Students where asked to develop a “Do-It-Yourself” toy construction project, which would enable the children of Shoshanguve to fabricate their own toys by using the tools made available by the Fab Lab to their best advantage.
Who was the community:
The children who live and play in Shoshanguve,
What was the design problem:
Children in the Shoshanguve Township do not always have access to toys. The Fab Lab provides an opportunity for children to make toys and learn about technologies congruently. This challenge arose from observing a young child play with an aeroplane that was constructed out of toilet roll tubes. The plane could not fly. If the design team could create a toy plane that could fly by using Fab Lab technologies and transfer those skills to the Shoshanguve children, then the children could learn to create their own toys as well as learn about the potentials of fabrications technologies.
What was the design solution:
Create a set of aerodynamic press-fit toys which can be laser cut out of carboard. Propellers can be designed in can and crafted on a 3d-milling machine, which can be used to resin-cast propellers on mass. Decals can be designed and manufactured using the Fab Lab’s vinyl cutter. Decal designs can be customised to the wishes of each individual user.