In the words of wikipedia
A fab lab (fabrication laboratory) is a small-scale workshop offering (personal) digital fabrication. A fab lab is generally equipped with an array of flexible computer controlled tools that cover several different length scales and various materials, with the aim to make "almost anything".This includes technology-enabled products generally perceived as limited to mass production.
While fab labs have yet to compete with mass production and its associated economies of scale in fabricating widely distributed products, they have already shown the potential to empower individuals to create smart devices for themselves. These devices can be tailored to local or personal needs in ways that are not practical or economical using mass production.
The fab lab program was initiated to broadly explore how the content of information relates to its physical representation and how an under-served community can be powered by technology at the grassroots level. The program began as a collaboration between the Grassroots Invention Group and the Center for Bits and Atoms at the Media Lab in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a grant from the National Science Foundation (Washington, D.C.) in 2001.
While the Grassroots Invention Group is no longer in the Media Lab, The Center for Bits and Atoms consortium is still actively involved in continuing research in areas related to description and fabrication but does not operate or maintain any of the labs worldwide (with the excmobile fab lab). The fab lab concept also grew out of a popular class at MIT (MAS.863) named "How To Make (Almost) Anything". The class is still offered in the fall semesters.
Fab Labs in Iceland
There's six labs in Iceland an they're located in Reykjavik, Austurland, Hornafjodur, Ísafjörður, Sauðárkrókur and Vestmannaeyjar. We're interning the one in Reykjavik that is run by Bas Withagen And Linda Wanders. Our job includes doing our own bigger project and helping during the open hours. The Lab is open for public every tuesday from one till five and every thursday from five till nine. During open hours people can just come in and use the machines. Some know how they work already, some are regular visitor but some come there for the first time and may need assistance with the programs and the machines and that's when we come in. We also make sure that the place is clean after the open hours since people tend to leave chairs and material laying all over.
You can check the links to our FabWiki sites from our introduction and find more about our own projects there.
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