WHERE
IDEAS AND IMAGINATION
MEET INSPIRATION AND INNOVATION
FROM DESIGN TO REALITY
01 / CENTER FOR
COMMUNITY PRODUCTION
Incite Focus is a world-recognized, cutting-edge production and training lab focused on the relationships between Digital Fabrication, Permaculture, Experiential Learning, and Appropriate Technology.
Our Fab Lab is a platform for learning and innovation: a place to play, learn, create, mentor, and invent.
We maintain a collaborative learning space where concepts and ideas are realized through technologies that give its users the capacity to produce items effective for personal, household, community, commercial, and industrial use.
Our small-scale production space for digital fabrication serves as a stimulus for local entrepreneurship, allowing Makers to make almost anything using an array of digital technology.
As a Fab Lab we are an educational outreach component of MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA) and a part of a global network that spans over 30 countries and 24 time zones. The Fab Lab is a global community connecting learners of all ages, educators, technologists, researchers, makers, and innovators.
02/ FAB ACADEMY
At the Fab Academy, you will learn how to envision, prototype and document your ideas through many hours of hands-on experience with digital fabrication tools. We take a variety of code formats and turn them into physical objects.
The Fab Academy Diploma consists of a 5-month part-time student commitment, from January to June. The Fab Diploma is the result of the sum of Fab Academy Certificates. Progress towards the diploma is evaluated by a student’s acquired skills rather than time or credits.
The Fab Academy is a fast-paced, hands-on learning experience where students plan and execute a new project each week. Each individual documents their progress for each project, resulting in a personal portfolio of technical accomplishments.
NEW CLASSES STARTING SOON! Contact Incite Focus for details.
03/ MAKER PROFESSIONAL REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP
Our next generation apprenticeship program in Digital Fabrication is designed to help you build the skills you need for digital making and manufacturing.
Train at our Fab Lab on a wide range of digital tools and become a valuable Maker Professional, which is a U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship.
Build competence in the means of production within both the engineered and natural environments through this unique opportunity.
You'll receive project based training, paid internship opportunities, and job placement assistance.
NEW GROUPS START EVERY MONTH!
Grab your copy of the newly released book, Designing Reality, where authors Neil Gershenfeld, Alan Gershenfeld, and Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld foresee a third and even greater digital revolution – in digital fabrication.
Incite Focus is referenced within a group of “fab pioneers” and our work and principles at the intersection of technology, business and social impact are highlighted within an “aspirational scenario”. Explore the ways in which this new digital revolution has the capacity to transform our world in similar ways the past two digital revolutions in computing and communication have. The difference is: we are now in a unique position to better understand how to avoid the digital divides that plague many communities, still to this day. The last two revolutions left many people behind – today half of the planet is not connected to the Internet, inequality is on the rise, and issues around privacy, security and civility emerge daily. Designing Reality is your guide to not just surviving, but thriving, in the third digital revolution.
WHO WE ARE
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Work and spend less. Create and connect more.
It’s difficult to have that conversation when we’re all dealing with our "stuff", right? But, here’s the thing: this IS the solution to solving that stuff.
First, start by asking yourself questions around what it is that you need – really need – and what your community needs. Then, think about what ideas you have to produce those necessities. Next, understand this: if something doesn’t exist you can actually make it exist.
That’s where we come in.
Using technology, including software and hardware tools, and incorporating new economy concepts of social solidarity economy, zero growth economies, steady state economy issues, utilizing cooperatives and community transformation models, small group project management, development of individual and group agency and the whole process of not just educational learning – we are helping people not just learn stuff – but learn self.
When a person begins to develop the capacity to make things they begin to feel a greater, not only sense of agency, but a sense of control over their life.
OUR VISION
Living a well-lived life.
Having the opportunity to do what you’re passionate about.
Being a contributor.
Self-determination.
Not having to run the risk of going without.
People having control over their lives.
That's rewarding. Our definition of wealth means owning our own time. That's happiness. What role can we play in the economics of happiness? A true high quality of life involves improvement in the overall human condition.
We are embedding the means of production within our communities.
We are eliminating the sense of disconnectedness people have in this rapid change they can’t seem to find any anchoring in: the position people have in terms of a sense of scarcity - as opposed to abundance - given the fact that they depend upon things outside their control to get the resources to procure the things that they need along the way.
We are creating the conditions of change.
COMMUNITY-BASED PRODUCTION
Community empowering programming.
All are invited to utilize our makerspace as a collaborative work space.
We are open to the public - people of all ages, entrepreneurs, artists, creatives, nonprofit organizations - for exploring and sharing.
We are about building the capacity for people to operate together rather than just exchanging talents.
We invite you to examine the tough question: What would a healthy community, a well community, BE if we could actually do this?
Let's conduct an inventory of assets that are in our communities to present some simple solutions so that this change can be realized.
When we get together and do this then we will start building some momentum and some capacity to be successful -working together as a force.
Imagine actually designing and building what your community needs.
It starts here. What would you like to make?
An article by Blair Evans on the relevance of Community Production.
An article discussing our involvement with Permaculture.
An excellent article on the meaning of Digital Fabrication. We are mentioned under "PLANNING INNOVATION" (that is not why the article is excellent...).
A participant's video of one of our International Knowledge Exchange trips. This one was to Ethiopia in 2013.
Blair Evans, Founder and Executive Director of Incite Focus, is a Member of the Fab Foundation Board.
The Fab Foundation is the non-profit entity that spun out of MIT's Center for Bits & Atoms Fab Lab Program. Their goal is to provide accessibility to the tools and resources necessary in facilitating knowledge and education in digital fabrication technology.
PARTNERSHIPS
GET IN TOUCH
313.202.4901
Industry Innovation Center (formerly the Next Energy Building)
461 Burroughs St.
Lab 1
Detroit, MI 48202