To develop the capacities of young people to become innovators, Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) introduced Fabrication Lab Project in 2019. The project sets up laboratories fully equipped with engineering and measuring tools and instruments in schools nationwide and develops activities for students and teachers to acquire creativity and skills in design, research and engineering through the creation of innovations in the fabrication labs. A mentorship program has also been established to have universities located nearby to provide guidance to students and teachers.
Benchamaratrungsarit 2 School is one of 150 schools and technical colleges participating in this project. Located in Chacheongsao province, the school was provided with equipment such as 3D printers, laser cutters and other scientific and engineering tools enabling students to build science projects. As a mentor, Burapha University provides the school with engineering knowledge and skills.
FabLab has proven to unleash students’ creativity, leading to the creation of a number of award-winning innovations. The development of dissolved oxygen meter was inspired by the students’ curiosity to know the dissolved oxygen levels in various water sources in their surrounding area. Hitech lawn mower is a remote-control lawn mower that the students designed with 3D-printed wheels. A smoke sensor was developed with an integration to KidBright, an embedded board invented by NECTEC-NSTDA, to send a notification to users via a messaging application. Another team of students employed coding skill to develop an alert system to remind bedridden patients to reposition and send a message to the caretaker’s mobile phone.
