Anke Müller, Professor of Manufacturing Processes in Mechanical Engineering, and Oliver Mauroner, Professor of Technology-Oriented Innovation and Start-up Management at Hof University of Applied Sciences, held their city lecture on the topic of “How makerspaces, repair cafés and do-it-yourself are changing our world” in front of 50 participants in the student café “Zur Auszeit”.
Hands-on evening with creative impulses
The lecture offered a practical introduction to the world of DIY. After a theoretical introduction to the value of play – as training for problem solving, creativity and survival – it became clear that play is more than just a pastime. It promotes new ways of thinking and acting and is the basis for concepts such as design thinking and gamification. Today, modern technologies such as software that converts children’s drawings into 3D models and realizes them with 3D printers, for example, enable new ways of creativity. The DIY sector is also benefiting from this trend: it is becoming younger, more digital and more medial, as the boom in DIY content on YouTube shows. Historical and modern examples show how innovation arises from necessity.
“Open source developers have democratized innovation. They have developed methods that you don’t have to pay for and that allow users without technical training to build and try things out. One example is a 3D printer, which in turn can print components for new 3D printers.”
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anke Müller
She continues: “Crises and a lack of resources lead to innovation. In this respect, Covid was a good thing for the maker movement, which grew closer together and developed joint solutions despite collapsed supply chains.”
In a practical exercise, the participants built a turtle out of Lego bricks in six steps – an example of how playful work can lead to creative solutions, especially when resources are scarce.
Makerspaces: open workshops for all generations
MakerSpaces and FabLabs offer people of all ages the opportunity to turn ideas into products. Openness, accessibility and the exchange of knowledge are at the heart of the FabLabs’ philosophy. Products are developed, shared and refined together. If you would like to get active in Hof yourself, you can contact the Hof Repair Café run by the VHS or the Makerspace at Hof University of Applied Sciences, for example.
“Playing is seemingly purposeless, but in reality it trains our creativity and resilience. At Hof University of Applied Sciences, we offer adults protected spaces to strengthen precisely these skills.”
Prof. Dr. Oliver Mauroner
New season of the City Lecture in the fall
A new series of city lectures is planned for Selb and Münchberg in the fall. Details will be announced in the newsletter and on the social media channels of Hof University of Applied Sciences.
“We need to realize how many skills we take for granted and that we need for our personal success come from our educational institutions. In the public lecture on June 17, we talked about how we can get people to put the ideas in their heads into action.”
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Valentin Plenk, Vice President of Hof University of Applied Sciences
