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aspects of the design in a fast, cheap, and easy way. Including this in
the design process helps illuminate new possibilities and filter out
ideas that don’t translate. These are ways of sketching with interactiv-
ity, responsiveness, and movement, iterating to a model of the product
or pieces of the product.
Along with new tools come new collaborations. The Maker community
and local hack-labs, both groups of people who deeply experiment with
new technology for creative purposes, are now home to many technol-
ogists and designers working together to make interesting and future
focused things. These collaborations result in products such as Berg’s
Little Printer, the plug-and-play robotics kit, Moti, and DIY home auto-
mation tools like Tw i ne. Bio-hack labs are also beginning to pop up,
pushing into biology and chemistry, and experimenting with bioen-
gineering in an accessible way. One such group in Toronto, DIYBio
Toronto, hosts regular workshops. Companies such as Synbiota, an
open source repository for bio-hacking, are forming to support the
community.
These are just the beginning, as startups and large companies move
into this new space. One of the most successful examples on the mar-
ket today is the Nest thermostat, which combines innovative physical
controls with small screens, microprocessors, and software to add a
level of smart automation to the home. A product that started out as a
better thermostat is poised to be the hub of a much larger home con-
trol system.
How do we begin to work with these new technologies, networks, and
systems? There are a few ways to dive in that will help to understand
the potential, constraints, and complexities involved.
Experiment
Arduino and similar platforms are easy to find at local stores or online,
and they are cheap. Pick one up, find a tutorial, and dive in. Have an
idea for a project you’d like to try? Just try it, don’t worry if it seems com-
plicated. Start with the simplest piece. These systems give you all the
pieces you need to build network-connected objects.
nandana
(Nandana)
#1