UC Berkeley’s Bjoern Hartmann and Eric Paulos were recently named the Co-Directors of the CITRIS Invention Lab. As a Co-Founder of the Invention Lab, Hartmann has been instrumental in the development of the Invention Lab. Paulos joined the Lab during the Fall of 2012 and began teaching a new course on Critical Making. Both professors bring their extensive experience in interactive product design and engineering to the lab and will oversee the expansion of the facilities.
The CITRIS Invention Lab is a maker space on the UC Berkeley campus providing expertise, tools, materials, and support to design and prototype projects. The first tech maker space on the Berkeley campus when it opened in 2012, the Invention Lab’s resources consist of an array of traditional prototyping equipment that ranges from the basic craft tools to machining and electronics instruments. It also offers a unique opportunity for researchers on all four CITRIS campuses to create, produce, and package a prototype that can be tested and ultimately pitched to potential users, customers, and investors.
The Lab is open to all members of the entire UC Berkeley community. It supports faculty, student, and community innovation by providing the knowledge, tools, and support to rapidly design and prototype novel interactive products, embedded sensing systems, and integrated mobile devices. This facility is a vital piece of the CITRIS pipeline running from the minds of researchers through CITRIS laboratories, and into the markets, industries, and streets of the world.
The Invention Lab offers a variety of prototyping equipment ranging from basic craft tools to electronics workbenches, CAD stations and professional digital fabrication machines. Common prototyping materials and supplies are available for purchase in the lab. Lab staff provides additional guidance and support for design and equipment use. Together, these assets have already helped students turn ideas such as cloud-based car diagnostic devices, smart hydration tracking cups and phone-controlled irrigation systems into functional prototypes
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The Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) and the Banatao Institute drive interdisciplinary innovation for social good with faculty researchers and students from four University of California campuses – Berkeley, Davis, Merced, and Santa Cruz – along with public and private partners.
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