Cool!

I’m elbow deep in transcribing an interview tonight (I’m doing a follow up interview with the same teacher tomorrow and  I need to study what he said last time).

Anyway, he referred to mechatronics.  I had to look it up just to spell it. Here’s where Wikipedia comes in handy… since it’s all about the quick social construction of knowledge. It says:

“Mechatronics is the combination of Mechanical engineering, Electronic engineering, Computer engineering, Software engineering, Control engineering, and Systems Design engineering in order to design and manufacture useful products.”

I got this image off Flicker by looking up Makers Fair. It shows a kids’ version of a Makers Faire.

The engineering teacher I was interviewing also explained Makers Clubs to me.  “So, I don’t know if you’re familiar with Makers Clubs,” he said, “but they’re basically hobbyists getting together to work on work on just building kind of electronics and mechatronics, gadgets and stuff. And people just decide they’re going to make something and they just put it together and there’s a lot of camaraderie and so on. But it’s definitely learning by doing.”

He worked in a place like that that specialized in medical rehabilitation.

How fascinating!

I’m off to finish this transcription so I’ll remember all he said about that work before I interview him (on a different subject) tomorrow.

Another shot from Flicker.