ideaLab

IdeaLab is a collaborative learning and working environment where small ideas cultivate into greater ideas. With all the machines and the tools there is no limit to what we make.

In 2020, ideaLab has officially became a FabLab!

How It All Began

In 2013, our makerspace was created when a group of students interested in robotics and programming turned one of the rooms in the school into The IdeaLab. ideaLab’s design changed from year to year and evolved into a unique learning environment in which students learn from each other. The ideaLab continues to inspire us all as an area where we discover ourselves, work together, make mistakes, try again, and learn.

The lab continues to grow and change every year as the interest and ideas of the students change to ensure that all students can make the projects they are passionate about. The ideaLab continues to evolve as a dynamic living and learning space, as illustrated by the diversifying additions of the Lab Fabrication.

IdeaLab consists of four parts: Electronics and programming room, mechanical workshop, fabrication room and Multimedia Lab. In the electronics and programming lab we’ve, 2 Mac Pros and a PC for high power application like 3D Modeling, Ai training and video editing, a soldering iron station, electronic tools for rapid prototyping, 3D printers and storage for most of the components we use in the lab. In the mechanical workshop, which is called the Bumper Lab, we build the mechanical parts for our projects and prototypes using various power and hand tools. In our fabrication room we have our CNC router and laser cutter. This room is in a separate building since we have a lot of young students coming into the lab. By placing the machines into a different room we aimed to prevent any injuries. The Multimedia Lab is the place where the students focused on entrepreneurship, graphic design and video production can work on their projects. There is a vinyl cutter which is used to make things like t-shirts and stickers from the designs the students create. Every room has an embedded smart TV system.

In IdeaLab, we are working on a number of interesting, garage-type STEAM projects, including arcade machines and games, drones, face and emotion recognition devices, sensors for IOT, and various RaspberryP and Arduino projects. At the same time, we participate in many national and international projects, conferences and hackathons on a regular basis.

The safety of the students in the lab is crucial. Therefore, we host “Safety Workshops” every year for the new students. The safety posters around the lab always reminds the students how to use the tools and machines correctly.

Students that work in the IdeaLab learn to take responsibility for their own learning and obtain skills like programming, 3D Design and critical thinking as they work according to our motto “Make, Fail, Learn and Repeat”.

Now