Lalela, the LO-Def Film Factory and GaudiLabs teamed up to co-run a workshop where participants learned how to build their own solar-powered devices, and learners were invited to think beyond solar energy as just a technical solution. By using the LO-Def Film Factory method for speculative storytelling and character design, The workshop participants explored how energy, technology and power are experienced and shared in South Africa. They also imagined how these resources could be harnessed for more just collective futures.

By combining imagination with practical skills, learners were able to connect creative thinking with real-world application, gaining both technical knowledge and new ways of understanding the world around them. 

We are excited to announce the release of The qPocketPCR; an ultra-compact, open-source Real-Time PCR thermal cycler designed for portability, accessibility, and versatility. About the size of a smartphone and powered via USB-C (PD), it performs Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) on up to 8 standard sample tubes, bringing advanced molecular techniques to the field, classroom, or community lab. More info can be found on the PocketPCR page here…

In September, we visited the Computer and Solar Training Center of Linux Friends (ALF) in Limbe, Cameroon. Initiated by Michel Pauli, this open-source school offers an alternative approach to education, research, and manufacturing, fostering a locally adapted, culturally relevant, and sustainable ecosystem. Over three intensive weeks, we taught and learned solar panel production using local resources. On our way back, we spent a few days in Douala with Gisele Yitamben and taught at her school, successfully testing reflow soldering with a Fresnel lens and sunlight together with students.

Invited by Paula Pin from Casa Do Rio, we attended a residency and public Hackathon on Biomaterials, Biodiversity and DIY Microscopy in Galicia, Spain. We had a weekend of making, talks and an exhibition, where we shared recipes with local bio-textile designers and experimented with bioelectronic materials. Restorative Practices is a Creative Europe collaboration project.

Together with my friend Miranda Moss, I have embarked on a wonderful and speculative quest for diverse energetic materials. In a whimsical research endeavor, we delved deep into the world of piezoelectric crystals and conducted experiments on ambient energy. We showcased our research results in the form of an exhibition and a masterclass during the REFRESH #5 festival at Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (ZHdK).

A global group of people working on open source hardware and reagents for LAMP reactions gathered online under the name of GlobalLAMP. Finally in 2022 we got to physically meet and collaborate. The first meeting was held at the Learning Planet Institute in Paris. A small group of researchers from 4 continents, Europe, Africa, Asia, South America met and exchanged knowledge (link). In the same year, a second work phase was held in MboaLab in Cameroon (link). Inspired by the collaboration GaudiLabs developed a new prototype device of a qPocketPCR, a real time PCR machine reading fluorescence through a highly sensitive camera and an ESP32 core.

During the pandemic GaudiLabs was busy with online activities and some smaller physical laboratories. With Ryan Fobel from SciBots we initiated a biweekly hangout on digital microfluidics with great success. Scientific researchers, corporate engineers and creative people from all around the world meet to exchange experiences in this uprising technology. Together with Stefan Deuber we broadcasted a lab-session for Fashion Revolution. And two physical labs were held on the topics of DIY graphene and bio-materials.

After several years of successful business, GaudiLabs was transformed into a limited liability company in 2020. GaudiLabs LLC has also been expanded to include a beautiful laboratory. A dust-free workplace was set up for OpenDrop production. New open science hardware product can be found in gaudishop.ch .

Guest lecture for the “How To Symposium: Copy Paste & Rights” at Zurich University of Arts (ZhdK). Talked about the merger of digital representation and physical manifestation. Showed Shenzhen ready open hardware, the 3D Printed Speculum, the Open Space Wrench, The 3D Additivist Cookbook, Self assembling DNA Origami structures and more. Finished with an OpenSCAD Workshop.