Approved by the European Network of Living Labs, the Başakşehir Living Lab, an environment where products and services on information technologies and design can be tested and developed with real users in a real-life atmosphere, is the first living lab in Turkey. It is a center of experience, research and innovation that enables the community to see the true added value of new products and services. In this center, all citizens above the age of 10 are provided free mechatronics, information technologies, entrepreneurship and design training. Entrepreneurs are also provided with design, business development, sales and marketing support.
Recently, the living lab is preparing to host a free event titled Mechathon with Istanbul Design Factory. This event, to be held with the collaboration of Öğrenenler and Promakim on June 27-28, will bring a fresh take to design life in Istanbul. In the organization, it is aimed that participants will develop products and mechanisms through teamwork by exchanging opinions and information with the help of expert mentors.
We, as Daily Sabah, talked with Çiğdem Şentürk, who is an industrial products designer at Istanbul Design Factory and a Mechathon leader and mentor, about how this event will be organized and what is waiting for the participants.
Şentürk said Mechathon aims to encourage people to develop a product in a limited time with a mechanism design. "In the event, participants are expected to produce a working mechanism. They will obtain some necessary pieces with 3D printing, laser machines or computer numerical control (CNC) machines while producing others by using other equipment in our workshop," she stressed. Noting that they expect intense participation for the event, Şentürk also implied that students or graduates from the related departments of universities like industrial products design and mechanical and mechatronics engineering, and high school students, are the groups that can attend the event.
She continued: "The participants should prepare to present their projects within 32 hours with a model by passing the design-concept, 3D modelling, printing-processing and prototype production and presentation-evaluation stages. If they want to continue their work on their projects, they can use the event workshop throughout the whole night. In the program period, where training on 3D technologies will also take place, mentors who are experts in their fields will direct the participants, and their productions will be evaluated by a jury."
The mentors that will supervise the participants are Metallurgical and Materials Engineer Can Tunçsav, who is also Başakşehir Living Lab's vice coordinator, Sabri Cici, Başakşehir Living Lab's chief technical officer, Industrial Products Designer Çiğdem Şentürk, Ali Oğuz, co-founder of Promakim, senior mechanical engineer Selçuk Keser, the founder of Öğrenenler platform, Mert Kılıç, the founder of a popular YouTube channel Mert Arduino, Şenol Yüksel, the founder of İnomaker, electronic engineer Hakan Alan, computer engineer Necip Hayran, designer-architect Batuhan Esirger and software designer Ramazan Subaşı.