Affordable Community Maker Spaces

My name is Aaed Musa; I am 18 years old; from Jacksonville, Florida; and part of the high school graduating class of 2022. I'll be attending Purdue University as a first-year engineer in the fall. More specifically, I plan on pursuing Mechanical Engineering. I've always had a burning passion for STEM. In high school, I became an active member of a community called FIRST Robotics. This is an organization dedicated to getting students K-12, such as myself, interested in STEM by holding robotics competitions. I became active in FIRST by not only joining my high school's robotics team but also becoming a coach for an FLL team that caters to younger children in middle school and under. My experience being a part of FIRST has led to the design of this: Maker's Module. Maker's Module is an affordable maker's space targeted at students participating in FIRST LEGO League. In this Instructable, I'll show you my plan, how I designed it, and how it could possibly become reality.

• 2 x shipping containers
• LEGO Technic Products (SPIKE PRIME, EV3)
• general LEGO products
• long sheets of 1/2" plywood
• foam Insulation
• 5 x child picnic benches
• assorted wood
• 12 x child-sized desk chairs
• ceiling lights
• 7 x toy storage organizers
• 3 x sliding doors
• a main door

What is Maker's Module?

Maker's Module is an affordable maker's space intended for students participating in FIRST LEGO League to be able to build robots, compete, and collaborate.

What is FIRST LEGO League (FLL)?

FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is a sector of FIRST Robotics where students in elementary and middle school form teams that give them an opportunity to design, build and program a LEGO robot in order to compete with other teams. More information on FLL can be found here.

Where will this be located?

I intend for these modules to be a part of actual establishments such as libraries and schools. This will ensure easy accessibility to the community and affordability since it won't be completely self-sustaining.

Who is it for?

Maker's Module is intended for FLL students but will be open to any child K-12 looking to tinker or develop their ideas with LEGO-based projects. It is also not limited to just kids and LEGO's. The module is adaptable and can be used for makers of any age.

How will it work?

The modules will receive startup sponsorships from companies like FIRST or the schools and libraries that they are a part of. This will cover general equipment and LEGOs. Continued sponsorships will be used to purchase more LEGOs.

What is the purpose?

The purpose of the Maker's Module is to give students a place to explore their ideas. Not all students or FLL teams may have a place to meet let alone access to LEGO robotic equipment. This project aims to bridge a community gap by creating maker's spaces for kids.

How big is it?

• the main module measures 226" x 186" x 88" (18.83' x 15.50' x 7.33')
• the upper deck measures 230" x 184" (19.17' x 15.33')
• the entire structure can seat 32 people max

For scale, some images include a 6ft tall human figure

This project took 17 days to design from start to finish. Below were 4 of my main goals when creating the project.

• Shipping containers: Incorporating more than one shipping container was a must for this project. I knew that I wanted a decently large space for the main area so I planned on combining two long shipping containers to create one big area.
• Inexpensive building material: In the spirit of making this affordable, I designed this module with the intent of it being easy to replicate with small funding. This is why things such as the stairs, the seats, and the awning are made of wood and are themselves small DIY projects.
• Capitalize on natural light: Most of the doors are clear sliding doors which allows for natural sunlight to come through. The upstairs area is fully outdoors allowing for a nice place to have lunch or to work on robotics. The awning is enclosed with clear glass allowing for a nicely lit work area. A couple of the picnic benches are outside with umbrella coverings.
• Multipurpose: I've designed this module in such a way that it could be easily transformed to work as other maker spaces not simply just for kids. replacing LEGOs with CNC machines and 3D printers can transform the module to be suitable for local makers to have a space to work. In fact, if a couple of these modules were made, a mini maker market could be accomplished with modules for anyone of any age and experience level.

I designed this project in Autodesk Fusion 360. Here are a couple of the Fusion 360 tools that were used in this project.

• Linking Designs: A significant benefit of using Fusion was the ability to link designs. Though the images show a complete module, each component was designed in its own file and later linked to one big file. I found this to be the best workflow.
• Rendering: To get photorealistic images, I used Fusion's rendering tool.
• Drawings: I used Fusion's drawing tool to create dimensioned schematics to show different parts.

I designed everything in this project except for the shipping containers which I downloaded from GrabCAD and the human figures which I also downloaded from GrabCAD.

Shipping containers are the heart of this project. The main body of this structure is two shipping containers each with dimensions: 196.86" x 60.54" x 98.44" (16.41' x 5.05' x 8.20').

Once combined, the material was removed from the shipping containers in order to accommodate space for the doors that will be added later. The dimensions of the cutouts are labeled in the image.

The interior of the shipping container is not suitable for a working area. I decided to design 1/2" wood flooring along the inside of the shipping container. Before adding flooring, It would be best to insulate the walls. With the flooring, the dimensions of the inside of the room are 226" x 186" x 88" (18.83' x 15.50' x 7.33').

(Notice there is also flooring covering the top of the shipping containers. This will be used for the upstairs area)

The module features

• the main door in front of the structure
• a sliding door at the front of the structure
• a sliding door at the side of the structure
• a sliding door at the back of the structure

The module has a set of wooden stairs that leads to the upper deck. The stairs to the side of the module. The upstairs area is enclosed by a wooden fence measuring 40" (3.33') tall.

The module has two types of seating

• 5 x Picnic tables: The picnic tables are inexpensive forms of seating. They can be made from wood and can seat about 4 people at a table. The picnic tables are only located outside. I have also integrated a hole in the picnic table to hold an umbrella that covers the entire table. The picnic tables are meant for building things, using tools, or eating/relaxing.
• 2 x Office tables: The office tables are bigger tables that seat 6 to a table. They are located inside the module and are meant for tasks requiring the usage of laptops/iPad, meetings, breakroom for teachers, and any of the other uses listed for the picnic tables.

Overall the module can seat 32 people at a time. This should be enough to accompany several robotics teams at a time or even a complete classroom.

The awning is made of

• a wooden hood
• three sides of covered glass walls
• a wooden floor

The awning is meant to section off the rest of the structure from the office tables.

As mentioned, this project is meant for LEGO robotics education. To accommodate this, I have integrated the following:

• 7 x toy containers: These toy containers are meant to store LEGO products and building material. They stand about 36" (3') tall.
• 3 x FLL tables: FLL tables are the competition tables. They have mats on them with layouts of the missions that the robots are supposed to accomplish. These tables allow students to run their robots in preparation for competitions.
• Cubbies: There are 12 cubbies located in the main room. Each measures 14.75" x 15" x 14". They are meant for storing robots and student work.

The interior of the module has toy organizers, FLL tables, and a set of cubbies. I have also added some decals on the wall.

I have created a 1:48 small-scale prototype of Maker's Module. I designed this prototype with Fusion 360 as well. Designing this was relatively simple. I simply redesigned the component of the original design with less defined features.

I used PLA to print the prototype which has 47 parts. I then glued all the parts onto a small sheet of wood. Total printing time was about 23 hours and total filament usage was about 227g. Here are the settings I used.

• 25% infill for all parts
• auto-generated supports on all parts
• 210º C extruder (for PLA)
• 50º C heated bed (for PLA)
• no rafts

Download the 3D files on my Thingiverse page

Check out the video above to get a better glimpse of what this project aims to promote and foster among children interested in STEM. These are robots that I have made and my students have made. I hope this Instructable has inspired you to create your own Maker's Module!