Two weeks of summer dedicated entirely to prototyping. This is the path chosen by the MAKERS 5.0 participants – international Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) students from Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VILNIUS TECH) and several other European universities. From 23 June to 4 July, they gathered at VILNIUS TECH’s “LinkMenu fabrikas” to try out rapid prototyping technologies and immerse themselves in the creative process.
The VILNIUS TECH Creativity and Innovation Centre’s “LinkMenu fabrikas” summer school is designed for beginner students who want to deepen their knowledge in prototyping. For two weeks, Lithuanian and foreign students learned and worked in 3D printing, electronics, sustainable design, design-thinking, metal and woodworking.
From idea to prototype
The programme took place in two phases. The first was virtual week where students analysed design challenges, explored materials and users’ needs, and participated in interactive sessions led by experts from “LinkMenu fabrikas” as well as guest lecturers. The aim of the first week was to develop a strategy for the workshop: from concept development to production plan and technical solutions.
In the second week, the participants met in Vilnius at the “LinkMenu fabrikas” prototyping workshop. Here, a four-day intensive prototyping marathon took place. Teams worked with 3D printers, lasers, woodworking equipment and, most importantly, electronic components that brought the prototypes to life and functionality.
On the last day of the international school, public presentations were held. The student teams not only demonstrated their technical solutions, but also the sustainability and innovation of their design solutions. The ideas were defended in front of the jury, showing both creative thinking and technological readiness.
Prototypes developed by students
Five student teams presented prototypes: “Smart Helper”, a monitor-mounted device that helps maintain healthy working conditions by monitoring whether the user is sitting too close to the screen, measuring room temperature and humidity, and helping to ensure good working conditions; “Growii”, a smart pot with built-in sensors that tracks soil moisture, temperature and humidity and reminds the user when to water the plant; “Sound Totem” – a noise level meter that triggers light signals when the environment gets too loud, encouraging others to remember the health risks of noise; “Helper Kitten” – a wall-mounted mini-health checkpoint that can measure body temperature and pulse, designed as a simple and quick solution for public spaces; “Air Monitor” – an air quality monitor that measures temperature, humidity and gas concentrations, and triggers alarms such as sound and red light when safety limits are exceeded.
MAKERS 5.0 International Summer School aims to enhance students’ competences and international experience through innovative teaching methods. The summer school brought together students from Tallinn Technical University (Estonia), the University of Daugavpils (Latvia), the Riga University of Technology (Latvia), the Latvian University of Life Sciences and Technology (Latvia), the Ventspils University of Applied Sciences (Latvia), the University of Ruse (Bulgaria) and the ATHENA European University Alliance partner University of Siegen (Germany), University of Maribor (Slovenia) and students from VILNIUS TECH.
