The machine Paradox
Extending the life of products through reverse engineering has become a powerful way to keep things running smoothly and reduce environmental impact.
Last updated
Extending the life of products through reverse engineering has become a powerful way to keep things running smoothly and reduce environmental impact.
Last updated
In this hands-on two-week seminar, we dive into understanding how machines work and how to give them new life. We start by gathering discarded machines and everyday devices, exploring ones that catch our interest. From there, we disassemble them piece by piece, studying each component. Through this, we realize that we often toss devices out of convenience or because we don't fully understand their electronics, when, with a little know-how, they could actually be fixed.
With my group Bel, Andrea, Ramon and Max; we selected a 3D printer, the "Formlabs Form 1," to take apart and get a better understanding of how it works, why it stopped working, and what types of issues it might have.
We started disassembling the printer to understand and learn more about its components and functions, and to discover any malfunctions.
Next, we began experimenting with the printer's various inputs and outputs as we prepared for the next part of the seminar, where we'll work on repurposing the machine.
The report is essential for the open-source community, especially for those who want to repair and breathe new life into devices and machines. This type of report details how and why a machine or device fails over time, providing insights into common issues and causes of obsolescence. By sharing these findings openly, others in the community can better understand the lifespan of parts, troubleshoot problems, and identify solutions without relying on proprietary information. This not only empowers people to repair rather than replace but also supports a sustainable cycle of reuse and innovation.
It’s a funny twist: we used to throw parties with our machines, and now they’re throwing a party without us! Every time a human tries to peek in, they go silent, like they're saying, “Nope, no humans allowed!” The machines are having a blast on their own, and we’re just left outside, wondering what we missed.
These days, people are getting more eco-conscious, moving away from the old “buy, use, toss” mindset to a “repurpose, reuse, recycle” approach. Learning to extend a product's life through reverse engineering has turned out to be a great way to keep things working longer and cut down on waste.
This course, especially, has helped me get over my fear of interacting with machines and has shown me just how much potential they really have.
