Fab Spaces
= "building a beautiful and intuitive new way to design and share DIY projects".
URL = http://fabspaces.cc/
Description
1.
"There is a fundamental flaw with our current consumption model: products that need to be distributed to millions of people around the world are designed behind close doors in an attempt to buy the necessary time to put together the incredibly complex supply chains required to mass-produce the millions of products in a central location out of which they will be distributed globally. At the end of a vast and complex transportation network there is a small package delivered to the front door of each customer. The amount of energy that was spent to produce and deliver that simple gadget has an obvious price.
Now imagine a product designer deciding to open her product specifications in such a way that a vast network of FabSpaces can instantaneously create copies of the product to be delivered to her customers in their neighborhoods, in fact achieving almost instantaneous global reach. Even better, what if different versions of the product were adapted and tuned to the needs of the locals? What if products could be 3D-printed on demand, in response to their success in the local market? What if consumers could become aware of the processes and people involved in producing the things they use throughout the day, in fact becoming advocates for more efficient communities concerned with recycling and the lifespan of resources?
In this game, we all win. Companies explore more efficient ways to deliver their products globally, consumers get access to a global catalog of innovative products on demand, communities get stronger as production processes take place locally generating jobs for more Makers operating the local FabSpaces, and young entrepreneurs are able to participate with great product ideas that can be tested at low scale or deployed massively without additional effort. Only at that point, when our current consumption model has been utterly disrupted, we’ll consider our mission accomplished." (http://fabspaces.cc/2012/04/welcome-to-fabspaces/)
2.
"In this future we are building, every corner of the world would likely find ways to solve its own problems by leveraging personal fabrication technologies. This does not mean that everyone goes on reinventing a wheel because they have a tool to 3D print a torus. Instead, a long tradition of openness and collaboration seems to reign the halls of every Maker meeting. We have to, since complex systems can only be assembled by combining the knowledge of many players. But the formula is simple and well rehearsed by our Open Source counterparts. Think Wikipedia meets the real world. We are just perfecting a new vocabulary of things that can be assembled into complex systems.
One day not too distant, the pieces that are used to assemble even the most complex systems (transportation vehicles, large scale robots, smart cities) will all be part of an ever-growing catalog of simple pieces that snap together as easily as littleBits do today. And the knowledge to make this happen will be freely available.
In that same future, no one will be tied to a a few dozens of brands competing for loyalty. Only convenient designs that solve the concrete problems we have, interwoven with one another into a smart lattice that coherently represents an innovative product that has the “Making and assembly instructions” in page 1 of the owners manual. This will be the era of ultimate personalization.
Between now and then, there is already a very healthy ecosystem of suppliers that are happy to accelerate the fabrication process by helping with parts (Sparkfun), pre-assembled systems (adafruit), or even fully outsourced manufacturing (as in “Made in China”). And they are all within reach of every single Maker with a proven idea that has been backed by a few thousand patrons, BEFORE it is built." (http://fabspaces.cc/2012/05/the-beginning-of-something-big/)
FAQ
"How will Makers use FabSpaces?
Explore projects started by others, find good ideas and when ready create their own by reusing.
Does FabSpaces requires knowledge of electronics?
No! We have abstracted the process of assembling DIY projects to their most basic elements so even beginners will be able to play.
Is it only for electronics design?
No. Anything and everything that can be shared under a Creative Commons license and represents an artifact in real life can be added to projects. That 3D sketch found on Thingiverse belongs here too.
Is this some sort of CAD software?
No. We’ve found a new way to represent artifacts from the real world without the complexities of 2d/ 3d modeling. But you can probably get some of the same results.
Is it a website or an app?
Both. We are building our canvas on HTML5 so the experience of using will translate seamlessly across many different types of devices.
Is it free or do I need to purchase it?
We think there is a great business model here once a lot of projects have been created and shared, so we are doing our best to keep the fun part of using FabSpaces free.
Why the .CC ?
CC is the domain used by projects that encourage the adoption of Creative Common licenses for content created. All projects created in FabSpaces can be shared with a CC license that encourages others to reuse your ideas. It is a good thing.
Do I have to share my designs?
We prefer you do as you will get the most out of the community by doing so, but we understand some ideas should be kept private.
But I’m a PRO, give me the big tools!
Awesome. This is a big tool… for finding an audi- ence for your projects, some of which we are sure are viable and will do great once you start building them. But there is more, once a design becomes popular we keep track of how well it does around the community and make sure you get your share, even when others are making them.
When will it be available?
The first version of FabSpaces will be launched in the Fall of 2012. So enjoy the Summer, because you won’t want to do anything else once you get it." (http://fabspaces.cc/faq/)