People can be intimidated by technology or have no idea how things work. We want to let people take control over
technology by letting them build their own harware without prior technical knowledge.

I developed an open-source LEGO compatible brick system which integrates sensors, internet connectivity and other
technology into simple LEGO like bricks which anyone can use to build their own tech.

Anyone around the world can make the smart bricks in a Fab Lab, but we also host free workshops for people to work with
the bricks and let them build their creations.

The project was developed as part of Fab Academy and everything can be made using standard Fab Lab equipment.

The smart bricks project is an open-source hardware initiative to let people with little or no technical knowledge build
their own hardware and get familiar with electronics, sensors and code. I have developed a series of LEGO-compatible
bricks in the Fab Lab, each holding a different PCB with a different function. Some bricks are inputs, some are outputs,
one connects to the internet and another holds a battery. By stacking them together you can make your own
internet-connected device, and because it is fully LEGO-compatible anyone can build crazy creative creations around the
hardware! We received a grant from the city of Amsterdam to use our bricks to teach disatvantaged groups in the city
about technology and are working on a partnership with a program for refugees to educate them about technology with our
bricks. The system is super simple but also completely hackable, so if people get the hang of things they can completely
re-program, hack, remix, rebuild, do whatever with them. So they grow with a person as their skills grow. This started
as a final project of Fab Academy in the Fab Lab Amsterdam, and all the design files and code are open-source so they
can be made in any Fab Lab around the world.