Democratizing Electronics: Accessibility and Meaning in Technological Making

 

By David Mellis, as part of the Creativity Technology Today symposium

When: 1:00 – 1:25 PM, Thursday, March 19, 2015
Where: Roser ATLAS Building, Cofrin Auditorium (ATLS 100)

 

Mellis-radio400pxMy work seeks to democratize electronics making. I develop tools, examples, and contexts that help designers, artists, students, hobbyists, and others prototype, design, and fabricate interactive artifacts. That involves not only making technology accessible to new audiences but making it relevant and meaningful for those audiences. In this talk, I share lessons from my work on electronics prototyping platforms; on supporting the use of electronics in design, craft, and art; and on do-it-yourself electronic devices.

Based on my experience as the lead software developer for the Arduino electronics prototyping platform, I discuss approaches to supporting the design and prototyping of interactive objects and their behaviors.  Drawing on my time teaching physical computing in design and art contexts, I discuss strategies for translating electronics and embedded computation into natural materials for creative practice.

My research at the MIT Media Lab investigates the application of an open-source approach to the making of electronic products. I discuss the opportunities and constraints I’ve encountered in redesigning devices (like radios and cellphones) for personal production using digital fabrication. I share strategies for engaging others in making electronic devices for use in their daily lives.

Finally, I discuss future research opportunities, including both potential new platforms for the making of interactive artifacts and means of engaging new audiences in these activities.

Mellis-Headshot150David A. Mellis is a PhD student at the MIT Media Lab, in Prof. Mitchel Resnick’s Lifelong Kindergarten group. David completed his master’s degree at the Media Lab in Prof. Leah Buechley’s High-Low Tech group. Prior to the Media Lab, David was a member of the faculty for the pilot year at the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design, an international master’s program. David has a master’s degree from the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea (Italy) and is a co-founder of the Arduino electronics prototyping platform.