World Bank found that while cell phone usage is expanding, so is land line installation.  the pattern, it seems, is that cell phones are leading the patterns of communication where land lines then get laid.
• most examples of solar or internet leapfrogging are isolated, pilot experiments.
• one article draws the distinction between infrastructure (being developmental -- requiring the building of middle technologies to support new initiatives) and gadgets (being ecological -- able to jump earlier tech).

still, despite the preceding, I like the leapfrogging idea.

is leapfrogging a myth?  i don't know.  it's certainly a compelling concept. i think that leapfrogging tech for the sake of technology and convenience is of secondary importance to core societal needs.  but leapfrogging in that realm (solar power, clean water, health impacts) can transform life.

leapfrogging

I’ve had a few conversations with people about an interesting mode of technology diffusion called “leapfrogging.”  I don’t know that it is an accepted technical term or anything.  and I say “technology diffusion” not because it is a conscious means of rolling out new technology, but simply because that’s how it happens.  “leapfrogging” is the phenomenon where something skips from an old technology, over a middle technological invention, to a more advanced one for the same purpose.

a perfect example is cell phones.  in the development of communication, as a culture, we’ve gone from letters/telegraphs/no long distance audible communication to telephones connected via landlines and then to wireless cell phones.  what’s interesting about this is that in developing areas, for the most part people skipped right over the old telephone/land line model.  they went right from no “phone”-type contact to cell phones in one jump.  there was too much investment in laying land lines throughout far flung and rural and poor areas for it to be profitable or even feasible in many cases.  while there may have been a market as far as desire went, there was no market as far as money went.  what would be the use of having a phone if you were struggling to maintain your home and family adequately?  and particularly, what would be the use if everyone else didn’t have one?  or in a place where most things are within walking distance?  even if someone had the means and desire for a land line telephone, the structure just wasn’t there, nor would anyone be putting it there.  with the widespread use of cell phones, using limited infrastructure (just the towers) and hardware that is so inexpensive it’s almost disposable even in developing areas, there was an instant solution.  many, many people in poor areas have cell phones, and they do not cost as much as you would think.  I could have gotten a Guatemalan cell phone, with minutes to the states, for about $10 while I was there.  sure, that’s a lot for someone who lives on $2 a day, but for someone who makes a little more or for whom contact is a part of their income-generating activities, it is do-able.

another example of leapfrogging can be seen in my post on Shad and his farming techniques and philosophy.  once upon a time, farming was an individual thing, done on a relatively small scale to provide for the family.  even when it was not used simply for feeding the family or immediate community and changed into focusing on growing crops exclusively to sell, it still was very much done by individuals or families.  although the history and my retelling of it is vastly oversimplified here, bear with me.  eventually this relatively small-scale farming gave way to industrialized or commercial farming.  large corporations that harvested large tracts of land and focused on production pushed many small and medium farmers out of the arena.  most people get their food from supermarkets, supplied by these large and specialized producers.  organic and locally-grown fruits and vegetables are pretty much a niche market, though one that is growing.  there is a move for sustainable farming, organic and local farming, CSAs and more grass-roots type of farming.  permaculture is gaining steam, as is producing for your community and making a profit on varied, symbiotic crops.  and this is very much the model people are implementing where they can in developing areas.  farming in some areas has skipped right from personal, individual farming to a sustainable small-scale community food supply, without taking that large infrastructure step in the middle.

then there is light.  in the developed world, we went from kerosene and candles (fire-based) lighting to electrically-supplied light bulbs (again requiring significant infrastructure).  because we have this infrastructure already and it is relatively inexpensive, the transition to more natural sources for lighting power, such as solar or wind energy, has been stunted.  not so in the developing world, where once again there is a very clear leapfrog happening.  as i will discuss in the future, kerosene and other fire-based lighting (and cooking!) are dangerous, bad for people’s health, and actually relatively expensive.  solar lighting systems, though requiring an up-front investment, are subsequently free to use, do not require infrastructure, are available on an individual basis, are safer, do not produce harmful emissions, and can even be used to charge the ubiquitous cell phones.  many NGOs and companies are working on or already providing solar lighting to poor people around the world.  similarly, power in general has followed much the same route.  mechanical-based power such as human or animal labor gave way to fossil-fuel energy (electricity, gas, gasoline) which will hopefully give way to more natural sources of energy such as solar.  this is already happening in developing areas (though certainly the use of fossil fuels is also widespread).

how many other examples of leapfrogging can be found?  computers/internet which have gone from hard lines to modems to wifi (or even internet access through phones that skipped computers altogether)?  health care, where we’ve moved from the model of a local town-based doctor to large regional hospitals and specialists?  in impoverished areas, teams are working on portable high tech diagnostic tools that connect a local doctor to specialists in urban areas.  perhaps this is another leapfrog beginning to happen.  environmental solutions?  waste treatment?  vehicle power alternatives?

certainly, there are limitations to this.  in a future post:  the case against leapfrogging.