Fab lab lecture draws crowd

Chris Jackson, lecturer in industrial design at Massey University and a leading figure in Wellington securing hosting rights for this month’s international Fab8NZ conference, introduces speakers at a presentation on fab labs in the Hutt on August 16.

The growing worldwide popularity of fab labs, or small-scale, hi-tech workshops, stems from their ability to tailor output to local or personal needs. They rely on low set-up costs and a variety of computer-controlled tools to make things not yet economical or practical using mass production technology.

The speakers, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, discussed the potential of fabrication laboratories to empower their users and boost economic growth.