Have you ever seen a workshop on three-wheels? In order to help aspiring ‘makers’ in India who face problems due to insufficient access to proper machinery and tools to actually start working on their ideas, Maker’s Asylum and Autodesk have come up with an innovative solution to offer tools, machines and garage equipment’s on an Auto named as ‘Maker Auto’.
The entire auto has been modified and the only thing remains which was factory fitted by Piaagio, is the cabin; everything else on the ‘Maker Auto’ is recreated (adhering of course to the RTO road rules). “The main aim is to take the ‘Makers Asylum’ out of the building onto the road. We want people across Mumbai to get into the ‘Making Culture’. It has been prevalent in Europe since 1970’s and 80’s. In India it has just begun,” informs Allan Rodrigues, Advisor, Maker’s Asylum.
Vision and Mission
Conceptualized and designed by Coby Unger and his enthusiastic team, the ‘Maker Auto’ is a refurbished three wheeler that will serve as a mobile platform to encourage hands on making and tinkering. The designer has used gull-wings on the platform that open ups both the sides where tools boxes are stocked. “We wanted to lower the entry barrier for people to come and create by bringing the tools and equipment of the makers space like laser cutting tools, 3D Printing, machines, glue guns, drill machine, on to the streets and so we have equipped this customized 3wheeler with it,” expresses Coby Unger, Maker-in-Residence, Maker’s Asylum.
Maker’s Asylum is planning to collaborate with NGO’s and institutions that work with people and especially kids in the slums of Mumbai. However, the maker’s space is open to creative ideas to people of all age group and background. Each workshop will be conducted in partnership with some community group and the structure of the programme or the curriculum will be designed specifically to fit their mission. “If we associate with a music school the Maker’s Auto workshop may focus on building a large collaborative musical instrument. Hand work is often associated with low wages and is not respected by many. Hence one of the aims of the Maker Auto Team is to bridge this thought gap,” believes the designer.
Pradeep Nair, Managing Director, India & SAARC, Autodesk said, “It is a great initiative at a time when everybody is speaking about ‘Make in India’, we want to take the making culture to common people to grassroots levels-particularly small entrepreneurs. We want people to work on their aspirations of innovating for the country and for that we want to make sure the technology and the tools are readily available to them.”
Maker’s Asylum – Creator’s Lab
When you enter the first floor of the Maker’s Asylum, you will see innovatively created materials, like a sensor lamp, 3D printed artifacts, skulls, hammer that looks like a disco lamp or vice-versa, black wall with world map, non-plastered brick-wall, an open source computer satellite design, drones, aberrant wall art-created by students who have either studied here or mentored the students. To help people explore the art of making ‘Maker’s Asylum offers an array of 3D printer, laser cutters, CNC machines, electronic lab and prototyping tools for working on wood, robotics and open sources computer-aided programmes through a various membership and enrollment options.
“It is a community work space that brings together engineers, architects, designers, artistes, academicians to work on interdisciplinary projects and learning. It is the space for serious hardware entrepreneurs as well as hobbyists. We don’t want people’s ideas to die on the drawing board,” concludes Rodrigues.