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To think like a designer requires dreaming up wild ideas,taking time to tinker and test, and being willing to fail early and often."

-IDEO


 

Details

 

Design isn’t just about creation; it’s about harnessing creativity to solve real world problems and improve people's lives- through the use of innovation. Our program takes students on an exciting journey of solving real world problems through hands-on exploration & product development. To think like a designer requires dreaming up wild ideas, taking time to tinker and test, and being willing to fail early and often.
Invention, however, requires more than just curiosity and creativity – it requires the KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS to carry a design to fruition. TechLabs teachers help students gain the knowledge to facilitate THEIR ideas, THEIR invention, and THEIR vision and to show them how to implement it with new technologies.

 

The specific project theme for this course changes throughout the year so participants alway experience something exciting and new. See the individual offer for current project theme.

Examples of past themes:

Our 2019 after-school DFF class endered their semester project into the National Bugnplay Competition. A digital youth competition for games, code, robitics, and multimedia. They took home 3 prizes including Space Award, Best Classroom Project, and the opportunity to present at Design Biennale Zurich 2019. Here is their winning submission Candylicious
Candylicious
Students are introduced to the concept of Design Thinking through designing and building their own Robotic Pet that responds to various sensor inputs with sound, light, and wagging tails, wiggling ears, waving arms, whatever their imagination can dream up. Kids are encouraged to think outside the box, no idea is a bad idea and the more ideas the better! They develope the code and build the electromechanical system necessary to bring thier pet to life.
This is no ordinary 3D printing class, this is using technology for humanitarian aid! In collaboration with the Enabling The Future project, children design, create and deliver a prosthetic robotic hand to underprivileged children throughout the world. 1 in 2000 children are born each day that can benefit from a prosthetic device produced in conjunction with this program.  Over 6000 prosthetic arms have already been successfully donated by Enabling The Future. This highly focused course teaches how a group of STEM students can come together and provide access to life-improving technology. We have built a special curriculum, utilizing all of TechLabs’ resources, to engage children in a highly focused project where they will get to experience the impact of open source technology to lower barriers to innovation and provide access to life-improving technology. TechLabs is Switzerland's ONLY Enabling The Future Certified fabrication and assembly partner.

From automated vacuum cleaners, to Mars rovers, to deep-sea exploration, robots are everywhere. But a new kind of robot has arrived. They are small, cheap, & simple but they have a special skill: they work as a team! Inspired by nature, these robots work together to achieve tasks that even a more sophisticated and expensive robot can’t achieve alone. Similar to the sophisticated beehives bees are able to build together or the huge complexity of ant colonies.

In this class, you will:

  • discover biomimicry
  • build your own high-maneuverability robot
  • program it using BBC micro:bit
  • define a task to accomplish as a team
  • upgrade your robot using 3D modeling and 3D printing
  • learn to work as a team

Check out TechLab's Swarm Robot TL1 on Kickstarter!

Design & test Build Oil Spill Cleaning Boats

Experimenting with an Auto Farming Device

Interactive Installation SDG Goal 14: Life Below Water

Interactive Light Installation

Build and program Light Painting Robots

Join us for a fun-filled week where you will not only program your own video game but also design your very own Game Controller thanks to 3D-Printing! This is not your average controller; the TechLabs controller will let you control your game using motion, image, and voice recognition thanks to AI. 

 

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Tu or Th | Design & Fabrication Seminar | Age 13-Adult

Tu or Th | Design & Fabrication Seminar | Age 13-Adult

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BS | Tu and Th | Design & Fabrication Seminar | Age 13-Adult

BS | Tu and Th | Design & Fabrication Seminar | Age 13-Adult

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