MIT Media Lab 5th Design Innovation Workshop 2015

"Once you have an innovation culture, even those who are not scientists or engineers - poets,

actors, journalists - they, as communities, embrace the meaning of what it is to be scientifically

literate. They embrace the concept of an innovation culture. They vote in ways that promote it.

They don't fight science and they don't fight technology". -Neil deGrasse Tyson

And, that's what MIT Media Lab promotes upto an extent. Well, MIT Media Lab India Initiative

was more than just a design workshop. The Media Lab India Initiative is an outreach program by

students and alumni from the MIT Media Lab to bring together a community of makers and

creators across India, and to facilitate collaboration and sharing of ideas across boundaries of

disciplines, institutions and culture. The goal is to create an environment much like at the MIT

Media Lab, an environment that fosters creative exploration of ideas just like at the prestigious

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in the States.

Recently, 350 technologists, artists, designers and thinkers from all around India gathered in

Ahmedabad for the 5th Design Innovation Workshop at PDPU, Gandhinagar, India from January

17th to 23rd, 2015. The initiative helped in building up a community of awesome bunch of people

from around India. Those awesome 7 days gave an enthralling experience to each one of us. The

week long program inspired and focused on building things that matter. As part of the workshop,

following tracks were covered - Civic Innovation, Synthetic Biology, Welspun Smart Textiles,

Synchronous Tools, Immersive Storytelling, Sensors across Scales, Samsung Lifelong

Learning, Creating engaging playful experiences, Enabling Toys and Networked

Playscapes.

Siddhant Agarwal, an undergraduate student from UPES was selected from a pool of thousands

of applicants who applied to the MIT Media Lab 5th Design Innovation Workshop in the

Networked Playscapes track. The track focused on making use of design thinking techniques

and learn the basics of physical computing while imagining the playgrounds of the future. It also

reflected on how the internet and ubiquitous computing is affecting and shaping the way we relate

and communicate over distance paying close attention to scale, reach, directionality, intentionality

and the senses targeted: How far can my message get and why?. And yes, use of Arduinos and

sensors to hack and prototype. Xbee radios were a plus in this track!

It all started with field trips followed by excessive brainstorming, ideation processes and walls

filled with sticky notes and posters. Participants were so passionate about their ideas that pulling

off an all-nighter was a piece of cake. Wrapping up with a working prototype in seven days and

pulling up our sleeves for an open-house session is what we all cared about. Overall, it had been

an amazing week with 'lot-to-learn' experiences and 'forever-to-cherish' moments.

80 Projects. 10 Tracks. 350 students across India. 10 Start-ups. 25 MIT Mentors.

This year’s workshop also showcased a bunch of startups from all over the country who are doing

some amazing stuff – all Made in India. From innovative 3D printers to electronic bricks, from

interactive technologies to sensor systems. Few notable start-ups like IOTBLR, TAH

Manufacturer, Play Labs and Fractal Works were available during the program to interact, learn,

work and play with their prototypes.

Bringing much diversity and intersection of unconventional ideas at a place with people from all

domains and thus strengthening the spirit of 'anti-disciplinary approach', Kshitij Marwah (India

Liaison to MIT Media Lab) and all other organizers really pulled off a great event. Thanks to the

amazing mentors and whole MIT Media Lab for making it possible.

A week bunched with insanity, fun, innovation, ideas, brainstorming, cool projects and amazing

people. It was an astounding experience! I would like to end it with the words from Benjamin

Franklin.

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."