A Revolution in Access to Healthcare: DIY Labs and Makerspaces

Makerspaces, DIY labs and communities for fabricating objects are multiplying at an unimaginable speed. As such spaces, equipped with 3D printers, laser cutters and many other digital tools, are perfect for building health sensors or medical alert systems, The Medical Futurist team had to experiment with it. I cannot be more enthusiastic about both the idea and its realization! Technology and know-how for everyone I’m curious about how things go today, but I have to warn you that I’m technologically challenged, said a member of The Medical Futurist team at the start of our Makerspace workshop. That was the sentence when the organizers’ eyes started to kindle with joy as their ultimate mission is to show how the power of technology is within reach for everyone – and not only those who were able to play music postcards with the help of large potatoes and some wire already when they were five years old. While several years ago it was the privilege of tech-savvy researchers to experiment with robots or medical devices behind closed doors, the situation has since changed profoundly. The spread of social media, crowdsourcing and DIY technologies demolished the barriers to know-how and raw materials. This not only paved the way for enthusiastic amateur gadgeteers to make simple devices at home for their own pleasure but also to solve health problems with the power of community and technology within the frames of Makerspaces or DIY laboratories. From #wearenotwaiting through...
Source: The Medical Futurist - Category: Information Technology Authors: Tags: Health Sensors & Trackers Healthcare Design community digital health DIY future Innovation laboratory makerspace technology wearables Source Type: blogs