What is a Fab Lab?

Fab Lab is the educational outreach component of MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA), an extension of its research into digital fabrication and computation. A Fab Lab is a technical prototyping platform for innovation and invention, providing stimulus for local entrepreneurship. A Fab Lab is also a platform for learning and innovation: a place to play, to create, to learn, to mentor, to invent. To be a Fab Lab means connecting to a global community of learners, educators, technologists, researchers, makers and innovators- -a knowledge sharing network that spans 30 countries and 24 time zones. Because all Fab Labs share common tools and processes, the program is building a global network, a distributed laboratory for research and invention.

The Fab Lab is representative of the most familiar aspects of makerspace culture and is a good place for newcomers to experience hands-on design for the first time! For students interested in a deeper dive, check out Intro to Digital Fabrication; a multidisciplinary course intended to provide a high level exploration of additive and subtractive manufacturing tools and applications. Technologies like 3D printing are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to analyzing how digital fabrication is transforming our world.

Please direct any questions to Brandon at [email protected]

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